By Abdullahi Lukman
Cytotrait, a biotechnology spinout from University of Manchester, has secured £3 million in seed funding to advance research on new genetic traits for crops aimed at improving food security and sustainable agriculture.
The funding round was led by Northern Gritstone, with additional investment from the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, managed by Future Planet Capital, and the Northern Universities Ventures Fund managed by Parkwalk Advisors in partnership with Northern Gritstone.
According to the company, the investment will support further development of its proprietary Mutant Organelle Selection System (MOSS) technology and enable new research programs focused on improving traits in major crops.
Cytotrait said the MOSS technology is designed to overcome long-standing challenges in crop engineering by introducing genes and gene edits into plant chloroplasts and mitochondria.
The method enables genetic changes to occur across all organelles within a cell, allowing stronger and more precise expression of desired crop traits.
The company plans to use the funding to explore applications of the technology in key crops including wheat, maize, potato and canola, particularly in European and North American markets.
Research will focus on improving crop yields, strengthening resilience and developing new food traits while supporting more sustainable agricultural practices such as improved carbon sequestration.
Earlier, Cytotrait received £498,000 in funding from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency to develop the MOSS platform for hybrid seed production in wheat.
The company was established with support from University of Manchester Innovation Factory, the university’s technology transfer office responsible for commercialising research through spinouts and licensing.
Co-founder and executive director Junwei Ji said the technology was developed to address global challenges related to food security and sustainable agriculture by enabling the creation of crops with improved productivity and lower environmental impact.
Chief executive of Northern Gritstone, Duncan Johnson, said the investment reflects the strong innovation emerging from universities in northern England and expressed confidence in Cytotrait’s research and development programmes.