University of Liverpool Partners with CyanoCapture to Develop Carboxysome-Based Drug Delivery Nanotechnology
Key Insights
The University of Liverpool and CyanoCapture Ltd (search) have formed a 12-month research partnership to develop next-generation carboxysome (search)-based targeted drug delivery systems using engineered cyanobacteria.
The collaboration combines Professor Luning Liu's breakthrough research on protein nanocages with CyanoCapture's proprietary genetic engineering tools and scalable cyanobacteria strains capable of manufacturing peptide molecules from CO2.
The partnership aims to address off-target effects in drug development by creating affordable protein nanocages that can load peptides to target specific tissues, potentially solving clinical trial failures.
The University of Liverpool and CyanoCapture Ltd (search) have announced a 12-month research partnership to develop revolutionary carboxysome (search)-based targeted drug delivery systems, leveraging unique properties of fast-growing cyanobacteria to address critical challenges in pharmaceutical development.
The collaboration brings together CyanoCapture's proprietary genetic engineering tools, scalable cyanobacteria strains, and peptide expression technology with breakthrough research from Professor Luning Liu's laboratory at Liverpool, which has pioneered methods to engineer protein nanocages for biopharmaceutical applications.
Breakthrough Technology Platform
Professor Luning Liu, an expert in microbial bioenergetics and bioengineering from the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, has made significant advances in understanding how to engineer carboxysomes to load with peptide cargoes including enzymes and recombinant proteins. His recent breakthrough demonstrated that these bacterial microcompartments can be loaded with cargo molecules of interest instead of their usual carbon fixation enzymes.
Carboxysomes are bacterial microcompartments consisting of polyhedral protein shells approximately 100 nanometers in diameter, naturally filled with enzymes essential for carbon dioxide fixation, primarily ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO (search)) and carbonic anhydrase (search). These specialized structures are found in all cyanobacteria and many chemotrophic bacteria that fix carbon dioxide.
CyanoCapture's cell lines have been shown to express one of the highest copy numbers of these structures, making them an ideal production platform for engineered carboxysomes. The company uses advanced genetic engineering and multi-omics datasets to reprogram the world's fastest growing photosynthetic cells into biological factories capable of cost-effectively manufacturing peptide molecules directly from CO2, nitrates, and phosphates.
Industrial Scale Manufacturing
CyanoCapture has demonstrated significant manufacturing capabilities, successfully scaling up cultivation of its cell lines to 3,400 litres with record-breaking productivities. The company is currently in the process of transferring its process to Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) facilities in India and Canada, with deployment planned for 2026.
The collaboration will focus on developing innovative methods for producing targeted delivery systems using engineered carboxysomes, combining advanced molecular biology techniques including CRISPR with scalable biomanufacturing systems ranging from 15 litres up to 1,000 litres for real-world industrial applications.
Addressing Clinical Development Challenges
Dr. David Kim, CEO of CyanoCapture Ltd (search), highlighted the clinical significance of the partnership: "AI x Drug Discovery will create an explosion in novel drugs and vaccines. But some may fail at clinical trials due to off-target effects. We are combining Liverpool's world-class expertise in bionanotechnology and our cyanobacterial platform to solve this problem."
The joint project aims to develop affordable protein nanocages capable of loading peptides to target specific tissues, potentially addressing one of the major causes of clinical trial failures in drug development.
Research Investment and Structure
The collaboration has received support from the University's Partnership and Innovation Fund (PIF). CyanoCapture has sponsored a Post Doctoral Research Assistant for 12 months to work in the Liu laboratory on novel intellectual property co-developed by Professor Liu and CyanoCapture.
Additionally, the company is co-supervising a PhD student under a four-year programme funded by BBSRC DTP, focusing on other elements of cyanobacterial CO2 fixation and carboxysome (search) engineering that will complete the broader technology roadmap.
Professor Liu emphasized the translational potential: "Our research has revealed fundamental mechanisms by which cyanobacteria build and optimize their carbon assimilation machinery. By partnering with CyanoCapture, we can translate these discoveries into practical solutions for next-generation biomanufacturing."
The partnership represents a convergence of academic breakthrough science with industrial innovation, targeting the $40 billion market for hard-to-synthesize peptide molecules while addressing critical challenges in targeted drug delivery.