$550,000 project with UBC to accelerate AI-driven strain discovery and industrial biotech innovation

Renaissance BioScience Corp. has announced a $550,000 GeneSolve research grant funded by Genome BC to develop a proprietary wild yeast discovery platform, in collaboration with Dr. Vivien Measday at the University of British Columbia.

The 24-month initiative aims to build a large, searchable library of wild yeast strains to accelerate the identification and commercialization of natural yeast species for high-value applications across agriculture, food, health, and energy sectors.

In its first phase, the project will characterize more than 700 natural yeast strains, selecting high-potential candidates for advanced genomic analysis. The resulting genomic and phenotypic data will be integrated into a digital platform designed to enable rapid strain identification and support AI-driven discovery.

“This project represents a strategic investment in a long-term yeast discovery and commercialization engine,” said Dr. John Husnik, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at Renaissance BioScience. “By combining industrial expertise with world-class research infrastructure, we are creating scalable pathways to identify high-performance yeast strains and unlock new revenue streams.”

Through its partnership with the Measday Lab, Renaissance gains access to advanced robotic screening systems, sequencing capabilities, and analytical tools critical for high-throughput bioprospecting of industrially relevant yeast strains.

The project’s initial commercial focus centers on identifying yeast strains capable of converting low-value waste substrates into high-value industrial compounds. Using high-throughput screening, researchers will evaluate strains for their ability to transform waste streams into products such as enzymes, biosurfactants, emulsifiers, and nutraceuticals—applications spanning multiple industrial and consumer markets.

The initiative has already attracted interest from commercial partners and academic collaborators, highlighting the growing strategic importance of data-driven biotechnology platforms.

“This is not about a single product,” Husnik added. “We are building a permanent, data-rich discovery platform that strengthens our intellectual property position and creates repeatable commercialization opportunities.” The announcement underscores Renaissance BioScience’s broader strategy of leveraging public-private partnerships to accelerate innovation and expand its footprint in industrial biotechnology.