SKAN Research Trust and Quadram Institute Bioscience partner to develop novel microbial therapies

New Delhi: In a collaboration, SKAN Research Trust, promoted by Indian entrepreneur Ashok Soota, and the UK-based Quadram Institute Bioscience have announced a joint effort to utilize the advanced TraDIS-Xpress platform.

This innovative project aims to study the effects of traditional medical compounds on bacteria, potentially leading to the reformulation and development of new antibacterial treatments.

Prof. Ian Charles, Director of Quadram Institute Bioscience, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “I’m excited to see the cutting-edge genomic technology and expertise we have here in Quadram supporting our valued partners at the SKAN Research Trust to benefit the health of the people of India, and also further our fundamental understanding of the links between microbes and human wellbeing.”

TraDIS-Xpress, Quadram’s proprietary genetic sequencing technology, is at the forefront of discovering new antimicrobial agents and developing superior prebiotics and probiotics to promote health. The study, titled “Application of TraDIS-Xpress in Microbiology for Healthy Living,” will be led by Quadram’s Principal Investigator, Prof. Mark Webber, and SKAN’s Deputy Director, Dr. Yogesh Shouche. This initiative is a component of a broader Comprehensive Partnership Agreement between the two organizations, which have ongoing international collaborations focusing on gut health and developing microbial therapies to combat aging and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s.

A key aspect of this international partnership is the exchange of cutting-edge technologies to enhance Indian research capabilities in gut microbiome studies. SKAN researchers will receive training on the TraDIS-Xpress platform at the Quadram Institute located in Norwich Research Park. This training is expected to facilitate the generation of valuable data from large Indian cohorts, aiding in the creation of India-specific therapies. Additionally, this data generation is anticipated to accelerate the development of the TraDIS-Xpress platform and broaden its application scope.

Ashok Soota, Chairman and Managing Trustee of SKAN, highlighted the significance of this research, saying, “The research on novel microbial therapies raises our collaboration with QIB to a whole new level. We are grateful to Ian Charles for including SKAN as a partner in this transformational initiative.”

Prof. Mark Webber, Group Leader at Quadram Institute Bioscience, emphasized the potential of the TraDIS-Xpress platform, noting, “This project highlights the potential of the TraDIS-Xpress platform for identifying and understanding the genetic basis behind bacteria’s enormous capacity to adapt for survival. I’m looking forward to helping our colleagues in India deploy it to support their research.”

Dr. Yogesh Shouche, Deputy Director of SKAN, added, “The three-year project will also study the mechanisms of drug resistance for key pathogens relevant to India and the action of selected food additives used in India on the growth of selected gut microbes.”