About the MIB

About the MIB

The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology brings together researchers from biology, chemistry and engineering to explore new scientific possibilities. Through collaborative projects and innovative technologies, we develop practical solutions to pressing global challenges and and work with international partners to translate discovery into real‑world impact. 

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Our research themes

Looking for expertise in engineering biology?

Looking for expertise in engineering biology?

If you are an industrialist, policymaker, academic or simply someone who would like to know more about what we do, we welcome conversations about how our research can help you. 

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News

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Manchester scientists design ‘tunable’ biomolecules to probe how sugars behave

Researchers at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology have developed a new way to precisely build and modify complex sugar molecules, creating powerful tools to study how they function in biology and disease.

Researchers discover new way to control ice growth using polymer nanoparticles

Researchers at The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology have developed a new approach to designing materials that control how ice crystals grow, opening up new possibilities for cryobiology, food storage and anti‑icing technologies.

MIB researcher awarded BBSRC fellowship to advance carbon‑efficient biomanufacturing

Dr Micaela Chacón, a post-doctoral researcher at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), supporting new work to improve the carbon efficiency of microbial manufacturing.

University of Manchester techbio spin-out secures £5 million to deploy quantum physics, AI modelling, and highly automated labs to power next gen enzyme engineering

A Manchester-based techbio company using AI and quantum physics to engineer better enzymes faster, has closed a £5 million seed funding round led by PXN Ventures with participation from Imperagen’s existing investors IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone.

Hot spring microbiomes could transform industrial CO2 waste into valuable products, Manchester researchers find

Researchers at The University of Manchester have shown that microbial communities from terrestrial hot springs could be harnessed to convert industrial CO2 emissions into useful products, offering new routes towards a circular, low-carbon economy.Industrial processes such as steel and cement production generate large volumes of CO2-rich waste gases. While these emissions are a major environmental challenge, the new study – published in Environmental Microbiome – suggests they could represent an untapped resource.The team found that microbiomes inhabiting terrestrial hot springs are naturally adapted to conditions that closely resemble industrial waste streams: high temperatures, elevated concentrations of CO2, and chemically challenging environments.Hot spring microorganisms are highly efficient at transforming inorganic carbon, including CO2, into organic compounds such as biomass and other valuable products. The researchers suggest that these communities could form the foundation of new biotechnologies designed to operate under industrial conditions without the need for light or energy-intensive cooling processes.Such approaches could enable the production of value-added compounds, including biopolymers and vitamins, directly from CO2-rich waste streams, helping to reduce emissions while generating economic value. While geological carbon storage remains a critical component of Net Zero strategies, it can be energy-intensive and costly to implement at scale. The researchers suggest that biotechnological approaches could offer a complementary route by converting emissions into useful products rather than storing them underground.The study is based on a global analysis of hot spring microbiomes spanning multiple continents, revealing consistent metabolic potential for carbon transformation across diverse environments.Corresponding author, Professor Sophie Nixon, states:“This study highlights that nature has already evolved solutions for converting CO2 under extreme conditions, and that these natural solutions are there for us to harness.Our work sits alongside geological storage within a broader portfolio of CO2 management strategies. The key difference is that here, we’re going beyond just storing carbon, and transforming it into something useful.This is a proof of concept, and we are now actively working with these communities in the laboratory to develop scalable, cost-effective systems that can contribute to Net Zero.”This paper was published in the journal: Environmental MicrobiomeFull title: Exploring the biotechnological potential of terrestrial hot spring microbiomes for CO2 utilisationDOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-026-00875-x 

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Our research is designed to have impact, and contributes to many of today’s advancements in health, nutrition, energy, environmental protection and transport.

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