New Canadian Biotech Company Chinova Bioworks Accepted into IndieBio Accelerator
CORK, IRELAND–New biotech company Chinova Bioworks has announced their acceptance into the world’s first synthetic biology accelerator IndieBio in the European biotech hub of Cork, Ireland at the University College Cork.
Chinova Bioworks is Canadian biotechnology company developing an antimicrobial agent from fungal-sourced chitosan biopolymer. The core technology comes from New Brunswick’s Mycodev Group, the majority shareholder of Chinova Bioworks. The company is run by CEO Natasha Dhayagude (formerly of Fredericton’s Planet Hatch), CTO Emanuel Dinis and COO David Brown.
Dhayagude explains that while Mycodev is producing high purity, pharmaceutical grade chitosan through a fungal fermentation process that can be used in a wide range of applications, Chinova is developing a safe, natural and effective antimicrobial agent using natural fungal derived chitosan to enhance the shelf-life of super premium juices. A precisely formulated mixture of chitosan will be developed to enhance the shelf-life and protect the juices from a wide range of spoilage microbes.
“IndieBio is an incredible opportunity to develop our technology rapidly and effectively,” Dhayagude said, in a release. “We hope by the end of this program to get our first product into the hands of beverage companies who see the value of our technology to extend the natural shelf-life of premium juices.”
IndieBio is hosted by US venture capital firm SOSV. SOSV is investing $100, 000 in Chinova Bioworks.
The IndieBio accelerator will see the company through three months of intense programming and will take them from comprehensive lab screening into full beta-product development and get samples into the hands of early adopters in the beverage industry. Chinova will have access to world-class business mentors and scientists who specialize in biotechnology and will end with a demo day pitch to potential investors and corporations.