Synthetic biology companies engineer biological systems to create new products, processes and capabilities across healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing and environmental applications. The field combines biology, engineering and computational design to reprogram living systems.
This category includes companies working on:
Browse 114 UK synthetic biology companies below.
AI-driven precision fermentation for sustainable ingredients
Twig Bio is a bioengineering company using AI and laboratory automation to develop sustainable, bio-fermented alternatives to petrochemical and agriculturally derived ingredients. Its platform combines machine learning-guided pathway design with high-throughput robotic strain building and screening, enabling rapid…
Gene therapy platform delivering precision cancer treatments
Trogenix is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision gene therapies for aggressive solid tumours. Its platform uses proprietary synthetic super-enhancers, engineered genetic constructs delivered via AAV vectors, to selectively activate in cancer cells and simultaneously trigger tumour cell death and…
Engineered bacterial immunotherapies for solid tumours
Prokarium is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing microbial immunotherapies using engineered Salmonella strains. Its platform combines synthetic biology with AI-enabled discovery to create programmable bacterial therapeutics that deliver payloads within the tumour microenvironment. The lead programme…
Veterinary vaccine R&D and licensing for livestock infectious diseases
Cambivac develops and licenses veterinary vaccine technologies, combining genomic research with traditional virology and molecular approaches. Its documented development programmes include vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, a respiratory disease affecting pigs. The…
Bioelectronic chips using living microorganisms for rapid chemical sensing
Kāhu SiliconBio is developing a bioelectronic sensor that integrates living, bioengineered microorganisms directly into silicon chips to detect trace chemicals in liquids. The company's BioChip generates an electrical signal proportional to chemical concentration, enabling rapid, on-site measurement without laboratory…
Whole genome synthesis platform engineering novel therapeutic biomolecules
Constructive Bio is a Cambridge-based synthetic biology company developing programmable biology platforms for the creation of novel biomolecules. Spun out of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the company's technology combines whole genome synthesis and engineered protein translation to produce molecules…
Engineering algae to produce carbon-neutral biofuels at scale
Phycobloom is an industrial biotechnology company developing genetically engineered algae strains capable of continuously secreting oil for use in sustainable aviation fuel and plastics. Using synthetic biology and gene editing, the company has engineered algae to capture atmospheric CO2 while producing oil without…
Photosynthesis-based microalgae cultivation for sustainable food ingredients
Arborea is a UK industrial biotechnology company developing a cultivation system for photosynthetic microorganisms including microalgae, diatoms and phytoplankton. The system uses sunlight and CO₂ as feedstocks to grow microscopic plants at scale, from which proteins, natural pigments and bioactive nutrients are…
Engineering microbes to produce bio-based chemicals from waste feedstocks
17Cicada is an industrial biotechnology company engineering non-conventional microbial chassis, including cyanobacteria and Streptomyces, to produce bio-based chemicals and biomass from waste feedstocks and CO₂. The company applies synthetic biology and low-carbon fermentation processes to create value from…
Engineered bacteria producing biopolymers from atmospheric CO2
Neo-Fossil is an industrial biotechnology company engineering bacteria with plant-derived DNA to produce stable, carbon-rich biopolymer compounds that lock atmospheric carbon dioxide for centuries. Drawing on the chemistry of ancient plant fossils, the company uses machine learning to identify optimal target compounds…
Synthetic DNA, gene synthesis and NGS reagents for life science research
Twist Bioscience is a synthetic biology company offering a broad portfolio of DNA-based products and services for research, diagnostics, and therapeutic development. Its silicon-based DNA synthesis platform enables high-throughput production of synthetic genes, oligo pools, NGS target enrichment panels, and antibody…
Enzyme-based platform for sustainable industrial chemical manufacture
HydRegen is a biotechnology company developing enzyme immobilisation platforms that replace heavy-metal catalysts in redox and hydrogenation reactions. The technology uses hydrogen gas to power NADH-dependent enzymes on carbon supports, enabling continuous flow processing of fine chemicals and active pharmaceutical…
Targeted lipid nanoparticle delivery platform for precision therapeutics
Hone Bio is a preclinical biotechnology company developing targeted lipid nanoparticle drug delivery technology. Its proprietary platform uses engineered proteins that enable cell-specific LNP delivery while actively blocking off-target liver uptake, addressing a key limitation of conventional LNP systems. The…
AI-driven enzyme engineering platform for pharmaceutical manufacturing
Imperagen is a biotechnology company developing an automated enzyme engineering platform that combines AI-powered protein design with synthetic biology and laboratory automation. The company engineers optimised biocatalysts for pharmaceutical manufacturing, enabling greener and more efficient production of complex…
Biosurfactant manufacturer using yeast fermentation
Holiferm is a Manchester-based industrial biotech manufacturing biosurfactants from renewable feedstocks using a patented yeast fermentation process. The company produces sophorolipids for use in personal care, home care, and industrial cleaning applications as biodegradable, non-toxic alternatives to petrochemical…
Plant-based molecular farming platform for bio-identical collagen production
LeafyColl is a biotech developing a molecular farming platform for the scalable, plant-based production of bio-identical human collagen and other specialty proteins. The system uses engineered plants as programmable bio-factories to produce high-purity collagen for applications spanning regenerative medicine, wound…
Asymmetric biomaterial skin substitutes for acute and chronic wounds
Janus Biosciences is a biotech developing novel biomaterial skin substitutes for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds. The platform is based on asymmetric Janus material architectures, in which opposing faces of the scaffold present distinct physicochemical properties to simultaneously support wound bed healing…
Programmable RNA for scalable cell engineering and biomanufacturing
Plurify is a biotechnology company developing PluRNA, a programmable RNA platform for sustained protein expression without genome integration. Its technology is designed to engineer cells through controllable RNA-based programmes, with applications in stem-cell therapy manufacturing, cell purification, biologics…
Engineered bacterial nanosyringes for intracellular protein delivery
NanoSyrinx is a discovery-stage biotechnology company developing a platform for targeted intracellular delivery of protein and peptide therapeutics. Based on naturally occurring bacterial nanomachines, the company's technology is engineered to deliver biological payloads directly to the cytosol of targeted cells…
Collagen-based biomaterials as sustainable alternatives to leather
PACT Earth is a UK biotechnology company developing collagen-based biomaterials for the fashion and textiles industries. Its flagship material is produced from ethically sourced collagen derived from freshwater fish farming by-products, processed without synthetic plastics or harsh chemicals. PACT targets brand…