Oxford Biotrans
Oxford Biotrans was spun out of the University of Oxford’s Department of Chemistry in 2013 to develop enzymatic approaches for the production of high-value chemical compounds.
The Company has exclusive licenses covering a library of cytochrome P450 enzymes that catalyse chemical reactions, delivering natural products with supply stability. Oxford Biotrans’ lead product is nootkatone, a high-value flavour and fragrance (F&F) component of grapefruit that the Company derives from valencene, a commodity compound extracted from oranges. In the long term, Oxford Biotrans aims to expand from F&F into the high-value pharma and agrochemical markets.
Founder
Professor Luet Wong
Professor Wong has a powerful track record of over 25 years in the discovery, structure, function, and biotechnological application of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase enzymes. His background in synthesis, biological electron transfer, enzyme engineering and biocatalysis leads to an integrated, interdisciplinary approach that spans the fundamental science of structural and mechanistic enzymology to designing enzymes for specific applications.
