(L-R) Prof Anthony Hall, Dr Joshua Colmer, John Bloomer, Dr Felicity Knowles, Prof Neil Hall.
A new spin-out company is set to transform the agricultural sector by using artificial intelligence (AI) and biomarkers to revolutionise plant and animal breeding, as well as the development of inputs such as agrochemicals, biostimulants, biologicals, and plant nutrients.
TraitSeq Ltd, the first company to spin out from the Earlham Institute in Norwich, was co-founded by CEO Dr Joshua Colmer, Head of Plant Genomics Professor Anthony Hall, and seasoned agritech business leader John Bloomer. They were subsequently joined as co-founders by agritech start-up specialist Dr Felicity Knowles, and highly skilled bioinformaticians Dr Vignesh Dhandapani and Benedict Coombes.
TraitSeq is a low-cost, high-throughput, platform technology that uses bespoke machine learning methods to identify biomarkers that are utilised for training predictive models for complex traits in agriculture. TraitSeq’s trait prediction models achieve beyond state-of-the-art levels of accuracy and can incorporate environmental variation – enabling highly accurate trait performance predictions in the field.
TraitSeq is leading the industry in uniquely combining artificial intelligence (AI) and transcriptomic expertise to provide accurate and robust RNA-based biomarkers for complex genetic traits – such as drought tolerance, tolerance to stress, improved taste, and nutrient use, in plants – and novel inputs that interact with plant genetics. This informs the accelerated development and enhancement of these desirable traits, paving the way for the creation of higher-yielding, climate-resilient crops, and novel agricultural inputs.
These traits and inputs are enormously beneficial to farmers but are notoriously difficult and time-consuming to develop using conventional practices from the early leads seen in the laboratory and glasshouse into products that work in the field.
Comprehensive solution
This cutting-edge approach can be applied not only in plant breeding and agricultural input development but also in livestock breeding – offering a comprehensive solution to key challenges in agriculture and food production.
These advancements are pivotal for the sector, with the potential to benefit global food security, underpin more sustainable agricultural practices, and help tackle climate change.
Joshua Colmer, CEO and Co-founder of TraitSeq, said: “TraitSeq has the potential to be transformational, and not just for crop improvement, but for a range of applications that we’re excited to be exploring.
“We are the first company to offer this approach to customers in the agritech sector: we are first movers in this field.
“I’m confident TraitSeq will hugely benefit the sector – whether that’s guiding breeding programmes, identifying gene editing targets, or accelerating crop input development.”
Product development
John Bloomer, Director and Co-founder of TraitSeq, an agritech commercial leader with over 30 years of experience in the agrochemical, ag-biotech, and seeds industry said: “What excites me is TraitSeq’s ability to accurately predict field performance of new agritech products while they are still at a very early stage in the glasshouse.
“This will accelerate our customers’ product development process and improve their R&D success rate, bringing new products to the market faster and at lower cost.
“And as climate change provides increasing challenges for farmers worldwide, we need to provide them with innovative new tools to help them grow crops sustainably.”
Professor Anthony Hall, Head of Plant Genomics at the Earlham Institute and Co-Founder of TraitSeq, said: “There are many complex traits in plants that breeders would love to be able to select for. But, until now, the tools simply haven’t existed to do this reliably.
“TraitSeq’s technology can identify biomarkers for traits that help mitigate or build resilience to climate change, such as water use efficiency, which will accelerate the development of new crops that can cope with the environmental challenges of the future.
“And the early-stage evaluation of gene edits could significantly improve the efficiency and speed of validation, while also reducing cost.”
The company has already seen some notable successes; securing funding from Anglia Innovation Partnership and Innovate UK for pilot projects with industry, attracting significant commercial interest at both the 2023 World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London and the 2023 European Seeds Association Congress in Malta, and winning the latest Innovation Hothouse competition hosted by the Norwich Research Park, UEA, and the Royal Society.
Dr Liliya Serazetdinova, Head of Business Development and Impact at the Earlham Institute, said: “TraitSeq is a great example of how we’re translating our cutting-edge science into real-world applications which will have an impact on agriculture and other sectors.
“Josh has the spirit of innovation and enterprise, and is now inspiring other researchers and students to look at their research from a different angle of generating new value for the society.
“We’re delighted to announce the formation of our first spinout company and looking forward to collaborating with the team at TraitSeq in the future to realise the potential of Earlham Institute research.”
For media enquiries, please contact:
Felicity Knowles at TraitSeq at felicity.knowles@traitseq.com
Greg Bowker at the Earlham Institute on 01603 450 895 or at greg.bowker@earlham.ac.uk
Notes to Editor:
The original technology that underpins TraitSeq was developed during Joshua Colmer’s PhD project at the Earlham Institute, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UKRI, through the National Productivity Investment Fund Studentships (NPIF) Industrial CASE Award between 1st October 2018 and 31st September 2022, supervised by Professor Anthony Hall at the Earlham Institute, and further co-developed jointly with Professor Anthony Hall between 1st October 2022 and to 1st August 2023.
The Earlham Institute’s Business Development and Impact (BDI) team encouraged Josh and Anthony to pitch their idea at a “Dragon’s Den” meeting with Non-exec Directors of the Earlham Enterprises Ltd Board, and they saw potential for a spinout. One of the “Dragons”, John Bloomer, an agritech commercial leader with over 30 years of industry experience, was so impressed with the potential of TraitSeq that he agreed to Co-found TraitSeq Ltd.
The BDI team and John recognised the potential in Colmer’s project, supporting him and Professor Hall with market research, pre-seed grant funding applications, and value proposition development through a successful BBSRC Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research (ICURe) programme. The ICURe programme confirmed TraitSeq’s significant commercial value via engagement with a range of potential clients in the agritech industry.
About TraitSeq Ltd
TraitSeq Ltd was co-founded in 2023 by Dr Joshua Colmer, Professor Anthony Hall, and Mr John Bloomer, as a spin-out from the Earlham Institute, they were subsequently joined by co-founders Dr Felicity Knowles, Dr Vignesh Dhandapani and Benedict Coombes. It applies cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately predict complex agricultural traits, for the development of high-yielding and climate-resilient crop varieties, animal breeds, agrochemical and biological inputs, and gene edits that are critical to global food security and sustainable food production.
TraitSeq is a low-cost, high throughput, platform technology that uses bespoke machine learning methods to identify biomarkers that are utilised for training predictive models for complex traits in agriculture. TraitSeq’s trait prediction models achieve beyond state-of-the-art levels of accuracy and can incorporate environmental variation – enabling highly accurate trait performance predictions in the field.
About the Earlham Institute
The Earlham Institute is a hub of life science research, training, and innovation focused on understanding the natural world through the lens of genomics.
Embracing the full breadth of life on Earth, our scientists specialise in developing and testing the latest tools and approaches needed to decode living systems and make predictions about biology.
The Earlham Institute is based within the Norwich Research Park and is one of eight institutes that receive strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UKRI, as well as support from other research funders.