Isomerase launches EvoSelect for faster enzyme engineering

Isomerase has launched EvoSelect, a machine learning-guided enzyme engineering platform.

It is designed to accelerate development timelines and enhance performance under industrial conditions, reducing the cost and complexity of enzyme optimisation.

Isomerase is a synthetic biology company founded in 2012 and headquartered at the Newnham Building on Chesterford Research Park. It helps its partners to use microbes to make anything from therapeutics to enzymes, agricultural and consumer products sustainably, cost effectively and at scale.

EvoSelect forms part of Isomerase’s broader IsoZym platform, an end-to-end offering that spans protein design, expression, and scale-up. By analysing sequence alignments and evolutionary couplings – correlated mutations that suggest functional or structural interdependencies between residues – the platform identifies regions where targeted changes are most likely to enhance enzyme performance without destabilising the protein.

This allows EvoSelect to propose higher fitness variants that retain or improve functionality under diverse industrial conditions, such as high temperatures, extreme pH, or solvent exposure. Compared to conventional random mutagenesis or trial-and-error workflows, this narrows down the mutation space and prioritises sequences with the highest probability of success.

EvoSelect generates enzymes with less than 80 per cent sequence identity to the seed sequence. This helps clients avoid crowded intellectual property spaces and provides opportunities to develop differentiated, patentable biocatalysts.

Matthew Gregory, CEO and CSO of Isomerase, said: “We confidently believe this cutting-edge machine learning tool can significantly enhance the accessibility and affordability of novel and improved proteins and enzymes across a wide range of industries. Novel improved enzymes, in particular, have the potential to cut existing process costs, enable the creation of new products and improve sustainability. Isomerase is well placed to support our partners by providing cost-effective and rapid access to novel improved sequences with EvoSelect.

“Additionally, we can assist with expression of these proteins or enzymes in a range of proprietary microbial hosts, conduct assay development and analytical confirmation, carry out prototype manufacturing and reaction engineering and develop processes so they are fit for commercialisation.”

With expertise in biology, chemistry, and fermentation, Isomerase aids the development of commercially viable biocatalysts, royalty-free.

Each EvoSelect project includes:

- A report with test data, enzyme sequences, and recommendations;

- Delivery of 1-10g of optimised enzyme material;

- Completion within eight weeks; and

- A typical cost of less than $100,000.

If further development or manufacturing is needed, production can be scaled up in-house or transferred to one of Isomerase’s CDMO partners.

Matthew said: “We confidently believe we are on the cusp of a revolution in this field, which has the potential to impact many industries, such as chemical manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, personal care, agrochemicals, fragrances, food and ingredients.”