The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has welcomed Dr. Sheena Fraser to its FlexBio facility, a hub for bioprocessing and lab-grown meat innovation. As an expert in bioprocessing and cellular agriculture, Dr. Fraser will bring her extensive experience to support biotechnology companies and projects in scaling up their processes.
Dr. Fraser joins IBioIC from Roslin Technologies, where she played a key role in developing cultivated meat growth media and bioprocess development activities over the past 18 months. Prior to her work in Scotland, she was based in South Africa and held various roles in biotechnology and life sciences.
With over two decades of experience in microbial and mammalian cell bioprocessing innovation, Dr. Fraser has supported new product development from concept to manufacturing and commercialization. Her expertise includes cellular agriculture and stem cell cultivation, as well as microbial and mammalian cell bioprocessing innovation.
At IBioIC’s FlexBio facility, hosted at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Dr. Fraser will work with partners and members across various projects and sectors. Many bio-based products fail to reach market due to challenges in transferring laboratory-based science to industrial-scale processes. Dr. Fraser will support the centre’s efforts to address this issue.
As upstream bioprocess manager, Dr. Fraser will also be involved in work with the centre’s new £847,000, 300-litre fermenter, which is expected to become operational early next year.
Additionally, Luke Johnston, a former IBioIC-funded master’s and PhD student, will be joining the team as senior fermentation scientist. During his MSc studies, Luke completed a placement at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, a global manufacturer of biologics, vaccines, and advanced therapies.
Mark Bustard, CEO of IBioIC, said: “Dr. Fraser brings a wealth of industry experience to the team at FlexBio, with expertise in projects at various scales, cell types, and applications. We are excited to have her on board and look forward to leveraging her network to support our members.”
Dr. Sheena Fraser added: “Joining FlexBio is a great opportunity to help accelerate the growth of Scotland’s bioeconomy by working with organizations to scale up different bio-based processes. While my recent work has focused on cultivated meat, the principles of scaling up mammalian cells, fungi, and bacteria can apply to various sectors to make manufacturing more sustainable.”
