Our Imperial / Salt of the earth

Franklin Keck

MRes Life Sciences 2019 and CEO of RemePhy, which cleans up contaminated soil by transferring genetically modified bacteria into plants, enabling them to extract metals from the earth. 

How did you first get started?

During my Master’s, I attended a lecture by Professor Karen Polizzi, whose husband, Professor Jason Hallett, had gotten a patent for the separation of plant biomass from heavy metals. They needed a biologist’s expertise to tackle the next step, so after my Master’s I began a PhD investigating how to extract heavy metals from contaminated soil by means of plants. I exploited the natural symbiosis between plants and soil bacteria for this. My work identified the genes within a plant, and its bacterial endophytes, that can bind heavy metals and enhance the health of a plant growing in stressful conditions through hormonal regulation.

How does it work?

The bacteria draws the metal up through the plant, taking the toxins it contains out of the earth. Contaminated soil is a global issue, particularly on land historically used for mining and construction. Cleaning it can make land fit for numerous purposes, including housing, agriculture and rewilding.

Why did you decide to launch the company when you did? 

I worked in a startup and attended meetings about funding and research during my Master’s, which gave me that spark. With Karen’s help, I filed my own patent, covering my species of bacteria with the genes cloned in and its movement into a plant. Imperial is so conducive to sharing ideas and learning from each other, and in December 2024 it helped me spin RemePhy out from the university and into the world.

What would you like RemePhy to achieve over the next few years?

I like the potential for circularity – separating metals from biomass and looping it all back into industry. I hope it will change our relationship to our planet. Our climatic catastrophes are rooted in how we’ve treated the planet. It’s important to understand this and adapt how we live. For me it’s not about money, it’s being able to do something for our planet that benefits all of us.

Dr Angela de Manzanos Guinot

MRes Chemistry 2012, PhD 2016 and founder of FA Bio, which uses tech to discover agricultural inputs to regenerate soils.

Why did you come to Imperial?

Biotech was my first degree, in Valencia, but Imperial offered an MRes and PhD different from everywhere else. I fell in love with London, the university and the programme – the focus on crop protection, sustainability and that it was multidisciplinary.

How did your business begin at Imperial?

My fellow student Kerry O’Donnelly Weaver and I developed the SporSenZ, a handheld tool that samples microbes active in crops’ rhizosphere (root surroundings). It collects micro-organisms – pathogens and ‘beneficials’, natural predators that destroy pathogens and boost crop production – and shows how they interact with a specific crop in a specific field. We then began analysing the unique microbial content of soil, using microbes to discover natural, sustainable bio-products to maximise crop yield.

How did Imperial accelerate your business?

We launched the SporSenZ in a business called FungiAlert and won Imperial’s Venture Catalyst Challenge and ICB CDT Den competitions. But Imperial supported in other ways too. We were invited to high-level discussions between academia, industry, policy makers and farmers, helping us understand the challenges from different perspectives. We learned communication, teamwork and leadership – all vital business skills.

How has the company moved on?

In 2021, we rebranded as FA Bio to reflect our two complementary activities: FA BioLab studies soils to build microbial libraries associated with different crops – around 5,000 SporSenZ kits have been used in Europe, Africa and America; and FA BioAg uses DNA sequencing to study samples and find microbial active ingredients to create natural biofungicides and biofertilisers.

What are your lasting memories of Imperial?

A network of brilliant people who taught me so much. I made lifelong friends – including the man who became my husband!

Alex Park

MSc Innovation Design Engineering 2023 and co-founder of Biofonic, which develops below-ground acoustic sensors with AI and machine learning to help land management.

Why did you choose Imperial?

Because of the Innovation Design Engineering programme. Imperial’s course is a dual Master’s jointly run with the Royal College of Art, and uniquely combines engineering and deep tech with design and creative strategy.

How did Imperial inspire your passion for soil technology?

I’d previously worked in medtech so was already fascinated by how sensors and machine learning can reveal unknown things. Our final year group thesis team members explored vertical farming, robotics and food waste, and it wasn’t until we spoke to regenerative farmers that we learned just how shockingly mysterious soil is – it’s the least understood ecosystem on the planet. So I started looking for indicators for whole system soil health. Earthworms are a great indicator of that health, so we buried a microphone to listen to them and realised just how noisy the soil is! We have since developed an ultra-sensitive acoustic sensor with machine learning to identify different species and provide ongoing monitoring of multiple soil health factors.

When did you realise this could be a business?

We knew straightaway that we had something patentable, but our participation in programmes like VCC and The Greenhouse – Undaunted’s accelerator programme – have helped us to apply rigour and structure towards assessing our commercial viability. We have since won funding for our early-stage R&D from Innovate UK and Defra with our academic partners at Harper Adams University and SRUC, and we’ll be trialling our technology at Riverford Organic Farms this year.

How has Imperial helped make this happen?

Imperial has an amazing network of researchers doing the most insane stuff, and it helped develop my blue sky thinking. It’s collaborative, too – people are so open to sharing their knowledge and experience. We’d chat with researchers all across the university, and we still receive support from Imperial researchers who continue to advise on our work at Biofonic. Imperial’s way of thinking and doing is a different level of cutting edge.