— Quantifying colony-level growth behavior on solid media to speed up genotype-to-phenotype decisions in strain development — and to build a foothold for life-science DX in Europe —

Nottingham, United Kingdom, and Tokyo, Japan — Forge Genetics Ltd (Headquarters: Nottingham, UK; CEO: Craig Woods; hereinafter “Forge Genetics”), a company offering microbiology and strain development services specializing in non-model bacteria, and CarbGeM Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan; CEO: Masakazu Nakajima; hereinafter “CarbGeM”), a company specializing in AI-driven life science solutions, today announced the launch of a joint demonstration project applying BGM (Bacterial Growth Monitoring) to the evaluation and selection of microbial strains.

Under the project, CarbGeM provides its BGM-based measurement instrument to Forge Genetics, which uses it to generate growth data from engineered strains and mutant libraries. CarbGeM then analyzes that data to identify the parameters most useful for strain development and to build the corresponding evaluation algorithms.

Project Overview

Background

Interest in biomanufacturing and synthetic biology continues to grow worldwide, driven by decarbonization goals and the shift toward sustainable production. As a result, demand for microbial strains tailored to industrial and clinical applications — and for the strain development services behind them — is expanding rapidly.

The bottleneck lies in evaluation. Strain development generates large numbers of candidates through gene editing and mutagenesis, and identifying the few that carry the desired traits has traditionally relied on plate-reader measurements in liquid culture or on visual, manual inspection of colonies on solid media. Neither approach captures subtle differences between candidates with high reproducibility.

CarbGeM’s BGM quantitatively analyzes the growth behavior of microorganisms on solid media, making it possible to evaluate differences that are overlooked in liquid culture or difficult to detect by eye or by hand even on solid media. Because BGM tracks many individual colonies on a single plate and records parameters such as lag time, growth rate, colony size, and color change over time, it offers a route to linking genotype and phenotype at a much earlier stage of strain development.

About Forge Genetics

Forge Genetics Ltd was established in 2023 as a spin-out built on synthetic biology research at the University of Nottingham (UK company number: 15022605; registered office: Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom). The company provides strain development services for industrially and clinically important bacteria that are difficult to engineer, and licenses its proprietary genome editing technology, Forge Editing.

Website: https://www.forgegenetics.com/

Objectives of the Joint Demonstration

• Identify the parameters most useful for evaluating engineered strains and mutant libraries (lag time, growth rate, colony size, color change, and others)
• Develop evaluation algorithms for the quantitative analysis of BGM growth data
• Establish a workflow that supports high-throughput screening of promising strains
• Define software requirements grounded in the needs of research and industrial sites in Europe

The insights generated by this project will also feed into “Research and Development of a Real-Time Analytics Platform for Culture Data,” the research theme for which CarbGeM was selected in June 2026 under the ICT Startup League*, a program of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Comments

Craig Woods, CEO, Forge Genetics Ltd

“We are delighted to begin this joint demonstration with CarbGeM. Strain development in hard-to-engineer bacteria has long needed a better way to evaluate and select from large numbers of candidates. BGM quantifies growth behaviour colony by colony on solid media, and we expect it to give us a new axis for connecting genotype to phenotype far earlier than is possible today. Together, we intend to raise the standard for strain development services.

“CarbGeM’s BGM device gives us growth behaviour data for every colony on a plate. What microbiologist wouldn’t be excited to get 100 growth curves from a single agar plate? Add to that sensitive colorimetric data and the ability to detect colonies before they are visible to the human eye and the excitement grows. This technology offers great possibilities for high-throughput screening, as well as in routine directed strain engineering workflows.

Forge aims to always be at the cutting edge of genetic tool development, that means partnering with companies making the most advanced laboratory equipment. CarbGeM is that partner. Using the BGM allows us to offer high-throughput mutagenesis and screening services with much reduced plasticware and consumables cost.”

Masakazu Nakajima, CEO, CarbGeM Inc.

“It is a privilege to launch this joint demonstration with Forge Genetics, a synthetic biology company born out of the University of Nottingham. At CarbGeM, we combine AI and biotechnology to advance research, diagnostic support, and quality control across the life sciences. BGM is designed to make visible, in quantitative terms, the differences that conventional evaluation methods struggle to capture. Working with a team at the forefront of strain development marks an important step in extending our technology into Europe, and reflects our commitment to advancing life-science DX through industry-academia-government collaboration.”

Next Steps

The two companies will continue to acquire and analyze BGM growth data, working to identify the key evaluation parameters for strain development, build the associated algorithms, and finalize software requirements. Results will be announced separately in due course.

Through this project, CarbGeM will also deepen its understanding of research and industrial needs in Europe and accelerate the global expansion of its DX and AI solutions for the life sciences.

Company Profiles

Forge Genetics Ltd

CarbGeM Inc.

CarbGeM advances diagnostic support, research efficiency, and the standardization and automation of quality control in the life sciences, backed by achievements that include regulatory approval of Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). By delivering accurate and rapid results, the company addresses structural challenges such as shortages of skilled technicians and regional disparities in access to expertise. CarbGeM received an Honorable Mention at the Tokyo Social Innovation Tech Award 2024* (January 2025), was selected as a Global Top 10 company at the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by the Government of India (February 2026), won the Excellence Award in the software category of the 38th Excellent New Technology and New Product Awards for SMEs* (April 2026), and was selected for the ICT Startup League* run by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (June 2026). The company continues to pursue open innovation with partners across industry, academia, and government.

* Press releases marked with an asterisk are available in Japanese only.