Niyazi Gücenmez

Gen Biotechnology is an R&D-driven biotechnology startup based in Turkey, focused on developing bacteriophage-based biocontrol solutions for sustainable agriculture and aquaculture. Founded by researchers with backgrounds in Biotechnology and Food Engineering, our mission is to bridge the gap between laboratory phage discovery and industrial-scale application.

What We Do & Past Work: We specialize in the isolation, genomic characterization, and formulation of lytic phage cocktails targeting destructive phytopathogens and aquatic disease vectors. Our primary targets include Pectobacterium carotovorum, Erwinia amylovora, and Aeromonas hydrophila. Recently, we successfully completed a comprehensive university-backed research project focusing on the application of bacteriophages to prevent potato soft rot caused by Pectobacterium.

Beyond fundamental phage biology, our core strength lies in bioprocess engineering. We integrate Next-Generation Sequencing (Illumina, Nanopore, GeneMind) for whole-genome analysis with advanced industrial fermentation and scalable bioreactor optimization to ensure our phage solutions are viable for real-world agricultural use.

Collaborations & Opportunities We Are Looking For:

Commercialization & Scale-Up: Strategic partnerships, mentorship, and investment to transition our lab-scale formulations into pilot-plant production and commercial products. We are eager to collaborate on navigating global regulatory frameworks for agricultural phage products.

Bioinformatics & Data: Bioinformatics partnerships for the deep genomic annotation of novel phages, characterization of phage-host interactions, and access to relevant genomic datasets.

Strain/Sample Exchange: Access to diverse agricultural, soil, and aquatic environmental samples, as well as novel pathogenic strains (especially phytopathogens) to expand our therapeutic phage libraries.

Joint R&D & Research Exchanges: As an academic and entrepreneurial team, we are highly open to international research exchanges, joint international grant applications, and collaborative R&D projects that unite academia and the biotech industry.