UT Support Helps Microbiology Alumnus Build Business for a Better Environment
Recent UT alumnus Jordan Cannon (’24) turned his PhD research into a commercial enterprise that could help reduce bioplastic waste in landfills and beyond. His start-up company Circular Biosciences earned a research option from the UT Research Foundation (UTRF) for their bioplastic degradation technology.
The welcome boost helps further groundbreaking research that began during his time in the UT microbiology lab of Professor Todd Reynolds. Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), the most widely used bioplastic, takes years to degrade outside of controlled composting—a pace not much better than petroleum-based plastics. Viable disposal options are needed to ensure it does not become an environmental pollutant.
“This research option allows us to expand on some of the great work that we were able to get done in the lab,” said Cannon. “We started with enzymes that could not degrade PLLA plastics at all and were able to protein engineer them, making more than 100 different modifications to the enzymes and giving them the ability to visibly dissolve PLLA films.”
In doing so, the team surpassed industry standards and built a foundation to continue improving the enzymes for greater stability and survival in the high temperatures of plastic processing. The UTRF support ensures Cannon’s company—already part of the Innovation Crossroads cohort at Oak Ridge National Lab and a recipient of a Chancellor’s Innovation Fund award—exclusivity for the technology and a cost-effective option to license it in the future.
From Learning Lab to Cutting-Edge Commerce
For Reynolds, the successful innovation brought about by Circular Biosciences reflects UT’s goal for research that makes life and lives better for Tennesseans and the world.
“It is exciting for the Department of Microbiology, UT Knoxville, and me as a mentor to see one of our graduates seize an exciting research opportunity, and utilize the ample resources provided by UT to commercialize it,” said Reynolds. “Jordan exemplifies the type of students that our department wants to continue to recruit. The products of this company can potentially benefit the state and address an important need, which is to make important products in a sustainable way.”
Cannon credits mentorship from Reynolds and the microbiology department’s resources, expertise, and course structure as key factors in developing his research and enterprise skills.
“Professor Reynolds was a very understanding and supportive PI who put a lot of trust in me to further this technology,” he said. “Also, our department’s colloquium course—which requires us to present our research to the entire department each year—really helped my public speaking abilities and allowed me to give successful business pitches for both the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund and the Innovation Crossroads program.”
Cannon also appreciates the support of his multidisciplinary PhD committee: Associate Professor Liz Fozo and Professor Erik Zinser in microbiology; Professor Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology; and Professor Jennifer DeBruyn of the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science.
Developing Discovery and Community
University of Tennessee programs and partners offer a dedicated path for development of technologies and start-ups like Circular Biosciences. Reynolds and Cannon initiated the project through the UT Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development and National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps Program. They worked with UTRF to make their initial invention disclosure and to apply for, and receive, a technology maturation grant. This infrastructure helped them make confident pitches for the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund and the Innovation Crossroads program. As an Innovation Crossroads fellow, Cannon was able to take part in UT’s Spark Cleantech Accelerator Program.
“These events really helped us nail down what we needed to be successful in the industry, i.e. create a commercially viable product, and begin building capital to put towards research endeavors through funding opportunities at the university,” said Cannon. “Innovation Crossroads also gives us capital and resources at ORNL to further our technology, with resources and expertise there being an invaluable feature to the fellowship. The Spark Program really helped us identify how to structure and develop our business to increase our chances of success.”
Cannon and company are now focused on bringing their products to market and generating revenue while seeking partnerships with polymer and material scientists at the UT to reach new technical milestones.
By Randall Brown