www-algeminstruments

Algenuity participates in the Future Food Tech Alternative Protein Event - Scaling the Plant-based protein ingredients of tomorrow

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 08:16:36 GMT

Stewartby, Bedfordshire, UK – Andrew Spicer, CEO, Algenuity and Algenuity Ingredients, participated in a topical panel discussion at the Future Food Tech Alternative Proteins Conference. The panel topic was 'Scaling the future plant-based protein ingredients of tomorrow'. The panel considered most likely disruptors, the impact of scale and timing and cost as well as supply chain and technology enablers and barriers.

About Algenuity :

At Algenuity, we are all about making algae work for positive global impact. We are innovators and problem solvers with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology and process development, working with algal companies to improve their processes and strains, and protecting their investments and profits. In addition, our own proprietary products and solutions are creating a revolution, changing the way that algae are perceived and used in the food and beverage, aquaculture, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

For more information, please contact Algenuity at:

Andrew Spicer, PhD

Chief Executive Officer

info@algenuity.com

T: +44 (0)1234 765773

Unilever Food & Refreshments and Algenuity partner to bring the nutritional goodness of microalgae to the table

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 07:05:05 GMT

Press Release

Wageningen, the Netherlands – Today Unilever and biotech start-up Algenuity are announcing a new partnership to delve into the huge potential microalgae bring in innovating future foods for Unilever’s plant-based portfolio. Algenuity, which specialises in developing microalgae for use in consumer products, will work with the R&D team within Unilever’s Foods and Refreshment (F&R) division to explore ways of bringing foods made with microalgae to the market.

Developing alternative protein sources like microalgae represents a significant step forwards in the critical shift needed to an equitable and resilient food system. By 2050, the world will need to produce 70% more food to feed a growing population of 10 billion people. These foods will need to meet a high nutritional standard, while reducing their impact on the environment.

Unilever and Algenuity recognise the key role that diverse, plant-based proteins like microalgae will play in transitioning towards this new food system. Chlorella vulgaris, a widely recognised (micro)algae, is a nutrient-rich, plant-based source of protein and fibre, with a low environmental footprint. Chlorella possesses a number of additional beneficial nutrients including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. It has been consumed globally for many years, yet its high chlorophyll content, which gives plants their green colour and a bitter taste and smell, has proven a barrier to its inclusion in mainstream diets.

Innovative technology unlocks new potential

Algenuity has developed an innovative technology to overcome this limitation. Its Chlorella Colours® palette significantly reduces the chlorophyll content of microalgae while still allowing them to retain their natural nutrients. This unlocks a wealth of potential applications for microalgae in the food and beverage sector. It brings the opportunity to develop a sustainable source of protein that meets increasing consumer demand for nutritious foods that taste great.

“Microalgae offer much untapped potential as a viable, climate-friendly protein alternative,” says Alejandro Amezquita, Future Bio-based Ingredients R&D Director, Unilever F&R. “They have a significant part to play in food system transformation. We are very much looking forward to working with Algenuity to explore the possibilities of making foods that contain microalgae more mainstream.”

Andrew Spicer, CEO and Founder of Algenuity says: “We are delighted to partner with Unilever on this. Our Chlorella Colours® platform provides plant-based ingredients that are sustainable, natural, non-GM and protein-rich with neutral flavours. They are also vegan-friendly making them extremely relevant for today’s growing consumer appetite for more plant-based foods with additional functional benefits.”

“We are very excited about the huge potential working with Algenuity brings to advance nutritious foods that taste great and are a force for good,” says Manfred Aben, VP Science & Technology R&D and Site Leader of Hive, Unilever’s Global Foods Innovation Centre, in Wageningen. “Transitioning to a sustainable food system requires all of us to work together. It’s one of the world’s greatest challenges and will not happen without partnerships and collaborations. This is what our Hive ecosystem is all about. We are delighted to welcome Algenuity to our community.”

Notes to editors

The partnership builds on Unilever’s ambition to make it easier for people to eat more plant-based foods that are good for us, good for the planet and delicious at the same time. Plant-based products now make up around a third of the company’s portfolio, including dairy-free and vegan options such as Hellmann’s Vegan, Magnum Vegan and Vegetarian Butcher products. In 2019, Unilever’s Knorr brand partnered with WWF UK to publish the Future 50 Foods report , which promotes three important dietary shifts and aims to inspire greater variety in what we cook and eat.

The company’s efforts and commitments to the transition towards low-impact protein sources continues to be recognised. The latest report by ethical investor network FAIRR, released on 27 July 2020, ranked Unilever as the best-scoring food manufacturer in an annual survey of the top 25 global food retailers and manufacturers shifting towards more sustainable protein products. Unilever is also one of only two companies to have achieved “Pioneer” status in the 2020 ranking.

The report, titled “Appetite for Disruption: A Second Serving”, also highlights Unilever’s notable investment in plant-based R&D and its commitment to partnerships and collaborations. Central to this work is the opening of Unilever’s Hive Foods Innovation Centre in the Netherlands in 2019, representing an investment of €85 million. Hive is home to 500 food innovators and is dedicated to global food system transformation. For more information on HIVE, please visit: https://www.unilever.com/about/innovation/hive/

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Andriana Matsangou, Unilever Media Relations

Andriana.matsangou@unilever.com

Andrew Spicer, CEO Algenuity

UK: +44 7833 564310 info@algenuity.com

ABOUT UNILEVER

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. It has 150,000 employees and generated sales of €52 billion in 2019. Over half of the company’s footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has around 400 brands found in homes all over the world, including Dove, Knorr, Dirt Is Good, Rexona, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Wall’s, Lux, Magnum, Axe, Sunsilk and Surf.

Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company’s strategy and commits to:

Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. The company’s sustainable living brands delivered 78% of total growth and 75% of turnover in 2019.

Since 2010, we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have already made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – most recently committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognised in 2019 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and as the top ranked company in the Globescan/SustainAbility Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders survey, for the ninth-consecutive year.

For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com

For more information on HIVE: https://www.unilever.com/about/innovation/hive/

ABOUT ALGENUITY

We are innovators and problem solvers passionate about our mission to make algae work for positive global impact. Our game-changing algae-based products are delivering exciting, new, and sustainable plant-based ingredients for food and beverages with opportunities in other markets. Our team is world-class, our approaches are cutting edge. We are focused on developing and delivering real solutions within a fast-paced global evolving marketplace where microalgae and microalgae-based products will have maximum positive impact on health, well-being and the environment.

For more information about Algenuity: https://www.algenuity.com/

Download a PDF version of this press release

A natural answer to purifying water

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 09:06:00 GMT

Cranfield Water Science Institute conducts research and teaching on the science, engineering and management of water in municipal, industrial and natural environments, including wastewater treatment processes. Traditional methods of wastewater treatment can be energy intensive, often requiring the use of chemicals, and researchers are looking closely at sustainable, chemical-free alternatives, including microalgae.

The challenge

Microalgae can be used to treat wastewater by harnessing their natural ability to efficiently consume nutrients – such as nitrogen and phosphate – from the surrounding environment. Optimising the growth of these algae is vital to the overall efficiency of the system; the more microalgae produced, the more nutrients can be removed, but it can be difficult to replicate the necessary environmental conditions to study this process in a lab setting. The team, based in England, could not rely on natural light alone for algal growth and, instead, tried using artificial lights and a flask on the benchtop, attempting to change the light profile simply by moving the flask nearer or further away from the lamps. This, however, did not help with controlling temperature, and a solution was needed that would be able to control both.

The approach

The discovery of Algenuity’s Algem photobioreactor allowed different operational parameters, including lighting and temperature, to be explored. Various environmental conditions could be replicated – set by simply entering geographical coordinates of wastewater treatment works all around the world – and the effects on the biomass yield were examined. Even the difference between conditions in June and December could be set at the click of a button, giving a true reflection of real-life conditions. Additionally, specific light wavelengths and photoperiods could be tested to see how they affect algal growth, with the potential of lowering the energy used from lighting through reduced light intensity and illumination periods.

To study these conditions, wastewater effluent was fed into the bioreactor where it was treated by the microalgae, and the purified water was collected. The wastewater was then tested to see how the algae were performing, and to keep a close eye on the best conditions for purification by tracking growth of the suspended algae using optical density.

The outcome

The Algem bioreactors have completely changed the way the team works. The walkaway automation capabilities of the reactors allow complete experiments to be programmed in advance, for months at a time, improving time management, and having two flasks on each reactor enables each run to be done in duplicate, making it much quicker and easier to collect data. Overall, the Algem reactors have changed the institute’s approach to growth optimization, opening up many new options for experiments, and improving reproducibility. The next stage is to implement this research in an actual sewage treatment works to see if this microalgal approach can really make a difference on a large scale.

Directed evolution expands algae’s potential

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 23:00:00 GMT

Genetic modification isn’t the only way to enhance commercially desirable traits in microalgae. Directed evolution – which uses successive rounds of conditional selection to isolate highly specialised variants – is an effective strategy to improve properties of an organism without using genetic recombination or undertaking bioprospecting. Directed evolution has already played a vital role in creating Algenuity’s groundbreaking Chlorella Colours ® platform by producing chlorophyll-deficient variants of its original, high performing wild type Chlorella vulgaris strain with improved organoleptics.

But the potential of this widely applicable method doesn’t stop there. Next week, at the 2019 Algae Biomass Summit in Orlando, Algenuity’s Chief Scientific Officer Alex Pudney – a specialist in strain development, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology – will be highlighting an example of the potential global impact of using directed evolution to improve algal strain characteristics for the aquaculture sector.

Directed evolution promises to benefit many algal applications, not least the aquaculture industry where the rising global population is driving demand for ever-greater productivity. Microalgae are a nutritionally important food source for fish at all stages of development, and are also used to produce the copepods that are fed to various species of marine fish. A good-quality omega-3 oil content in such fish is dependent on nutritional quality of copepods, which, in turn, is directly related to the algae they are fed. Efficient production of high-quality microalgae is therefore crucial but is affected by light and temperature, making the method – and associated costs – of such cultivation an important consideration, especially for aquaculture in challenging climates.

In a recent case study that Alex will expand on in his presentation, Algenuity produced a temperature-tolerant strain of Tisochrysis lutea , a microalga used extensively in copepod production. While T. lutea is normally cultivatable up to 32 °C, improved mutants grew productively at 35 °C. After an additional round of selection, mutants showed a ten-fold increase in biomass productivity when tested in Algem ® photobioreactors under simulated light and temperature conditions for the United Arab Emirates in June, where daily temperatures can reach 39 °C/102.2 °F. Importantly, the composition of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the algae was not adversely affected.

This work – conducted on Algenuity’s Algem ® photobioreactor – demonstrates the expertise of Algenuity in the algal sector, and is the first demonstration of directed evolution in a real world scenario.

Watch this space for further developments in the project! Alternatively, to see how directed evolution could be applied to your application, contact us at info@algenuity.com.

Algenuity newsletter - Summer 2019

Sun, 14 Jul 2019 23:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Algenuity’s summer newsletter!

A quick update on what's going on at Algenuity

To subscribe to our newsletter, sign up at this link: http://eepurl.com/cTiWlH

The launch of Chlorella Colours

We are delighted to have launched our groundbreaking Chlorella Colours platform! This range offers protein-rich, whole plant cell-based ingredients, which are sustainable, natural, gluten free and non-GM, satisfying the needs of the growing vegan sector. Improved organoleptic properties make it perfect as an ingredient in food, drink and supplement products, and our patent-pending Chlorella Colours platform also satisfies the strong market pull towards sustainably produced, natural cosmetics. Discover our proprietary Chlorella Colours strains here .

From Lebanon to the UK via France

Our senior scientist Aumaya has been on quite a journey before joining Algenuity in the UK. Her passion for microalgae started during her Master’s in applied biotechnology at the Lebanese University-Graduate School of Science and Technology (EDST), and she has been hooked ever since! Read her blog to see what Aumaya has been up to, and how she improves the productivity of algal strains by directed evolution.

A colourful display

It was great to see five of our team take part in this year’s 5K Color Obstacle Rush in Milton Keynes. Look out for us next year when we plan to participate again, and raise some money for charity.

Check us out in Laboratory News

Read our latest article in Laboratory News. We discuss how microalgae are rising stars in synthetic biology, offering benefits in sustainability, scalability and productivity for novel commercial projects. Visit the Laboratory News website to read more.

That's it for now!

Did you like what was in here? Do you have a story or paper to share? Please send your feedback to jcp@algenuity.com

We are also looking for users to interview with their Algem experiences. Send an email to the address above!

See you in about three months!

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Following a scientific pathway from Lebanon to the UK via France

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 23:00:00 GMT

I’m originally from Lebanon, where I gained both a BSc and a Master’s degree in biochemistry at the Lebanese University Faculty of Sciences, and a second Master’s in applied biotechnology from the Lebanese University-Graduate School of Science and Technology (EDST). During my applied biotechnology Master’s, I worked on macroalgae and became fascinated with marine biotechnology and its application to ocean resources. I passionately wanted to continue in this field, and applied for a PhD in bioprocess engineering at the University of Nantes in France, working on microalgae for biofuel production. After my PhD, I worked as a lecturer and researcher in the department of Process and Bioprocess Engineering at Polytech Nantes – the Graduate School of Engineering of the University of Nantes. I continued in my role as a lecturer while undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of Nantes, where I was involved in a joint project with the Center for Sustainable Development at Qatar University. Our aim was to screen and characterise thermotolerant microalgae strains showing promise for large-scale outdoor production for feed, food and fuel applications in Doha, Qatar.

After three years in academia, I wanted to move into the ‘real world’ and put my research into practice by developing practical applications for the technology. That led me to Algenuity. I went to Algenuity’s website, where I read about the work it was doing and the projects it was involved in. It was just so exciting and motivating, exactly what I wanted to do and the sort of company I wanted to be a part of. I successfully applied for a senior scientist position and started in July last year.

I’m chiefly involved in process development, improving the productivity of algal strains by directed evolution, using a DoE approach to optimise our algal bioprocesses. What I love is that I’m working on a number of projects using different algal strains for various applications. It’s amazing how you can use photobioreactors to optimise your processes by adjusting the lighting and temperature conditions, and the pH and composition of the culture medium, to see how the productivity of the strain is affected. Light and temperature are particularly crucial factors, especially when you think about scaling up, and this is the big advantage of the Algem® technology. It’s possible to simulate conditions anywhere in the world, to see how algal growth in an outdoor environment is likely to be influenced by fluctuations in these parameters, or the changing seasons, and use this knowledge to improve the strain.

Algae have so much untapped potential. They are a sustainable resource rich in vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates, and good for the environment too, as they consume carbon dioxide while growing something from the biomass, which really excites me. Working with microalgae is great, it combines all my interests and really excites me. You start with a biologic strain, improve it and get to know more about it, and then put it into your process, making more adjustments to get the best productivity before scaling up. I just love this work.

Algenuity’s Chlorella Colours® platform launches at this year’s Vitafoods Europe

Mon, 06 May 2019 23:00:00 GMT

UK algal specialists Algenuity will be launching its ground-breaking Chlorella Colours platform to the food sector at Vitafoods Europe 2019 from the 7th to the 9th May in Geneva, Switzerland. The patent-pending Chlorella Colours platform is based on Chlorella vulgaris and is derived from Algenuity’s own proprietary, high-performing microalgal strain. The platform is approved for the European food market and satisfies the needs of the growing vegan sector, offering protein-rich, whole plant cell-based ingredients, which are sustainable, natural, gluten free and non-GM. Improved organoleptic properties make it perfect as an ingredient in food, drink and supplement products.

The application of Chlorella vulgaris for food is well-established, but it can be a challenging ingredient to work with because of the strong colour, taste and smell associated with its high chlorophyll content. The Chlorella Colours strains were developed to contain almost no chlorophyll and instead, retain varying levels of natural pigments, such as lutein and other carotenoids, resulting in yellow, lime and white colour varieties with greatly-improved organoleptics. Furthermore, these alternatives are highly productive under heterotrophic growth, overcoming the economic and operational challenges of producing phototrophic microalgae at scale, supporting its use in the food market, and opening up a wealth of additional applications.

Come and meet the Algenuity team to find out more about this latest breakthrough in algal technology.

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that satisfy commercial needs, increase algal strain productivity and performance, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Chlorella Colours® platform, the Algem® labscale photobioreactor family of products, non-GM directed evolution technology, GM strain engineering, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

Keywords: algae; Chlorella Colours; Chlorella vulgaris ; sustainable ingredients; vegan

Algenuity Newsletter - Spring 2019

Wed, 01 May 2019 23:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Algenuity’s spring newsletter!

A quick update on what’s going on at Algenuity

To subscribe to our newsletter, sign up at this link: http://eepurl.com/cTiWlH

Successful grant outcome with aquaculture feed applications

Our three-year Innovate UK-funded PALM-UK (Pilot Algal Manufacturing in the UK) grant had its close out meeting on Thursday 18th April 2019 with two of our partners, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Rothamsted Research. One of the successful outcomes was the development of a multi-functional microalgal strain featuring omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and recombinant phytase and lactoferrin to benefit fish health. Read the full article or summary showcasing this work with SPAROS, a spin-off company of the Centre of Marine Sciences of Algarve (CCMAR) at the University of Algarve, Portugal, for International Aquafeed magazine.

Sharing our passion

ACI’s 9th European Algae Industry Summit from the 10th-11th of April in Lisbon, Portugal, was an excellent opportunity to connect with other professionals in the algae industry, to share our passion for ongoing developments, and to discuss our recent work on multi-parameter and design of experiments optimisation using our Algem technology. We are excited to be attending VitaFoods Europe, the flagship nutraceutical conference, in Geneva, Switzerland, from the 7th-8th May 2019. Check out our events schedule for the year here .

Supporting great science

Our team member Denise enjoys supporting the scientists at Algenuity, and has the very important task of keeping the team in check when it comes to lab tidiness! Read more about Denise’s role and how she fits into the Algenuity family.

Check out more of our publications

World Fishing and Aquaculture has published an article on our work for aquaculture biotechnology company MicroSynbiotiX. Through proof of concept work, we helped to validate genetically modified microalgae for use as a novel, cost-effective oral delivery platform for vaccine administration to aquaculture populations. This work will help to protect species against common bacterial infections and reduce antibiotic use, ultimately saving the industry billions of dollars by preventing loss of stock. Find the full article here .

Stay tuned for our article in Laboratory News , discussing the unique potential of microalgae in synthetic biology applications. Algae is an effective alternative to well-established platform organisms – such as yeast and bacteria – and we are investigating how it can benefit sustainability, scalability, and productivity in novel commercial projects.

That's it for now!

Did you like what was in here? Do you have a story or paper to share? Please send your feedback to jcp@algenuity.com

We are also looking for users to interview with their Algem experiences. Send an email to the address above!

See you in about three months!

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Life by the sink at Algenuity

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 23:00:00 GMT

Truth be told, scientists can be an untidy bunch. Throw algae into the mix and it only gets worse, and that’s where I come in. I’m responsible for making sure that all the glassware and plastics are clean and available for use in our daily experiments.

Washing the labware is quite a long and involved process and takes around four hours from start to finish. Several bleaching, disinfecting and rinsing steps are needed – with both mains and reverse osmosis water – followed by baking in an oven to dry. Afterwards, I clean the items with isopropyl alcohol to remove any pen markings and cover them with aluminum foil to keep them sterile. Sometimes a plastic flask is accidentally baked at too high a temperature, and the resulting melted mess is no good in the lab but makes an appealing ornament on my mantlepiece.

My working life has been quite eclectic. After 13 years in retail, 14 years in a factory packing heating thermostats, a little time ironing from home and then working in a funeral parlour, it didn’t seem all that odd to add algae cleaning to the list. Andrew needed someone to do just a few hours of washing a week – nothing too taxing I was told! – and six years later, I’m working almost solidly at the sink for two and half days, cleaning up to 100 flasks a day, not to mention the much larger 10 litre vessels.

Being trained by Andrew and Sam, I naturally have the same high expectations for cleanliness. If something is left by my sink, it gets cleaned, and sometimes I like to teach my colleagues a little cheeky lesson in tidiness if they leave a flask casually lying around! When someone new arrives, it’s my job to convert them to our way of thinking. It seems like students often think they don’t need to wash their lab coats but, under my watch, they soon learn differently.

The company is very supportive of its staff. When I first started working at Algenuity, I thought that I’d do my job and then go home and forget about it. But you get to know everybody and appreciate the family feel, making it enjoyable to come into work every day. No doubt if we continue to grow, there’s the possibility that we’ll need another person to help me. And obviously, one day, I might like to retire. Andrew says I’ve got to give him three years warning so he can train somebody else. We shall see!

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that increase productivity and performance of algal strains, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Algem® labscale photobioreactor, a non-GM directed evolution platform, GM strain engineering platforms, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

Algenuity Newsletter - Winter 2019

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Algenuity’s winter newsletter!

A quick update on what’s going on at Algenuity

To subscribe to our newsletter, sign up at this link: http://eepurl.com/cTiWlH

Happy New Year!

We hope that your year has started well, and we want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a prosperous and successful 2019!

A passion for algae

Gino Schiano di Visconte started working as a GC-MS technician at Algenuity in July 2015, after moving to the UK from Italy. He has since become one of our analytical scientists, and is now studying for his PhD, investigating microalgal production of polysaccharides and the possible medical applications, which ties in with Algenuity’s long-term goals. Click here to read more about Gino, and his passion for his work.

The predictive power to improve your process

At Algenuity, we specialise in multiparametric optimisation. We can improve your process and outcome by discovering which parameters are most important and co-optimising them, while also uncovering hidden parameter interactions. We statistically model your process to accurately predict better conditions, which rapidly increases your yields, defines tolerances, improves your process economics and decreases your time to market. Check out our poster from the Algae Biomass Summit to learn about our multiparameter optimisation with Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) and Haematococcus pluvialis by clicking here .

We're now members of the ABO

We are excited to join the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) as silver members and support its efforts to develop new technologies and commercial markets for renewable and sustainable products derived from algae. Membership gives Algenuity a wealth of benefits, and we hope to see you at future ABO events. To read more about the ABO, click here .

Check us out in Breakthrough magazine and Manufacturing Chemist!

Read all about our involvement in the Triterpenes For Commercialisation (TriForC) project in the November edition of Manufacturing Chemist. The aim of the project was to develop synthetic biology methods to make plant triterpenes in a sustainable way, using algae and yeast as host organisms. Click here to read more .

And check out page 33 of the winter edition of Breakthrough magazine, to read about the rise of microalgae in synthetic biology. Andrew and Alex discuss the potential of algal strain improvements, and their benefits to sustainability, scalability and productivity in novel commercial projects, using aquaculture as an example. To find out more, click here .

That's it for now!

Did you like what was in here? Do you have a story or paper to share? Please send your feedback to msy@algenuity.com

We are also looking for users to interview with their Algem experiences. Send an email to the address above!

See you in three months!

To subscribe to our newsletter, sign up at this link: http://eepurl.com/cTiWlH

A passion for algae

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

It was only five years ago that I was working weekends as a waiter to support myself during a research internship. After leaving Italy and a short stint at a pharma company, I’m delighted to finally be in a role that feels like a perfect fit for me. I’ve always wanted to work in the algal biotech sector, ever since I was studying for my degree. The clinical side of life didn’t interest me that much, so I decided to focus on algal biotechnology for my Masters, and I’ve been passionate about algae ever since – it’s the reason I moved to the UK. I started working as a GC-MS technician at Algenuity in July 2015 and have since become one of our analytical scientists.

Working as an analytical scientist at the forefront of new and exciting discoveries is a rewarding career. It’s great to take on some responsibility for the decisions we make and the direction we take. Every day is different, as I work on multiple projects and get to see them through from initial idea to benefitting the company and the wider scientific sector. There’s a great deal of satisfaction in watching collaborations evolve, and I was recently a named author on my first paper since I joined the company.*

Algenuity is just as dedicated to developing us as individuals as it is about algae, and I’m grateful to the company for helping me to study for my PhD with the University of Exeter. My PhD will be my primary focus over the next three years, and I’m hoping to investigate the microalgal production of polysaccharides and the possible medical applications, which ties in with the company’s long-term goals.

It’s encouraging to be working in a team where everyone is on board with the same vision. I really enjoy working with my colleagues and the combination of openness and availability is not to be taken for granted. And, to top it all off, we all share the same passion for algae!

* D’Adamo, S et al . Engineering The Unicellular Alga Phaeodactylum tricornutum For High -Value Plant Triterpenoid Production, Plant Biotechnol. J. , 2018

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that increase productivity and performance of algal strains, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Algem® labscale photobioreactor, a non-GM directed evolution platform, GM strain engineering platforms, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

Get the most out of your algal strain with Algenuity at this year’s ABO Summit

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Spirulina growing in Algem HT24

Come and join us at the 12th Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) Summit in Texas between October 14th to 17th at Booth #416 . The event brings together algal professionals from a range of different industries, and is the largest and fastest-growing algae event of its kind.

At Algenuity, we specialize in multiparametric optimization and take a radically different statistical modeling approach to help you get the most from your algal strains. We can improve your process and outcome by discovering which parameters are most important and co-optimizing them, while also uncovering hidden parameter interactions. We statistically model your process to accurately predict better conditions, which rapidly increases your yields, defines tolerances, improves your process economics and decreases your time to market.

We have demonstrated successful application of this advanced scientific approach to increase the biomass yield of Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) by 235% and productivity of Haematococcus pluvialis to 6.9% dry weight astaxanthin. “We are excited by the outcomes we have achieved for two commercially important microalgae, and we are confident to apply our knowhow and technology to improve microalgal industry outputs across the board, driving the industry into success, renewed investment, and growth”, stated Andrew Spicer, Algenuity CEO. Come along to this year’s ABO Summit and meet us at Booth #416 to see how we can optimize your strain, improve your outputs, and support you in your ultimate success story.

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that increase productivity and performance of algal strains, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Algem® labscale photobioreactor, a non-GM directed evolution platform, GM strain engineering platforms, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

Algenuity Newsletter - Autumn 2018

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Algenuity’s winter newsletter!

A quick update on what’s going on at Algenuity

To subscribe to our newsletter, sign up at this link: http://eepurl.com/cTiWlH

We are driven by discovery

Andrew Spicer, CEO of Algenuity, is passionate that discovery has always been at the heart of Algenuity, since founding the company in 2009. Last summer, he booked himself a two-week holiday to return to the lab with some high risk, high reward research ideas, still motivated by the excitement of scientific discovery, despite his ever-increasing responsibilities as CEO! Click here to read more about Andrew and his passion for making algae work.

Come and meet us at the ABO Summit!

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) Summit is the largest event of its kind, bringing together algal experts from a variety of different areas. Join us in Texas from the 14th to the 17th of October, and visit Booth 416 to discuss our multiparametric bioprocess optimisation – a radically different approach using statistical modelling. We have already increased the productivity of Arthrospira platensis and Haematococcus pluvialis , so come and see how we can make the most out of your strain. If you are interested in finding out more, email info@algenuity.com.

Case study: Improving global food security through aquaculture

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector globally, but stock death as a result of disease is costing farmers over ten billion USD annually. We worked with biotech company MicroSynbiotiX on the modification of microalgae strains for the development of novel, cost-effective oral delivery platforms for aquaculture vaccine administration. Click here to find out more about the project.

Taking a closer look at algal blooms

Scientists at the John Innes Centre are relying on our Algem ® photobioreactors to better understand the growth conditions required for increasingly common algal blooms, and how these are linked to extreme weather patterns. Their work has centred around Prymnesium golden algae – which releases a toxin lethal to gill-breathing organisms – in order to develop early detection systems to help prevent algal blooms or minimise the harm that they can cause. To find out more about this work, click here .

That's it for now!

Did you like what was in here? Do you have a story or paper to share? Please send your feedback to msy@algenuity.com

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Driven by discovery

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Andrew Spicer, CEO of Algenuity

Discovery has always been at the heart of Algenuity, and it’s hard to imagine how it could be any different, as the company began in response to an open question – could I use the profit from Spicer Consulting to fund an algae biotech start-up? Nine years of discovery later, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.

Before founding Algenuity, my only experience with algae was trying to kill it! However, in 2009, peak oil was a global story, algal biofuels were a hot topic in popular science magazines, and the time was right for the Directors at Spicer Consulting to give me the challenge to ‘do something with algae’. I spent the first two years working in the lab on my own – I was the glass washer, media prep person and plumber – and I attended as many meetings as I could to network with other scientists and to understand what opportunities there might be in this exciting area.

The truth is that we are surrounded by an incredible variety of organisms that we can harness to solve real world problems. Our lab is currently working with a species of algae that I discovered in my garden pond (see picture above), and it makes you realise that there are commercial opportunities right under our very noses. It’s this approach that sets us apart from other companies in our sector; we’re not limited to one type of algae or a niche market, and we have a breadth of understanding that crosses the whole algal phylogenetic tree, coupled with substantial technical knowhow and a problem-solving ethos.

Discovery runs throughout the company and is not limited to science – it has a positive impact on our recruitment process as well. Unlike some other start-ups, I wasn’t simply given a pot of money and told to hire indiscriminately. The algae biotech space is relatively small, so there wasn’t a queue of people knocking at my door with all the skills I needed. Instead, I ended up discovering people with valuable transferable skills, whether from economics and business or a background in bacterial screening at a meat products factory. Steadily, we’ve built a world-class team of both scientists and non-scientists, who all make vital contributions to the company.

As Algenuity has grown and my responsibilities as CEO have increased and I am, unfortunately, rarely in the lab. However, last summer I booked myself a two-week holiday to spend time back at the bench pushing through some high risk, high reward research ideas, away from my administrative and leadership duties. The thrill of scientific discovery is still what keeps me going and underpins our desire to be known as a catalyst for the whole scientific space surrounding algae. Our strapline – Making algae work – is true for us on so many different levels. We’re helping to turn an industry with so much potential into something that really delivers on its promises.

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that increase productivity and performance of algal strains, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Algem ® labscale photobioreactor, a non-GM directed evolution platform, GM strain engineering platforms, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

Taking a closer look at algal blooms

Sun, 19 Aug 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Professor Rob Field (far right) and the John Innes team enjoy a day sailing the Broads in a traditional Norfolk wherry.

Scientists at the John Innes Centre are relying on automatic photobioreactors from algal specialists Algenuity to look more closely at algal blooms – a phenomenon that is increasingly becoming an issue and has been linked to extreme weather patterns. Professor Rob Field, a Project Leader at the centre, explained: “Our work so far has centred on the Prymnesium golden algae. These produce a toxin lethal to gill-breathing organisms which has major implications in fish farming worldwide, much as blue-green algae produce substances that are toxic to mammals. They also cause major issues in our local waterways, the Norfolk Broads. Our aim is to understand harmful algal blooms and establish early detection mechanisms so that they can be prevented or dealt with. It is likely that a bloom is caused by a combination of events – including sunlight, phosphate and nitrate levels – which lead to an increase in pH, a decrease in oxygen partial pressure and the release of toxins.”

Rob continued: “We’ve used the Algem® photobioreactors for basic cell culture for a few years now, to vary the growth conditions and amount of light that we provide for the algae. The system acts as a chemostat to regulate and monitor the algae, which saves us a great deal of time, and means we don’t have to keep sampling to count algal cells; we can allow the computer to take control, and can dive in at any point to look at the metabolites produced. We can also stack multiple systems together if we need to scale up, which is a real advantage because the demand for algal biochemistry can dramatically change from a flask to a larger vessel.”

“The Algem is very easy to use and has allowed us to complete our control experiments for collaborators such as the Environment Agency, the Broads Authority and Natural England. Without it, our work would be a lot more cumbersome because we can put it on in the background and just let it run; it’s a very practical piece of kit,” Rob concluded.

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that increase productivity and performance of algal strains, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Algem® labscale photobioreactor, a non-GM directed evolution platform, GM strain engineering platforms, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

The other side of algae

simon.algenuity@gmail.com (algenuity ) — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 23:00:00 GMT

I have been married to an algal biologist for thirty years, so working at Algenuity I get algae morning, noon, and night! But rather than spending my days in the lab, I’m more likely to be found at my desk behind a computer or in a meeting room. As operations manager, it’s my role to keep everything ticking over and to free the scientists to focus on what they do best – research and development. I help to bridge the gap between our science and the wider world, ensuring that our business runs smoothly.

There’s no doubt that my job can often feel like juggling lots of balls; finance, HR and administration all come under my remit, and I’m up and down the stairs like a yo-yo – it’s good for my step count I’m sure. I often have to keep track of everyday jobs while planning future events, such as making sure an Algem® is ready and shipped for our next show. I’ve been involved in this type of role for the past 20 years, so managing multiple demands in a small company feels a little like second nature.

I unofficially like to think of my role as ‘clarity provider.’ The challenge of working in a start-up is that all the processes have to be developed from scratch and adapted as the company grows. Part of my role has been to help to cement the way we work as a company and nudge people in the right direction. When I came on board three years ago, I was able to free up Andrew and others who, at the time, were stretched between the lab and the office. It’s been a huge help, allowing them to pursue their interests without worrying about all the other stuff – such as keeping track of financial transactions or submitting grant claims every quarter – that still needs to be done. After all, algal strain engineering is a world apart from employment law!

Algenuity is very much a family company – you can feel the vibe when you walk in – and maintaining this distinctive culture will be crucial as we continue to grow. It’s an exciting prospect, and I look forward to being even busier and keeping up with the pace of change. At the end of the day, I’m quite happy to let people specialise in what they do, because they do that better than I ever could. I’m very much a generalist, and I think that a company needs both types of people to succeed.

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that increase productivity and performance of algal strains, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Algem® labscale photobioreactor, a non-GM directed evolution platform, GM strain engineering platforms, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

Algenuity appoints new Chief Scientific Officer

Mon, 14 May 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Algenuity, a leader in algal biology and industrial biotechnology, is delighted to welcome Dr Alex Pudney to the team as Chief Scientific Officer. Alex brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously worked in both research and start-ups tackling issues of sustainability and renewable alternatives to petrochemicals. His skills in strain engineering, and expertise in directed evolution and design of experiments, are already proving invaluable to the Algenuity team.

Alex said: “My background in microbial biotechnology has provided me with a broad and diverse overview of the industry, and I feel very privileged to be joining Algenuity, as I have always held the company in high regard. In previous roles, I have benefitted from training in leadership, entrepreneurship and project management that took me beyond simply being technically proficient, and I’m very keen to pass on what I have learnt. I enjoy solving problems – from the small detailed intricacies of the lab, to the larger challenges facing the entire industry – and I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues, who are highly competent and brimming with enthusiasm. It’s exciting to be working in an intellectually rigorous setting where you have the freedom and expectation to be creative, and where driving efforts forward will result in innovative tools for algal applications. As CSO, I feel it’s my role to manage the demands of the business and support the staff, helping them to be successful in an environment that brings out the best in people, which ultimately is what will help us achieve our goals in this fast-moving sector.”

Dr Andrew Spicer, CEO of Algenuity, said: “We are delighted to bring Alex on board, and look forward to the knowledge and experience he will bring to the team. Algenuity has always prided itself on hiring high calibre scientists, and Alex is no exception to that rule.”

About Algenuity

Algenuity is an algae technology development and licensing company with world-class expertise in algal biotechnology, solving problems that deliver a positive global impact. Algenuity’s multidisciplinary team develops proprietary and integrated solutions that increase productivity and performance of algal strains, reduce time to market for algal bioproducts, and boost overall profitability. These enabling technologies include the Algem® labscale photobioreactor, a non-GM directed evolution platform, GM strain engineering platforms, and novel bioprocess development and optimisation tools. Algenuity is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s Golden Triangle for biotech between London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

For more information, visit www.algenuity.com

Algenuity Newsletter - December 2017 #3

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the December edition of our quarterly Algenuity newsletter!

We hope this newsletter will help you make the most of your Algem labscale photobioreactor, keep you updated on the latest Algenuity news and partnership opportunities, and also show you some interesting algal research examples from our lab and around the world.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! : )

To subscribe to our newsletter, sign up at this link: http://eepurl.com/cTiWlH

Algenuity is hiring!

We are looking for two outstanding candidates for the following two positions:

1. Chief Scientific Officer - https://www.algenuity.com/job-opportunity-chief-scientific-officer

2. Technical Sales and Product Support - https://www.algenuity.com/job-opportunity-technical-sales-and-product-support

Deadline is 19th January 2018. Check out the links. Please share and spread the word! Thank you!

Algenuity on the Road!

Our CEO, Dr. Andrew Spicer, has been invited to speak at the UK Microalgal Biotechnology: Creating a Unified Vision held on 1st – 2nd February, 2018 in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Andrew will be speaking in the session titled "Challenges and opportunities as seen by established SMEs in the UK".

Meet an Algem user

We recently got in touch with Dr. Yanan Xu , a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Pat Harvey 's algal research lab at the University of Greenwich. Yanan was one of the first academic Algem users and has been using the Algem for almost 5 years! Read more here .

We would love to hear from you, our Algem users, and we would be honoured if you can share some of your experiences using our photobioreactor! If you wish to be part of an Algem user interview, please contact Mike Yates at msy@algenuity.com, and we will get in touch with you. Thank you!

Triple Algem installed at University of Bielefeld!

Last week, our team installed three Algems in the Algae Biotechnology & Bioenergy Research Group of Professor Olaf Kruse at the University of Bielefeld.

Our team had a great time visiting the Kruse lab, and our Algenuity lab team looks forward to working with the Kruse lab in an upcoming Horizon 2020 algal synthetic biology grant that begins in March 2018 (more to be announced in the March 2018 newsletter).

That's it for now!

Did you like what was in here? Do you have a story or paper to share? Please send your feedback to jcp@algenuity.com

We are also looking for users to interview with their Algem experiences. Send an email to the address above!

See you in about three months!

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Meet an Algem user - Dr. Yanan Xu, University of Greenwich

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Interview with Dr. Yanan Xu, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Pat Harvey's algal research group at the University of Greenwich

Mike Yates recently caught up with Dr. Yanan Xu, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Pat Harvey's algal research lab at the University of Greenwich.

Thank you for taking time to do this interview. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and where you work.

My name is Yanan Xu, and I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Pat Harvey ’s algal research group at the University of Greenwich. It is part of the Faculty of Engineering and Science.

How long have you been an Algem User?

I have been using the Algem since December 2012. I used one of the initial beta versions of the Algem while I was doing my PhD in Saul Purton ’s lab at University College London (UCL). I then continued to use the Algem shortly after I joined Pat Harvey’s lab in February 2014.

Wow, you are one of the original beta-testers of the Algem! That is almost 5 years of Algem use – that’s brilliant. What species or samples do you work with?

It varies depending on the research. In the past, I worked a lot with Chlorella strains, but I have now been working on different strains of Dunaliella and Haematococcus .

What is briefly the aim of your research?

The aim of our research is to characterise isolated algal strains and evaluate the potential for high value products.

Interesting. What do you use the Algem for?

Our lab has three Algem systems (the equivalent of six reactor vessels), and I use the Algems to compare different algal strains under a range of environmental conditions such as light, temperature, pH, and salinity.

You published a paper last year using Algem, and you have another paper using Algem that has been submitted?

Yes, last year in May 2016, we published a paper using the Algem in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry titled, “ The influence of photoperiod and light intensity on the growth and photosynthesis of Dunaliella salina (chlorophyta) CCAP 19/30 ” . We have submitted a paper this year that is forthcoming titled, “ Potential of new isolates of Dunaliella salina for natural β-carotene production ”.

That’s exciting – I look forward to reading it. What do you like about the Algem?

I like that the Algem results are highly reproducible. I can set up multiple algal cultures with exactly the same conditions, and I can also precisely control the conditions of CO2, pH, light intensity, and temperature.

Do you use any other growing systems other than the Algem and how did they compare?

We use incubators and growth cabinets for flask cultures, and they are good for setting up large amounts of cultures. However, the conditions of each culture may vary a lot depending on the position of the flask in each of those set ups.

Is there one thing you would recommend other Algem users to try?

I like the Algem software and how it can be easily customised. For example, Dunaliella salina does not have a cell wall, and it is very fragile and does not like being mixed all the time. The Algem software allows you to easily customise the mixing so that it briefly mixes before an optical density (OD) measurement. This is very useful.

Now to end with a fun question - what is your favourite alga and why?

I have to say Dunaliella salina . I have spent the most time researching Dunaliella salina compared to any other strain – I have been researching it for almost 4 years now. There is just so much to explore about this strain.

I have a soft spot for Dunaliella salina too. Thank you for your time, Yanan. It has been great to speak with you.

You can learn more about the Algem labscale photobioreactor here on our website and get in touch with us to talk her e.

Meet an Algem User - Victor Sanchez, UCL

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 23:00:00 GMT

Interview with Algem user, Victor Sanchez, a PhD Biochemical Engineering Student at UCL (UK)

Our Algenuity team contacted an Algem user, Victor Sanchez, a PhD student at UCL, to ask him about his experience with the Algem labscale photobioreactor. Below is a short interview.

Where do you work?

In the Biochemical Engineering Department at University College London.

How long have you been an Algem User?

Algem user since September 2016. 10 months.

What species or samples do you work with?

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii .

What is briefly the aim of your research?

Characterising the effects growing under different wavelengths has on C. reinhardtii at the physiological, metabolic and genetic levels.

What do you use the Algem for?

Growing batch cultures at different wavelengths with pH control.

What do you like about the Algem?

Its reproducibility.
The ability of controlling pH in flask cultures.
The ability to take samples maintaining axenic conditions without disturbing culture conditions.
The tight specs of the lights.

Did you use any other growing systems before the Algem and how did they compare?

To grow cells under different wavelengths I “engineered” my own light panel with RGBW LED strips. However the light distribution was not uniform (presumably my lack of electrical engineering skills did not help either). Therefore, performing experiments in triplicate and getting robust and consistent results was very hard. The Algem allows a standardisation and a high degree of control over culture conditions, which translates to high reproducibility of results.

Is there one thing you would recommend other Algem users to try?

The aseptic sampling with the three-way valve makes life so much easier. Especially if like me, the nearest safety cabinet to your Algem is relatively far away.

Learn more about the ascetic sampling technique in our application note: https://www.algenuity.com/algem-aseptic-real-time-sampling-protocol. Email info@algenuity.com for more information.

Cultivation of Limnospira platensis - ALG App011

Tue, 09 May 2017 23:00:00 GMT

Background

Limno spira platensis (commonly referred to as Spirulina , despite belonging to a morphologically distinct genus) is a filamentous cyanobacterium characterised by its beneficial nutritional content, left handed open helical form, and ability to grow under highly alkaline conditions. L. platensis is protein rich a nd has been utilised as a traditional foodstuff in multiple cultures, most notably in Central America and in the region surrounding Lake Chad. Recently A. p latensis has experienced a resurgence as a health food and a source of the blue pigment phycocyanin for use as a food colourant.

Experimental Design

An L. platensis (SAG 21.99) starter culture was inoculated from solid medium into AlgaLabs AP medium and cultivated at 40μE, 25°C to late log phase. The culture was then diluted ten fold and split to give two equivalent 400ml cultures for growth in the Algem. The profile used consisted of continuous white light at either 50 or 100μE at 26°C with mixing at 120rpm. CO2 was provided on a pH modulated basis, with the pH kept level at 9.

Results

L platensis grew well under both conditions (despite a long lag period), with faster growth seen at 100μE.

Figure 1 - Algem growth profile for L. platensis grown at 26°C and pH 9 with either 50 or 100μE white light

Discussion

As expected, the higher light intensity resulted in a more productive log phase, and a slightly more rapid exit from lag phase. Under phototrophic conditions, growth is often limited by light intensity, particularly at higher cell densities where self-shading becomes a factor. Now that successful cultivation of L. platensis in the Algem has been demonstrated, the logical next step would be to run ramped light and temperature profiles to establish optimal conditions for this organism.

Cultivation of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 - ALG App010

Mon, 08 May 2017 23:00:00 GMT

Background

Synechocystis sp . PCC6803 is a unicellular freshwater cyanobacterium commonly employed as a cyanobacterial model system. It is capable of both photo- and heterotrophic growth making it useful for studying photosynthetic processes, and has a well defined circadian clock. Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 is naturally competent allowing direct uptake of recombinant DNA, and has a well defined molecular toolbox including a sequenced genome. There has also been interest in the use of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 for biofuel applications, both in itself and as a model for other third generation biofuel platforms.

Experimental Design

A Synechocystis starter culture was inoculated from solid medium into BG11 medium and cultivated at 40μE, 25°C to late stationary phase. The culture was then diluted ten fold and split to give two equivalent 400ml cultures for growth in the Algem. The profile used consisted of continuous white light at either 50 or 100μE, at 26°C with mixing at 120rpm. CO2 was provided on a pH modulated basis, with the pH kept level at 7.5.

Results

Synechocystis grew well under both conditions, with faster growth and a higher final optical density seen at 100μE.

Figure 1 - Algem growth profile for Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 grown at 26°C and pH 7.5 with either 50 or 100μE white light.

Discussion

As expected, the higher light intensity resulted in more productive log phase growth and a higher stationary phase culture density. Under phototrophic conditions growth is often limited by light intensity, particularly at higher cell numbers where self-shading becomes a factor. Now that successful cultivation of Synechocysti s in the Algem has been demonstrated, the logical next step would be to run ramped light an temperature profiles to establish optimal conditions for this organism.

Algem® Aseptic Real-Time Sampling Protocol - ALG App009

Sun, 11 Sep 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Algae sampling technique for transcriptomics, proteomics, and enzymatic assays

Background

Sampling algal cultures for transcriptomics, proteomics, and enzymatic assays needs to be done quickly and without changing the culturing environment. One common sampling approach is to pause the Algem®, open the Algem® reactor lids, take the Algem® flasks to a laminar flow hood, take the samples, return the flasks to the Algem® reactors, and then resume the Algem® experiment. In most cases, this is a suitable sampling approach.

However, one problem with this sampling approach is that the Algem® flask leaves the controlled light and temperature environment of the Algem® reactor and is temporarily exposed to different conditions. Illumination periods of seconds have been demonstrated to have an effect on gene expression (Huysman 2013). In addition, the sampling approach is somewhat time intensive and limits the possibility of sampling every minute or in smaller unit time series.

Aim

To aseptically sample from the Algem® in real-time, in small unit time series, and without removing the Algem® flasks from their controlled light and temperature environment.

Figure 1 – Algem® flask bung and three-way valve

Method

Before you start an Algem® experiment, take a three-way valve and connect to one of the red inlet tubes on the Algem® flask bung with 1.6mm (inner diameter) silicon tubing (see Figure 1) . The other two red inlets on the Algem® flask bung can be used for introducing gas, media, and/or adjusting pH (in Figure 1, the set-up shows no gas lines for clarity).

Results

Figure 2 – Algem® flask bung, three-way valve, and syringes

Figure 3 – Sampling system in use on Algem®

A 25mm 0.45µm pore PVDF filter is placed inside the filter holder (see Figure 2). Make sure filter is dry. 10 to 25mL of culture is removed from the flask using the first syringe (see Figure 2). Make sure it is one continuous movement. Note that the sample is captured in the filter, not the syringe (See Figures 4 & 5). Alternatively, the filter can be omitted, and the sample can be processed in another way (e.g. quenched in liquid nitrogen).

To remove any remaining algae 'stuck' in the dark zones of the tubing, the three-way valve is opened towards the air filter, and a second syringe is used to inject 10ml of air thereby expelling the algae in the tubes back into the culture vessel (see Figure 2). Once the sampling is complete, the valve is closed.

The method outlined above has also been used to sample algae during the 'night' phase of the diurnal rhythm without exposing the cells to light by using coloured tubing and wrapping the filter disc assembly in tinfoil.

Figure 4 – Opening filter holder to see algae sample on filter

Figure 5 – Filter detached from filter holder

Summary

The entire harvest process can be completed in less than 2 minutes without the flask ever having to leave the reactor chamber and without compromising aseptic technique (see Figure 3).

References

Huysman MJJ, Fortunato AE, Matthijs M, et al. AUREOCHROME1a-Mediated Induction of the Diatom-Specific Cyclin dsCYC2 Controls the Onset of Cell Division in Diatoms (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) . The Plant Cell . 2013; 25(1):215-228.

Culturing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - ALG App008

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Background

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a motile, unicellular green microalga typically measuring around 10 µm in diameter. It is widely distributed, and is often isolated from soil and freshwater samples. C. reinhardtii has been used as a model organism for over 70 years for both basic and applied research, largely due to its ease of cultivation, rapid doubling time of 6-8 h, and established molecular toolbox (Harris, 2009). Noted areas of study include photosynthesis, phototaxis, cell wall biogenesis, cell cycle events, flagella assembly, mating processes, and nuclear/chloroplast interactions (Rochaix, 1995; Shimogawara et al., 1998; Merchant et al., 2007). Annotated sequences are available for the nuclear, chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes (Merchant et al., 2007, Scaife et al., 2015), and several extensive libraries of mutants have been generated. Transformation of all three genomes have been demonstrated, with nuclear and chloroplast manipulation becoming routine (Boynton et al. 1988; Kindle et al. 1989; Sodeinde and Kindle. 1993).

Recently C. reinhardtii has gained attention as a platform for commercial applications; these include recombinant protein expression (Mayfield et al., 2007; Rosales-Mendoza et al., 2012), biohydrogen production (Torzillo et al., 2015), and as a model testbed for biofuel technologies prior to shuttling into more industrially relevant, but less easy to manipulate, biofuel production strains.

Cultivation of C. reinhardtii is typically conducted mixotrophically on TAP (tris acetate phosphate) medium. Although suitable for lab-scale work, TAP medium is not appropriate for scale up due to its relatively high cost and susceptibility to contamination.

Aim

To compare the growth of C. reinhardtii CC1690 under mixotrophic (TAP medium) and phototrophic (HSM medium) conditions in the Algem photobioreactor.

Experimental Design

Two starter cultures of C. reinhardtii CC1690 were inoculated from plates in either TAP or HSM. Cultures were incubated at 20°C, with 40 µE/m²/s continuous light, and 120 rpm agitation (Innova 44, New Brunswick Scientific, New Jersey) for four days, then sub-cultured. Starter cultures in mid-logarithmic phase were used to inoculate duplicate 400 ml cultures of HSM and TAP medium which were then cultured in Algems at 25°C, with 200 µE/m²/s continuous light (85: 15 white: red mix), at 100 rpm agitation and 10cc/minute aeration with 5 % CO₂ for a period of five days.

Results

Figure 1 - C. reinhardtii CC 1690 cultured in HSM and TAP medium at 25°C, 200 µE/m²/s continuous light (85: 15 white; red mix), 100 rpm, with 10 cm³/min aeration with 5 % CO₂, (n=2)

Figure 2 - Temperature variation over the course of the above experiment (n=4)

Figure 3 - pH variation over the course of the above experiment (n=2)

Discussion

It was observed that C. reinhardtii grew more productively in TAP than HSM; however, it is unclear from these data whether this is due to the available carbon source (acetate and 5% CO₂ vs. 5% CO₂ only), or the buffering effects of acetate consumption. When algal cells are grown on NH₄+ a drop in pH is generally seen, as the ammonium symporter pumps out a proton into the medium for each ammonium ion transported into the cell. Conversely, when acetate is consumed, the pH increases as the tris: acetate buffer equilibrium is shifted towards the basic. In TAP these two processes occur simultaneously resulting in a relatively stable pH, whereas in HSM only the acidifying uptake of NH₄+ occurs, resulting in a significant drop in the pH. In both cases, OD, pH, and measured temperature were shown to vary very little between replicates as shown in the figures 1, 2, and 3 respectively: error bars in each figure represent standard deviation.

C. reinhardtii CC1609 was observed to reach stationary phase after around 3 days independent of growth medium; however, a higher final OD 740nm was achieved in TAP. Due to the economic benefits associated with HSM over TAP, the optimisation of C. reinhardtii growth in HSM would be worth pursuing, with investigations into NO₃- as a nitrogen source as oppose to NH₄+ presenting the next logical step in this process.

References

Debuchy, R., Purton, S. and Rochaix, J.D. (1989) The argininosuccinate lyase gene of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii : an important tool for nuclear transformation and for correlating the genetic and molecular maps of the ARG7 locus. The EMBO journal , 8 (10), p. 2803

Boynton, J.E., Gillham, N.W., Harris, E.H., Hosler, J.P. and Johnson, A.M. (1988) Chloroplast transformation in Chlamydomonas with high velocity microprojectiles. Science , 240 (4858), p.1534

Day, A. and Goldschmidt‐Clermont, M. (2011) The chloroplast transformation toolbox: selectable markers and marker removal. Plant biotechnology journal , 9 (5), pp. 540-553

Harris, E.H. (2009) Chlamydomonas Sourcebook: Introduction to Chlamydomonas and Its Laboratory Use (Vol. 1), Academic Press

Kindle, K.L. (1990) High-frequency nuclear transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 87 (3), pp. 1228-1232

Kumar, S.V., Misquitta, R.W., Reddy, V.S., Rao, B.J. and Rajam, M.V. (2004) Genetic transformation of the green alga- Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Plant Science , 166 (3), pp.731-738

Mayfield, S.P., Manuell, A.L., Chen, S., Wu, J., Tran, M., Siefker, D., Muto, M. and Marin-Navarro, J., 2007. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplasts as protein factories. Current opinion in biotechnology , 18 (2), pp. 126-133

Merchant, S.S., Prochnik, S.E., Vallon, O., Harris, E.H., Karpowicz, S.J., Witman, G.B., Terry, A., Rochaix, J.D. (1995) Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as the photosynthetic yeast. Annual review of genetics , 29 (1), pp.209-230

Rosales-Mendoza, S., Paz-Maldonado, L.M.T. and Soria-Guerra, R.E. (2012) Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a viable platform for the production of recombinant proteins: current status and perspectives. Plant cell reports , 31(3), pp. 479-494

Scaife, M.A., Nguyen, G.T., Rico, J., Lambert, D., Helliwell, K.E. and Smith, A.G. (2015) Establishing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as an industrial biotechnology host. The Plant Journal , 82 (3), pp. 532-546

Shimogawara, K., Fujiwara, S., Grossman, A. and Usuda, H. (1998) High-efficiency transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by electroporation. Genetics , 148 (4), pp. 1821-1828

Sodeinde, O.A. and Kindle, K.L. (1993) Homologous recombination in the nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 90 (19), pp.9199-9203

Torzillo, G., Scoma, A., Faraloni, C. and Giannelli, L. (2015) Advances in the biotechnology of hydrogen production with the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . Critical reviews in biotechnology , 35 (4), pp.485-496

Culturing a domesticated Chlamydomonas nivalis - ALG App007

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Background

C. nivalis is a psychrophilic freshwater alga that has adapted to thrive in its own ecological niche within polar and alpine snowfields. The flagellated stages of C. nivalis enable positional change within the snow layer to achieve the required depth for optimal light and temperature conditions. In nature, C. nivalis is most frequently found in the encysted stage (hypnoblast) as this is the lifecycle stage most resistant to environmental changes (Remias et al., 2005). This microalga has been observed to tolerate extreme light, low temperatures (2-10°C) and low nutrient conditions (Remias et al., 2010; 2015). When C. nivalis is cultured under high light and nutrient depletion, it forms mature cysts that are very rigid and difficult to mechanically disrupt (Hoham and Duvel, 2001; Remias et al., 2005). C. nivalis is of commercial interest due to its high antioxidant and phenolic content (Li et al., 2007), in addition to its ability to produce astaxanthin (Rezanka et al., 2008).

Aim

To determine which medium resulted in the highest growth rate for C. nivalis at room temperature (20°C); 3N-BBM, HSM and TAP.

Experimental Design

C. nivalis CCAP 11/128 has been maintained on plate culture on HSM + 15 g/L agar (Chlamydomonas Resource Centre), and in liquid culture with HSM (Chlamydomonas Resource Centre) at 18°C for several years. Preliminary investigations revealed that C. nivalis was able to tolerate cold conditions as low as 4°C and could be cultured in September Svalbard conditions (modelled on the Algem with low temperatures of 4°C), but growth was very slow. After culturing C. nivalis over repeated generations it is now able to tolerate conditions much higher than its natural habitat and can grow at room temperature. Initial cultures in late-log grown in HSM were used as the inoculant. For this experiment C. nivalis was cultured in duplicate with three different media; 3N-BBM+V (CCAP), TAP, and HSM (both recipes from Chlamydomonas Resource Centre) with vitamin B12 addition (0.001 mg/L). Culturing parameters were maintained at 20°C, 150 µmol photons/m²/s, continuous sunlight, 120 rpm with 10 cm³/min aeration with 5 % CO2/air.

Results

Figure 1 - Growth profile of C. nivalis cultured in different media (3N-BBM, TAP and HSM) under 20°C, 150 µmol photons/m²/s continuous sunlight, 120 rpm with 10 cm³/min aeration with 5 % CO2

Figure 2 - a) C. nivalis vegetative cells and b) dividing cells observed throughout the Algem experiment in each medium. No hypnoblasts were observed during the culturing process

Notes

At 20°C C. nivalis was observed to grow better in 3N-BBM+V and TAP compared with HSM. HSM showed a slow lag time of 24 h before growth was observed. From this experiment it can be deduced that 3N-BBM with the addition of vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) is effective for culturing C. nivalis and should be used for future studies for investigating other parameters for improving growth.

References

Li, H.B., Cheng, K.W., Wong, C.C., Fan, K.W., Chen, F. and Jiang, Y. (2007) Evaluation of antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of different fractions of selected microalgae. Food Chemistry , 102 (3), pp.771-776

Remias, D., Lütz-Meindl, U. and Lütz, C. (2005) Photosynthesis, pigments and ultrastructure of the alpine snow alga Chlamydomonas nivalis . European Journal of Phycology , 40 (3), pp.259-268

Remias, D., Karsten, U., Lütz, C. and Leya, T. (2010) Physiological and morphological processes in the Alpine snow alga Chloromonas nivalis (Chlorophyceae) during cyst formation. Protoplasma , 243 (1- 4), pp.73-86.

Remias, D., Kahr, H. and Jäger, A. (2015) Psychrophilic algae as candidates for outdoor bioreactors in cold countries, 23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition , pp. 1911-1912

Řezanka, T., Nedbalová, L., Sigler, K. and Cepák, V. (2008) Identification of astaxanthin diglucoside diesters from snow alga Chlamydomonas nivalis by liquid chromatography–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Phytochemistry , 69 (2), pp.479-490.

Culturing a novel strain of Haematococcus pluvialis, LSBB612 - ALG App006

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Background

The genus Haematococcus is found globally, with reports of isolates from all continents with the exception of Antarctica, with hostile areas of isolation including the arctic circle (Klochkova et al., 2013). H. pluvialis is of commercial interest due to its ability to produce copious amounts of astaxanthin, reaching up to 5 % dry weight in the encysted aplanospore state (Wayame et al., 2013). Astaxanthin is sold as a pigment for aquaculture and in animal feed, and is marketed as an antioxidant for the nutraceutical market. The H. pluvialis derived astaxanthin industry is commercially successful; however, several constraints are ever-present including issues of contamination and grazing, high extraction costs, high light requirements for encystment, and conversely, photo-bleaching (Shah et al., 2016).

Astaxanthin is produced under high light and nutrient deplete conditions (García-Malea et al., 2008). High temperature is rarely implemented to induce astaxanthin production, as it was reported to severely reduce biomass yield, and thus decrease astaxanthin productivity (Tjahjono et al. 1994). Currently the red stage of astaxanthin production is constrained by biomass production in the green stage, which requires strictly controlled culture conditions. Optimal reported temperatures for the vegetative growth of H. pluvialis are between 20 and 28°C (Wan et al., 2014), with temperatures in excess of 30°C shown to induce transition from the green vegetative stage to the red stage with the formation of aplanospores. Domínguez-Bocanegra et al., (2004) demonstrated optimal growth at an irradiance of 177 µmol photons/m²/s with higher density cultures achieved under continuous light.

H. pluvialis LSBB612 starter cultures were grown under 40 µmol photons/m²/s continuous red/blue (3:1) light in TAP ( Chlamydomonas Resource Centre) + B12 medium (0.001 mg/L cyanocobalamin), with aeration at 15 cm³/min 5% CO₂ in air, shaking at 120 rpm. Algem flasks (1L) containing 400 ml TAP + B12 medium were inoculated at 4 x 10⁴ cells/ml. Flasks were cultured in the Algem in duplicate at 20, 25 or 30°C, 100 µmol photons/m-²/s continuous light (85:15 white/red mix), intermittent aeration, with 5 % CO₂ to maintain pH 7, and agitation at 120 rpm.

Aim

To demonstrate the growth characteristics of the novel H. pluvialis strain LSBB612 with an unusually high temperature optimum using the Algem labscale photobioreactor.

Experimental Design

Results

Figure 1 - H. pluvialis LSBB612 growth under different temperatures (20°C, 25°C and 30°C)

Figure 2 - a) motile macrozooids and b) palmelloids observed during growth

Discussion

H. pluvialis LSBB612 is classified as non-motile according to the categorisation of Han et al. (2012) as the culture predominates in the palmelloid form rather than the green motile macrozooid. In this experiment it was shown that under the conditions tested, 30°C resulted in the highest growth rate, attaining a maximum doubling time of ~12 h. Growth was shown to plateau for all temperatures at a similar OD due to acetate depletion. This strain of H. pluvialis offers commercial interest as it is able to tolerate temperatures greater than conventional culture conditions (Wan et al., 2014) and did not encyst during the whole culturing period. A mixture of green motile macrozooids and green palmelloids were maintained. Further experiments will be conducted to ascertain the upper-temperature limit for vegetative growth of this strain.

References

Domínguez-Bocanegra A. R., Guerrero Legarreta I., Martinez Jeronimo F., Tomasini Campocosio A. (2004) Influence of environmental and nutritional factors in the production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis . Bioresource Technology , 92, pp. 209–214

García-Malea, M.C., Sánchez, E. D. R., López, J. C., Fernández, F. A., Sevilla, J. F., Rivas, J., Guerro, M.G. & Grima, E. M. (2006) Comparative analysis of the outdoor culture of Haematococcus pluvialis in tubular and bubble column photobioreactors, Journal of Biotechnology , 123 (3), pp. 329-342

Han, D., Wang, J., Sommerfeld, M. & Hu, Q. (2012) Susceptibility and protective mechanisms of motile and non motile cells of Haematococcus pluvialis (chlorophyceae) to photooxidative stress, Journal of Phycology , 48 (3), pp. 693-705

Klochkova, T.A., Kwak, M.S., Han, J.W., Motomura, T., Nagasato, C. & Kim, G.H. (2013) Cold-tolerant strain of Haematococcus pluvialis (Haematococcaceae, Chlorophyta) from Blomstrandhalvøya (Svalbard), Algae , 28 (2), pp. 185-192

Sarada, R., Bhattacharya, S. & Ravishankar, G. (2002) Optimization of culture conditions for growth of the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis , World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology , 18 (6), pp. 517-521

Shah, M.M.R., Liang, Y., Cheng, J.J. and Daroch, M. (2016) Astaxanthin-producing green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis : from single cell to high value commercial products. Frontiers in Plant Science , 7, p. 531

Tjahjono, A.E., Hayama, Y., Kakizono, T., Terada, Y., Nishio, N. & Nagai, S. (1994) Hyper-accumulation of astaxanthin in a green alga Haematococcus pluvialis at elevated temperatures, Biotechnology Letters , 16 (2), pp. 133-138

Wan, M., Hou, D., Li, Y., Fan, J., Huang, J., Liang, S., Wang, W., Pan, R., Wang, J. & Li, S. (2014) The effective photoinduction of Haematococcus pluvialis for accumulating astaxanthin with attached cultivation, Bioresource Technology , 163, pp. 26-32

Wayama, M., Ota, S., Matsuura, H., Nango, N., Hirata, A. & Kawano, S. (2013) Three-Dimensional Ultrastructural Study of Oil and Astaxanthin Accumulation during Encystment in the Green Alga Haematococcus pluvialis ’ , PLOS One , 8 (1)

Interview with Tom Butler, Algenuity intern

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 23:00:00 GMT

On Tom's last day, Mike Yates sits down with Tom Butler to chat about his Algenuity internship experience

Tom Butler is finishing up a 9 month internship with Algenuity and will be headed to the University of Sheffield this autumn to start his Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr Raman Vaidyanathan. Mike Yates, our Head of Business Development at Algenuity, sat down with Tom to chat about his experience at Algenuity.

You have had a long-standing interest in the environment and marine studies. Can you share a little bit more?

I have always loved the ocean and marine life. For my undergraduate degree, I followed this passion and studied Marine Biology at Newcastle University. And outside the lab, I have been an avid scuba diver. Earlier this year, I travelled to Sri Lanka to go on a dive trip, and in two weeks, I am going out for a dive trip to Malta!

Brilliant. So how did you get into algae?

Learning from and working with Gary Caldwell at Newcastle really opened me up to the positive potential for algae for real world issues and how algae can provide sustainable solutions to energy and food challenges. At Newcastle, we conducted several practicals on micro- and macroalgae. This motivated me to apply to SAMS (Scottish Association for Marine Science) for their MRes programme in Algal Biotechnology.

How was the experience at SAMS? Would you recommend the programme?

I thoroughly enjoyed the masters year at SAMS. I deepened my microbiology knowledge, expanded my toolset, and developed my algal research skills. I did my dissertation on "An alternative strategy for astaxanthin production using Haematococcus pluvialis ".

Yes, I would definitely recommend the SAMS Algal Biotechnology MRes programme . It provided me with a solid foundation for this year’s industrial internship and will prove to be invaluable for my future Ph.D. studies. It was also great to be mentored by leading algal biologists, such as Professor John Day and Dr Michele Stanley. I also really loved being in the SAMS location of Oban, Scotland. It is so beautiful there, and it is great for adventure enthusiasts.

What has been some of the highlights of your Algenuity internship?

I have enjoyed working with the extremely talented scientists and the multidisciplinary team here at Algenuity and Spicer Consulting. It is such a dynamic and innovative environment.

It has been particularly great to be specifically mentored by Michiel Matthijs, the CSO of Algenuity. I have learned a lot about rigorous experimental design, analysis of data, and drawing conclusions for the purpose of either future papers or patents. Michiel has also taught me how to use some of the key equipment in the labs, including the liquid handling robot and the 384-well qPCR machine. It has been a lot of fun.

Any other highlights?

I enjoyed growing my algal molecular biology skills and learning about genetic manipulation of algae. Algenuity is the perfect place to learn about this. I worked mostly with Phaeodactylum tricornutum and developed and worked with tags, such as the uracil 3 marker and the halo tag.

I also have enjoyed producing the Algem application notes . It has been great to work with a large variety of algae and optimise growth conditions for the algae. I particularly enjoyed working with extremophilic species of algae, such as the acidophile and thermophile, Galdieria sulphuraria ; the alkaliphile, Arthrospira platensis ; and the psychrophile, Fragilariopsis cylindrus .

Did you have a particular favourite application note?

My favourite application note was studying the locally bioprospected Haematococcus pluvialis strain . As I mentioned earlier, I did my dissertation on Haematococcus pluvialis .

What made this application note particularly interesting was that one of the constraints of industrially produced astaxanthin is the temperature range. Optimal growth for normal Haematococcus pluvialis strains is usually between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is higher, cells in the green stage transition to cysts/aplanospores, and this limits biomass yields and flexibility.

At Algenuity, we have isolated a Haematococcus pluvialis strain that thrives at 30 degrees Celsius and remains in the green stage without the induction of aplanospores. This increased temperature range has positive industrial implications. Overall, it shows the power and potential of bioprospecting.

A bit of a geeky algae question – is Haematococcus pluvialis your favourite alga? Mine is Euglena gracilis .

Actually, my favourite alga is the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum . I am actually going to be studying Phaeo for my upcoming Ph.D. at Sheffield.

I love how Phaeo has a fast growth rate and is less sensitive to contamination than other microalgae. It is like a weed and just grows and grows! I also appreciate that the genome has been sequenced, that the molecular toolbox continues to develop and improve, and that there are transformation approaches available.

With your extensive work with the Algem application notes, it is fair to say that you have used the Algems more than any previous intern we have had at Algenuity. What particularly do you like about the Algem?

The tightness of errors bars for growth and environmental parameters such as temperature, light, and pH is hands down the best thing about the Algem.

Coming from a marine background, I have found it really useful to monitor and control the pH level at a set pH range or pH level. For example, seawater often has a set pH, and it is very useful to simulate conditions in the alga’s native environment. I also appreciate the geographical modelling feature of the Algem where you can pretty much model any daylight and temperature profile from around the world by inputting a longitude and latitude value. From an ecological point of view, it is powerful to be able to study the organism under environmental parameters close to its true environment, including cloud cover!

I have also valued how you can sample simultaneously over a planned time course while the Algem is running through a sterile syringe and vacuum manifold system. Michiel and I did an extensive qPCR experiment investigating circadian rhythms and the disruption of these systems using Phaeodactylum tricornutum using this technique.

Out of curiosity, did you use any particular geographical regions in any of your Algem experiments?

I did an experiment with Chlorococcum novae-angliae modelled in its place of origin in the California, USA area. I also studied Desmodesmus abundans and Desmodesmus subspicatus modelled in different locations of India and China to look for areas with low labour and land costs and locations that could be useful for bioremediation.

You are headed up to the University of Sheffield this autumn to begin your Ph.D. in the lab of Dr Raman Vaidyanathan . Can you share what you will be studying?

I will be studying Phaeodactylum tricornutum as an aquaculture feedstock to replace fishmeal that is used in the process. The emphasis will be on optimising protein, fatty acids, and carotenoids. I have a particular interest in EPA and fucoxanthin. I will be looking at both non-GM and GM tools. I am very excited to get started at Sheffield!

As a closing question, what advice would you give to students who are interested in algae?

The microalgae sector is multidisciplinary, and it needs skills from many fields including molecular biology, engineering, ecology, biochemistry, and business. You can be involved!

As far as practical tips, when pursuing a new project or idea, make sure to do background reading. It is so important.

As far as the algae industry, the limit to success is the economics. The economics should always be in the back of your mind when doing research.

Because the field of algae research can be so broad, I find it helpful to keep a focused approach. I like to try to see things through a problem-solution lens. I try to make sure I define a problem when beginning a project. It makes pursuing a solution much easier!

And lastly, look out for good mentors. I have been so fortunate to have great mentors, such as Gary Caldwell, John Day, Michele Stanley, and Michiel Matthijs. They have been pivotal in helping me to grow professionally and helped to accelerate my career.

Thanks again Tom for your time and for being willing to do this. You have been a valuable member of our team, and we will miss you. We wish you the best at Sheffield!

Culturing Porphyridium purpureum - ALG App005

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Background to P. purpureum

P. purpureum is a unicellular red microalga which is found in most terrestrial areas including on submerged river banks and saltmarshes; it is even found within brickwork. Commercial relevance of P. purpureum stems from its high protein content and presence of value-added products including high value polysaccharides, arachidonic acid (ARA) and phycoerythrin (Juin et al., 2015; Su et al., 2016). Its genome was sequenced in 2013 (Bhattacharya et al., 2013). Growth rates and levels of polysaccharides have been found to correlate with light intensity (Valea et al., 2011); however, the effect of light colour on P. purpureum growth is yet to be reported.

Aim

To determine the impact of light colour on Porphyridium purpureum growth.

Experimental Design

An exponentially growing culture of P. purpureum in late-log phase was inoculated at 1 x 105 cells/ml into 400 ml DM04 medium (in-house phototrophic marine medium). Cultures were grown in the Algem at 22°C under 240 μmol photons/m²/s continuous light consisting of either red (660nm), blue (465nm), or simulated sunlight (a 85:15 white/red mix). Cultures were mixed at 120 rpm with 5 cm³/min aeration of 5 % CO₂ in air. Experiments were conducted in duplicate, with growth assessed by in-flask optical density (OD) measurements at 740nm.

Figure 1 – Spectra of light under investigation

Results

Figure 2 - Growth profiles of P. purpureum cultured photoautotrophically in DM04 medium under different light colours (sunlight, red, and blue) (n = 2)

Figure 3 - Culture health after 7 days in the Algem; from left to right sunlight, red, and blue

Discussion

P. purpureum was observed to grow significantly better under simulated sun- and red light compared to blue light as measured by OD 740nm accumulation (Figure 2). A dense, homogenous culture without clumping was observed for all conditions with noticeably lower biomass for blue light illuminated flasks. Further experiments should be conducted in the Algem to further optimise light intensity and temperature for optimal growth.

References

Bhattacharya, D., Price, D.C., Chan, C.X., Qiu, H., Rose, N., Ball, S., Weber, A.P., Arias, M.C., Henrissat, B., Coutinho, P.M. and Krishnan, A. (2013) Genome of the red alga Porphyridium purpureum. Nature communications , 4, pp. 1-10

Juin, C., Chérouvrier, J.R., Thiéry, V., Gagez, A.L., Bérard, J.B., Joguet, N., Kaas, R., Cadoret, J.P. and Picot, L. (2015) Microwave-assisted extraction of phycobiliproteins from P orphyridium purpureum. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology , 175 (1), pp.1-15.

Su, G., Jiao, K., Li, Z., Guo, X., Chang, J., Ndikubwimana, T., Sun, Y., Zeng, X., Lu, Y. and Lin, L. (2016) Phosphate limitation promotes unsaturated fatty acids and arachidonic acid biosynthesis by microalgae Porphyridium purpureum . Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering , pp.1-8

Velea, S., Ilie, L. and Filipescu, L. (2011) Optimization of Porphyridium purpureum culture growth using two variables

experimental design: light and sodium bicarbonate. UPB Science Bulletin Series B , 73 (4), pp.81-94

Culturing Galdieria sulphuraria - ALG App004

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Background to G. sulphuraria

G. sulphuraria is an extremophilic, spherical, spore-forming red alga commonly found in hot acid springs. It is an acidophilic and thermophilic alga which grows phototrophically and mixotrophically, and is capable of heterotrophic growth on sugars, alcohols and amino acids (Gross and Schnarrenberger, 1995; Oesterhelt and Gross, 2002; Barbier et al., 2005). G. sulphuraria has commercial potential for wastewater remediation (Schönknecht et al., 2013; Selvaratnem et al., 2014) and the mass production of the phycobiliprotein phycocyanin (Schmidt et al., 2005).

Aim

To confirm whether G. sulphuraria (SAG 107.79) can tolerate high temperatures (50°C) and acidic (pH 4) conditions, and to observe how light intensity and photoperiod affect growth.

Experimental Design

Two experiments were conducted, one investigating the effects of temperature, and the other investigating photoperiod and light intensity. Growth comparisons were made based on hourly optical density (OD) measurements at 740nm.

For both experiments exponentially growing cultures of G. sulphuraria in late-log phase were harvested and inoculated at 5 x 10⁵ cells/ml into 1 L flasks with 400 ml Cyanidium medium (SAG) + 150 mM glucose (pH 4). Soil extract was replaced by 1 ml/L Special K trace elements according to (Kropat and Malasarn, 2010). G. sulphuraria was cultured with red and blue light as indicated in Figure 1; preliminary experiments having revealed that red and blue light combined at the ratio stated resulted in better growth than white light. Flasks were mixed at 90 rpm without aeration.

To investigate temperature cultures were incubated at 25°C, 40°C, and 50°C under continuous light at 100 μmol photons/m²/s. Investigations into photoperiods and light intensity were conducted at 50°C under either a 12:12 photoperiod or continuous light, both at light intensities of 100 and 200 μmol photons/m²/s.

Figure 1 - LED spectra for G. sulphuraria cultivation with peaks included in the blue (450-500 nm) and red regions (610-700)

Results

Figure 2 - Growth profile of G. sulphuraria cultured mixotrophically in Cyanidium medium with glucose at 100 μmol photons/m²/s continuous light at different temperatures (25, 40 and 50°C) with red: blue light at a ratio of 3:1

Figure 3 - Growth profile of G. sulphuraria cultured mixotrophically in Cyanidium medium with glucose at 50°C under different photoperiods (12:12 photoperiod and continuous) and light intensities (100 μmol photons/m²/s and 200 μmol photons with red: blue light at 3:1)

Discussion

G. sulphuraria was observed to grow optimally at 50°C with a similar growth profile at 40°C but a slightly lower final OD 740 nm maximum (Figure 2). There was a long lag when G. sulphuraria was cultured at 25°C (Figure 2). G. sulphuraria appears to not just be thermotolerant but thermophilic and acidophilic. G. sulphuraria grew better under the lower light intensity of 100 μmol photons/m²/s with similar growth patterns under a 12:12 photoperiod and continuous light under the conditions tested (Figure 3). A 12:12 photoperiod under 200 μmol photons/m²/s resulted in the poorest growth. Future experiments should focus on culturing G. sulphuraria at high temperatures comparing photoautrophic media with heterotrophic conditions where G. sulphuraria has been observed to have a higher doubling time (Graziani et al., 2013).

References

Barbier, G., Oesterhelt, C., Larson, M.D., Halgren, R.G., Wilkerson, C., Garavito, R.M., Ben ning, C. and Weber, A.P. (2005) Comparative genomics of two closely related unicellular thermo-acidophilic red algae, Galdieria sulphuraria and Cyanidioschyzon merolae , reveals the molecular basis of the metabolic flexibility of Galdieria sulphuraria and significant differences in carbohydrate metabolism of both algae. Plant physiology , 137 (2), pp. 460-474.

Graziani, G., Schiavo, S., Nicolai, M.A., Buono, S., Fogliano, V., Pinto, G. and Pollio, A. (2013) Microalgae as human food: chemical and nutritional characteristics of the thermo-acidophilic microalga Galdieria sulphuraria . Food and Function , 4 (1), pp.144-152

Gross, W. and Schnarrenberger, C. (1995) Heterotrophic growth of two strains of the acido-thermophilic red alga Galdieria sulphuraria . Plant and Cell Physiology , 36 (4), pp. 633-638.

Kropat, J and Malasarn, D (2010) Merchant Lab Research Resources: Special K Traces. Available at: http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept/Faculty/merchant/pdf/SpecialKTraceElementsJune2.pdf . Accessed: 21/04/16.

Oesterhelt, C. and Gross, W. (2002) Different Sugar Kinases Are Involved in the Sugar Sensing of Galdieria sulphuraria . Plant physiology , 128 (1), pp. 291-299.

Schmidt, R.A., Wiebe, M.G. and Eriksen, N.T. (2005) Heterotrophic high cell‐density fed‐batch cultures of the phycocyanin‐producing red alga Galdieria sulphuraria . Biotechnology and bioengineering , 90(1), pp.77- 84.

Schönknecht, G., Chen, W.H., Ternes, C.M., Barbier, G.G., Shrestha, R.P., Stanke, M., Bräutigam, A., Baker, B.J., Banfield, J.F., Garavito, R.M. and Carr, K. (2013) Gene transfer from bacteria and archaea facilitated evolution of an extremophilic eukaryote. Science , 339(6124), pp.1207-1210.

Selvaratnam, T., Pegallapati, A.K., Montelya, F., Rodriguez, G., Nirmalakhandan, N., Van Voorhies, W. and Lammers, P.J. (2014) Evaluation of a thermo-tolerant acidophilic alga, Galdieria sulphuraria , for nutrient removal from urban wastewaters. Bioresource Technology , 156, pp.395-399.

Algem Profile:

5minRandomLightSteps2.algp

Creating Custom Algem® Profiles - ALG App003

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Creating Custom Profiles

In the Algem® software, the Profile Editor enables the user to create a vast range of light, temperature and mixing profiles that the Algem® can perform. This application note will show how there is scope for Light and Temperature profiles to be customized even further.

Example Custom Light Profile

Here we will show an example where we used light data collected from a PAR sensor placed at a preselected outdoor location to customize an Algem® profile. A general step-by-step guide is outlined in bold .

Step 1

Create a Profile in the Profile Editor with the correct time axis and other desired settings.

The PAR sensor took readings every 10 minutes for 7 days. One 24 hour day is represented by 144 points when readings are determined every 10 minutes. Set the time axis in the Profile Editor (Click on the top menu bar ‘Edit’, then select ‘Time Axis’ from the drop down menu) to have 1008 data points, with a ‘TimeStep’ set for every 10 minutes; this creates a profile lasting 7 days or 168 hours. The points in this profile can be substituted for the PAR sensor readings that were recorded. The other profile settings can be set to what is required as they will not be customized further in this instance. The light profile settings will be void after being customized, so choosing any light profile is valid.

Step 2

Save the profile to a location of choice and copy the data points in the text file into a spreadsheet to be edited.

Once the profile is saved to a location of choice, the file (*.algp) can be opened by a text editor. This file consists of information in a header, which has data points for the light and temperature profiles below, organized in 5 columns. The data points can be imported (by copy and paste) into a spreadsheet program such as Excel® within which the data can be edited. The 5 data columns represent the profiles for the 1) Red LEDs, 2) Green LEDs, 3) Blue LEDs, 4) White LEDs & 5) Temperature, in order of column. Note: the Green profile is no longer used and can be left unchanged and ignored for the purposes of this application.

In this example, the data acquired by the PAR sensor is used to replace the LED profiles generated by the Profile Editor. A best fit to natural sunlight in the Algem uses the ratio of 85:15 of White:Red LEDs. Therefore columns 1 & 4 will be replaced by the readings from the PAR sensor transformed into 15% and 85% values, respectively. If white LEDs only is desired, the PAR sensor data should be used to replace the data in column 4 only, bearing in mind that the limit of light intensity achieved with white LEDs only is 2,000 mol/m²/s. Once values have been replaced, copy back the transformed data into the original notepad version of the algp file, replacing the original 5 columns of data. Then save the file.

Algem® Remote Results Viewing - ALG App002

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 23:00:00 GMT

The Algem® software continually receives and records data from the Algem® photobioreactor. This data is normally only accessible via the computer that is connected to the Algem®. However, following this step-by-step guide, the use of file-syncing software enables remote-viewing of live data. In this guide, the software being used is Dropbox®. This approach, however, can be adapted for alternative file-syncing software. It is important to understand that a single folder is created in a designated DropBox account. If your Algem system has multiple users it will be necessary to have a shared DropBox account where individual user results are organized within folders internal to the Algem folder within DropBox.

Step by Step Guide

Before you start:

It will be necessary for you to have administrative rights to install Dropbox and/or enter command prompt menu as an administrator to complete this setup. If you do not have administrative rights to the computer you are using, you should seek support from your relevant IT department staff or resource.

1) Install the DropBox program on the computer to which an Algem is connected.

This will create a Dropbox folder on the computer. Any files of folders placed into this Dropbox folder will be accessible from any other computer which has the Dropbox software installed via a user logon. The default location of this Dropbox folder is “C:\Users\<useraccount>\Dropbox”

2) Cut and paste the Algem 1.6 folder (Found in directory “C:\ProgramData\Algenuity”), into the Dropbox folder.

Notes:

a) Make sure no experiments with the Algem are running during this operation.

b) It is probably easier and safer to copy and paste initially, but then to go back to the ProgramData directory and delete after the folder has been safely pasted into the Dropbox folder.

c) Some computers will designate the ProgramData folders as C:\ProgramData (x86).

3) Create a symbolic link of the Algem 1.6 folder pasted into Dropbox to the “C:\ProgramData\Algenuity” directory.

A symbolic link:

a) Looks the same as, and has a very similar in function to, a standard windows shortcut. When you click on the link it will take you to the Algem 1.6 folder in Dropbox.

b) It is used so that the Algem software saves its results into the Dropbox folder, even though it thinks it is saving to its usual “ProgramData/Algenuity” folder.

To make a symbolic link:

a) Enter “command” in your start menu search, right-click on Command Prompt, and select “Run as administrator”.

b) Enter the following command into the Command Prompt window:

mklink /J "C:\ProgramData\Algenuity\Algem 1.6" "<Directory of dropbox folder>”

For Example: mklink /J "C:\ProgramData\Algenuity\Algem 1.6" "C:\Users\User\Dropbox"

c) This message will appear in the window:

“Junction created for C:\ProgramData\Algenuity\Algem 1.6 <<===>> C:\Users\User\Dropbox\

Algem 1.6”

You will notice a shortcut icon named “Algem 1.6” within the “C:\ProgramData\Algenuity” folder. This will link to the contents of the DropBox folder.

4) Set up Dropbox & Algem software on a second computer to remotely view the Algem data.

After installing the DropBox and Algem® software on the second computer, and logging into Dropbox on that computer, open the Algem 1.6 software and, within the Results window, navigate to the “Dropbox/Algem 1.6/Temp” folder. In this folder, the files contain results which are being updated regularly when an experiment is running and the different reactors running will be displayed in the Results window

Algem® Culture Optimization - ALG App001

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 23:00:00 GMT

The Problem

Optimizing lighting and temperature conditions for an algal strain has always presented a challenge for researchers, often taking dozens of experiments over the course of months. With the Algem® Photobioreactor System, Algem Instruments has developed a strategy for optimizing culture conditions using a single Algem in just six experiments over the course of three experimental runs. For many strains this can be done in as little as three weeks.

Experimental Design

Preliminary run: Flask 1/2 – Pre-optimized conditions run in duplicate. These can be previously used values, or ones taken from the literature or other groups. This experiment acts as a baseline, and gives an idea of experimental timescale related to average cell doubling time.

Optimization runs : Flask 1 – Temperature ramp . Lighting is kept constant at the pre-optimized value, temperature is initially maintained at the same as the control culture then ramped from this value to a value that is 50% higher than the pre-optimized value. The timing of the ramp is calibrated to correspond with the logarithmic phase of the growth curve obtained in the preliminary run.

Flask 2 – Lighting ramp . Temperature is kept constant at the pre-optimized value, Lighting is initially kept the same as the control through a pre-determined lag period then ramped from 100microE to 2000microE using the preset ‘sunlight’ option or 100% white LED lighting only. The timing of the ramp is again calibrated to correspond with the logarithmic phase of the growth curve obtained in the preliminary run.

These data are analyzed using primary derivative extrapolations to determine optimal values for lighting and temperature.

Validation runs : Flask 1/2 – Optimized conditions (minus 10%) in duplicate . The data from the light and temperature ramps are processed and optimal values derived corresponding to the maximal value for light or temperature before an increase becomes detrimental. This value is necessarily an over-estimate as the ramp causes acclimatization; the calculated value is, therefore, decreased by 10% of the ramp range.