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Archive for June, 2011
Algenics and NovImmune announce research collaboration to express human antibodies using microalgae
Posted On: June 28, 2011Algenics announced a new research collaboration with NovImmune to biomanufacture monoclonal therapeutic antibodies using its proprietary expression platform AlgebiosysTM. Two fully human therapeutic antibodies have been retained from NovImmune’s current pipeline to be produced in the PTA microalgal cell line. There are numerous benefits to using microalgal expression systems over current technologies such as advantageous N-glycosylation profile, natural cell robustness and lack of animal-derived components, while retaining the use of conventional upstream and downstream processing equipments. This collaboration with NovImmune will validate this new and innovative system for the biomanufacturing of fully human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
Revenues/Profits up for Cyanotech vs. year ago
Posted On: June 28, 2011Cyanotech Corporation, a NASDAQ-traded leader in microalgae-based, high-value nutrition and health products, headquartered in Kona, Hawaii, has announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011, ended March 31, 2011.
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, revenues were $5,218,000 compared to $3,814,000 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. Gross profit was $1,798,000, with gross profit margin of 34%, compared to gross profit of $1,387,000 and gross profit margin of 36% for 4Q ’10. Net income was $795,000 or $.14 per diluted share, compared to net loss of $226,000 or $(0.04) per diluted share last fiscal year.
Fiscal Year 2011
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, revenues were $16,827,000 compared to revenues of $15,742,000 for the year ended March 31, 2010. Gross profit was $6,341,000, with gross profit margin of 38%, compared to gross profit of $6,633,000 and gross profit margin of 42% in fiscal 2010. Net income was $1,730,000 or $.32 per diluted share, compared to $1,391,000, or $0.26 per diluted share fiscal year 2010.
For fiscal 2011, Spirulina sales accounted for 50% of total revenues and natural Astaxanthin sales for 50%. International sales were 42% of total sales.
Aurora Algae edges closer to omega-3 EPA commercialization
Posted On: June 28, 2011California’s Aurora Algae has signed off on the engineering contract for its commercial facility in Western Australia, as the company edges towards the production of thousands of tonnes of algae-based biomass annually.
The company announced this week that MWH and John Holland (JH) have been awarded the initial engineering contract, a move which is claimed to represent the start of the construction of the largest commercial scale photosynthetic algae facility in the world.
“Aurora Algae is now the first global company to begin a commercial project for bioproduct and biofuel production based on photosynthetic marine microalgae,” said Greg Bafalis, CEO of Aurora Algae.
Heliae and Azmark to Test Algae-Based Jet Fuels
Posted On: June 23, 2011Heliae Development, LLC, an Arizona-based algae technology company, and Azmark Aero Systems, an Arizona-based designer and manufacturer of small gas turbine engines, have announced an agreement to develop and test algae derived jet fuels. Azmark’s small, precision turbine engines are designed primarily for use in military UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). The announcement was made at the 49th annual Paris Air Show.
Azmark’s innovative turbine engines range in size from the “World’s Smallest Turbine Engine” that produces 300 Watts of continuous power to a 60 HP Turboprop engine for UAVs.
South African seaweed believed to hold promise for breast cancer treatment
Posted On: June 23, 2011East London pharmacy owner Michael Knott’s research into seaweed has shown anti-cancer activity on breast cancer cells, the Dispatch Online reported today.
Knott has been invited to present his research and findings to the 7th European Conference on Marine Natural Products in Sweden in August this year.
“I’m excited about the conference and about meeting people within the field and networking with them, and hopefully this will generate a lot of interest in what we are doing in South Africa,” he said.
“South Africa is a great place to achieve a lot within research, and even though there are better facilities or equipment overseas, we can achieve a lot with our great natural resources and universities.”
Neogen acquires VeroMara from GlycoMar Ltd.
Posted On: June 20, 2011Neogen Corporation (NASDAQ: NEOG) announced today that it has acquired the assets of the VeroMara seafood testing laboratory from its parent company, GlycoMar Ltd. Based in Oban, Scotland, VeroMara offers testing services to the shellfish and salmon aquaculture industries. VeroMara’s services include testing for shellfish toxins, general foodborne pathogens, including E. coli, noroviruses, and salmon husbandry.
VeroMara recorded revenues of approximately $800,000 (U.S.) in its most recently completed fiscal year. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. “The acquisition of VeroMara deepens Neogen’s advancement into the aquatic sciences,” said James Herbert, Neogen’s CEO and chairman. “VeroMara’s services are complementary and a nice fit with our existing product lines for the seafood industry, including one of our biggest food safety diagnostic products — our histamine tests for the tuna industry.
The VeroMara purchase also provides Neogen with key collaborative relationships with influential aquaculture partners, and increased access to important international markets. “Our new operation in Oban will work in close cooperation with our Neogen Europe headquarters in Ayr, Scotland, providing expanded products and services to a larger customer base,” Herbert continued. “Our sales and marketing operations in Ayr have the capability to expand VeroMara’s business to several other European countries.”
“The sale of our VeroMara testing service allows GlycoMar to focus on our core business — marine natural product research and development,” said Dr. Charles Bavington, GlycoMar’s managing director. “We are pleased to have VeroMara join Neogen, a company we respect as being one of the world leaders in food safety. This transition will guarantee uninterrupted quality service to our customers.”
Fish enzymes show potential to boost dairy flavors: Study
Posted On: June 14, 2011Enzymes from salmon and hoki may enhance the flavor profile of dairy products, like specialty cheeses, suggests a study from Canada and New Zealand.
Digestive enzymes are used to speed up the ripening of dairy products such as cheeses, and play an important role in the development of the finished products flavor. Many such enzymes – called pregastric esterase (PGE) or pregastric lipase – are obtained from ruminants, like calves or lambs.
According to new data published in Food Chemistry, digestive enzymes from fish such as salmon and hoki may also be used to produce desirable flavor profiles in dairy products.
The enzymes from these fish may also offer technological benefits, by being able to function at considerably lower temperatures than enzymes obtained from other fish or mammals, explained researchers from McGill University and The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited.
Such a characteristic, suggested the researchers, “could make the enzymes suitable for applications such as the hydrolysis of milk fat, release of FAs and flavor volatiles, desired in specialty cheeses and other ‘ripened’ dairy products”.
Marine MUFAs may improve metabolic syndrome: Mouse study
Posted On: June 14, 2011Long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids from fish sources may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, according to new research in mice.
The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reports that blood plasma glucose, insulin, and lipid concentrations are enhanced, whilst insulin sensitivity is improved in mice fed a diet rich in marine derived long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).
“This study demonstrates that fish-oil-derived MUFA ingestion reduces insulin resistance, as judged by the insulin tolerance test, and attenuates metabolic syndrome by improving hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperlipidemia,” wrote the study authors, led by Zhi-Hong Yang, from the Tokyo Innovation Center, Japan.
“Furthermore, intake of MUFA decreased obesity-induced inflammation by suppressing … inflammatory marker genes and arachidonic acid levels, thereby possibly, in turn, reducing insulin resistance in diet-induced obese mice,” they added.
Enzymicals AG and the Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V. establish cooperation
Posted On: June 14, 2011Enzymicals AG, an emerging company in the field of industrial (white) biotechnology, and the Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V. (IMaB), an association in the area of marine (blue) biotechnology, have signed a comprehensive agreement to cooperate in the future. The two institutions, both located in Greifswald, Germany, combine their competencies in the commercialization of alternative expression systems and functional genome analysisfor the production of fine chemicals. The signed contract includes the joint use of innovative technologies for the identification and production of novel enzymes from aquatic sources, among others. Dormant potentials of marine habitats for biotransformations can be deciphered and brought into market by the focused application of proteomics-based biotechnology, says Prof. Dr. Thomas Schweder of the IMaB. Together with Enzymicals AG, we can offer our expertise in the field of de novo genome sequencing and gene annotation to a wide audience as a service.
Marine Drugs, Volume 9, Issue 5 (May 2011), Pages 690-921 Released
Posted On: June 2, 2011MDPI is pleased to announce the publication of the following issue: Mar. Drugs, Volume 9, Issue 5 (May 2011), Pages 690-921
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