Aqua Bio Technology: ABT signs Supply Agreement for Asian Markets

Aqua Bio Technology (Oslo Axess : ABT) a Norwegian marine biotech firm developing, producing and selling patented marine based ingredients and technologies to the international cosmetic and skin care industry, today announced it has entered into a sales agreement of with a highly regarded Asian manufacturer of skin care products. As a part of the agreement, ABT will supply its bioactive ingredient Zonase X(TM) to be the key ingredient in a new product line the manufacturer will launch in January 2011.

The new line will consist of five products, developed in collaboration with ABT. The new skin care line will initially be introduced in the Asian markets through the manufacturer’s existing distribution channels. In addition, the manufacturer is also in discussion with distributors in Australia and selected European countries regarding launch in those markets.

Due to competitive reasons, the manufacturer has requested that it is not named until the products are launched. The reason is that the manufacturer considers Zonase X(TM) a novel and highly innovative technology.

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Health Canada approves claims for Neptune Technologies’ krill oil supplement

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources (Nasdaq:NEPT) (TSX-V:NTB) announced Wednesday that Health Canada has approved therapeutic claims for Neptune Krill Oil (NKO), proving that the supplement is in fact safe and effective on certain diseases.

“Health claims are becoming among the most important drivers influencing the purchasing of Omega-3 supplements worldwide,” said CFO Andre Godin.

If this is indeed true, then NKO supplements will see a jump in sales, as evidence reviewed by Health Canada has led to the approval of the product for a number of health claims including cardiovascular health, inflammation and women’s health.

It was shown that NKO, in conjunction with other therapy, helps reduce the levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and increase the levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol, as well as helps reduce the levels of triglycerides in the body, with between only 2-4 softgels per day.

The supplement also demonstrated that it helps reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis and relieves pre-menstrual symptoms.

The Health Canada review process is considered one of the most rigorous in the world, as it involves an extensive assessment of the accuracy, validity and evidence supporting the proposed health claims.

In June last year, Health Canada approved health claims for omega-3, among which was the claim that products providing 3-10g of fish oil per day, or 6-20 softgels help to reduce serum triglycerides, compared to 4 NKO softgels recently approved for the same indication.

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MARBIONC enters agreement with Ocean Therapeutics

After a 3 month negotiation period, MARBIONC, a non-profit entity found in the Center for Marine Science of UNCW, established an agreement with Cary-based Ocean Therapeutics, Inc. (OTI) to outsource the licensing of its products, promoting further development and marketing.

The acronym MARBIONC stands for marine biotechnology in North Carolina. Their Web site defines marine biotechnology as the use of marine organisms, at the whole cell or molecular level, to provide products, technologies and processes that will benefit society.

Considering that 50 percent of drugs come from natural products, this agreement opens up opportunities to the future of marine biotechnology advances, which could in turn benefit the North Carolina economy as a whole.

“There is a correlation here. We need to start extrapolating other opportunities from the base industries,” said Steven A. Fontana, J.D., the Senior Technology Development Officer of the Center for Marine Science.

The agreement is a prime example of this: MARBIONC supplies companies like OTI with lead molecules and ideas, and they “translate the science into the business aspect,” Dr. Jeffrey L.C. Wright, UNCW Professor of Marine Science and MARBIONC Research Director, said.

One compound that these two entities are working together on is brevenal. The research program of MARBIONC attributes data to brevenal’s effectiveness in treating the lung disease COPD. In this partnership, OTI possesses the technology to grow on a more “monster scale” in the market world.

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BASF And Solix Biofuels Collaborate To Produce Specialty Chemicals From Algae

BASF SE and Solix Biofuels, Inc. recently announced that they have signed an agreement to investigate the use of algae to produce certain chemicals for BASF. Solix is a leading developer of algae cultivation technology systems and will test multiple algae species in its proprietary growth system, AGS™, for BASF. Further terms were not announced.

As the world’s leading chemical company, BASF is continuously exploring innovative technologies to provide products to its customers. The use of algae, which consume CO2 as part of their growth cycle, could potentially provide an attractive way to produce certain chemicals from a renewable source.

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Decoding the genome of Chlorella microalgae, a promising genus for biofuel production

The analysis of the complete genome of Chlorella microalgae, a promising genus for biofuel production, has been completed by the Laboratoire Information Génomique et Structurale of CNRS, which is currently heading an international collaboration involving American and Japanese laboratories.

The detailed elucidation of the Chlorella genome, also widely used as a food supplement, will make it possible to rationalize its industrial use. This analysis has also brought to light unexpected findings at the fundamental level: it suggests that Chlorella could have a sexual cycle (which had gone unnoticed so far) and that a virus probably gave it the capacity to synthesize chitin-rich cell walls, a unique property in algae. This work is published online on The Plant Cell journal’s website.

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Azantis offers soluble form of krill oil

Krill oil manufacturer Azantis Inc. in Boulder as teamed with Ceutical Switzerland AG to launch a water soluble krill oil that can be mixed with other water- based supplements, foods and drinks.

The omega-3 rich liquid krill oil, including the krill phospholipids, could be mixed with acai, noni, and other health juices and vitamin waters. The water soluble liquid krill oil is available to supplement resellers and formulators for single shot vitamin blends.

The specifications of the product are tailored to the needs of supplement formulators and resellers, and to food and drink manufacturers.

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Scripps Institute and Trius Therapeutics Team Up

In an effort to tap into the vast potential of the oceans as a source for novel medical treatments, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), a part of the Department of Defense (DoD), has awarded San Diego-based Trius Therapeutics Inc. a four-and-a-half year contract worth up to $29.5 million to collaborate with Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego for the development of novel antibiotics directed against microorganisms that cause serious infections.

Trius will use its proprietary Focused Antisense Screening Technology (FAST) to identify the targets of antibacterial compounds from marine natural product libraries discovered by William Fenical, Distinguished Professor of Oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Director of Scripps’ Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine.

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Aquapharm and Dundee University Sign Research Collaboration to find Marine Compounds to target Alzheimer’s

Aquapharm Biodiscovery, a leading marine biotechnology company, recently announced it has signed a research agreement with Dundee University to help it develop new drugs based on marine natural products that may help in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s is a disease marked by the formation of insoluble protein aggregates in the brain with associated progressive degeneration of the neurons. The collaboration is aimed at O-GIcNAcase, a well-documented target for Alzheimer’s, that modulates the solubility of the protein in these aggregates but that has been difficult to target with conventional small-molecule libraries. It therefore forms an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that Aquapharm’s growing collection of novel and diverse marine-derived compounds and scaffolds can modulate a clinically attractive but pharmacologically challenging target for a disease for which new solutions are urgently required.

Aquapharm will be working with Professor Daan van Aalten, Professor of Biological Chemistry at the University, who brings to the collaboration expertise in studying the structural aspects and mechanism of protein-carbohydrate interactions, and applies this knowledge to design molecules that modulate these interactions in biological systems as research tools or leads for the development of chemotherapeutics.

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Quebec: Conference on Omega-3 from marine sources: Industrial Applications and Health Benefits / Sept 28, 2010

Several preclinical and clinical studies are currently underway to assess the effects of omega -3 ( PAC ) on brain development, treatment of depression, cardiovascular disease, and even some cancers

This meeting will allow you to know:

• the potential markets for food, cosmetic, therapeutic and pharmaceutical containing omega-3 marine sources.

• The most recent results of preclinical and clinical studies on the benefits of omega-3 on human health.

• claims allowed by Health Canada for the use of omega- 3 in functional foods, natural health products and cosmetics.

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Statoil & Bio Architecture Lab Partner to Commercialize Macroalgae-to-Ethanol Process in Norway

Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) and Statoil, one of the world’s largest offshore oil and gas producers, today announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership for the production of renewable, sustainable and low cost ethanol derived from macroalgae grown off the coast of Norway. Under terms of the agreement, Statoil will fund BAL’s research and development (R&D) and demonstration projects, and if successful, will also fund the commercialization of BAL’s technology in Norway and elsewhere in Europe. BAL will have the right to equity participation and will receive royalties on all ethanol and by-products produced by the partnership.

“This game changing partnership will allow Bio Architecture Lab to accelerate our path toward commercialization and establish our technology in key markets in Europe,” said Daniel Trunfio, CEO of Bio Architecture Lab. “The significant commitment of resources and funds from Statoil further validates BAL’s market opportunity and puts us with an elite group of companies in our industry who have partnered with established oil and gas companies to bring technology to market.”

During the initial phase of the partnership, BAL is responsible for developing the technology and process to convert Norwegian seaweed into ethanol. Statoil is responsible for developing and managing the seaweed aquafarming operations, with consultation from BAL, which already has aquafarming operations in Chile. Upon the successful achievement of key milestones, Statoil and BAL will develop a demonstration scale facility in Norway, which could potentially lead to large scale commercialization by Statoil in Norway and other parts of Europe.

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