Rousselot launches anti-aging marine collagen peptide

As a major international player within the hydrolyzed collagen industry, Rousselot, produces and markets its hydrolyzed collagens to the health and nutricosmetic industries. Recently the Group announced a new Peptan™ Cosmetic range intended for cosmetic applications. Supported by recent studies, Rousselot is launching PeptanTM SR marine (Skin Regeneration) and Peptan™ MR marine (Moisture Retention), topical versions of the Rousselot nutricosmetic active principle.

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BioMarine Fuels of Florida selected to present at CleanEquity Monaco 2010

BioMarine Fuels has been selected to present at CleanEquity Monaco 2010, the foremost event for next generation clean and green technology next month. The algal fuels pioneer is a development-stage company focused on the production of algal biomass in a patent-pending, closed photobioreactor system, or SolarMagnatron™.  Products include the creation of “green” biofuels for the electric power and transportation fuels industry, and valuable chemicals like Omega 3 oil used in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and food products.

They intend to combine with identified new technologies that will also enable our company to neutralize fossil fueled smokestack pollution while capturing the waste CO2 and converting the discharged pollutant chemicals into algae nutrients and feedstock for the production of energy-rich algal biomass within the SolarMagnatron ™ bioreactor system.

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Marine Biodiscovery: Research & Applications Meeting; 15-16 June 2010 – University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

This meeting, coinciding with the opening of the new £1.6M Marine Biodiscovery Centre, will address the potential for new products and processes from the marine environment, with a particular emphasis on the technical challenges and realising successful outcomes. This will cover novel pharmaceuticals and high value chemicals such as biomaterials, nutraceuticals and personal care products as well as novel enzymes with unique activities. Academic and industrial aspects will be presented and there will be a showcase for Scottish companies and facilities.

Topics:

• Accessing and assessing marine biodiversity
• Molecular methods to find and express secondary metabolites and enzymes.
• Extraction and isolation of small molecules & modern methods for structural characterisation
• Marine bioinorganic chemistry
• Screening marine natural products
• Applications in the nutraceuticals and personal care market.
• Applications in the high value markets for instance pharmaceuticals and enzymes.
• Taking marine pharmaceuticals to the market
• Marine biomaterials

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Marine Biochemicals of Tromso, Norway, launches new design, website and organisation

Marine Biochemicals of Norway recently announced the launch of a number of changes.

Since the company’s  inception as a separate company to Biotec Pharmacon, the company realized growth of over 50% in 2009 vs 2008, led by their Cod UNG and dsDNase products growing at rates over 100% year on year.

New website – www.marinebiochem.com

New and Bioactive Natural Products Isolated from Madagascar Plants and Marine Organisms Now Available

Madagascar, the world’s fourth biggest island has a unique biodiversity. The interest on the phytochemical investigation of Malagasy plant and marine natural products started from the isolation of the potent anti-cancerous bisindole alkaloids: vinblastine and vincristine.

In this paper, published in Current Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 17, Number 12, April 2010, pp. 1191-1219(29), covers work published in the last two decades (1991-2009) on 262 new natural products isolated from Malagasy higher plants, liverworts and marine organisms is reviewed. Several results on the bioassays of the isolated new natural products have been reported.

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Quebec Symposium on Industrial Development of Algae: March 23/24 2010

The Consortium BioMar-Innovation and CRIBIQ (Consortium for Research and innovations in industrial bioprocesses in Quebec) have teamed up to organize a symposium on the industrial exploitation of algae: an economic development opportunity for Quebec to be held on the 23rd and 24th of March, 2010 in Rimouski.

At an international character, the Symposium on algae appears to be the first event of its kind in Quebec. It will bring together representatives of companies, consulting firms and research centers with a common interest industrial development of micro-and macro-algae and their derivatives.

The symposium will be an opportunity for stakeholders’ chain algae “in Quebec and guest speakers to discuss the state sector situation here, the current global trends and the development of this promising sector for Quebec. The event will revolve around four axes:

1. Portrait World and Canadian industrial exploitation of algae – Markets, challenges and trends.
2. Industrial Production Technologies algae for commercial applications (bioenergy, cosmeceuticals, aquaculture, food and other)
3. Technological and commercial farms algae – Examples of industrial projects underway in Quebec
4. Mapping patents and innovations, application areas and key players in the field of algae.

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Quebec Biotechnology Innovation Center joins Consortium of Research and Innovations in Industrial Bioprocesses in Quebec

Converted Organics in New Jersey to accept food waste from fish firm

Converted Organics Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) recently announced that the Company and Acme Smoked Fish Corporation, one of the largest processors of smoked fish and herring in the United States, have agreed to work together in the collection, processing and conversion of food waste from Acme. Acme is a client of Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Filco Environmental Services, which has provided Converted Organics with organic waste from its food service clients since 2008.

“Acme Smoked Fish is a tremendous source of high-quality organic nutrients for our all-natural organic fertilizers. We are very pleased that our long-standing associate Filco Environmental Services facilitated this mutually beneficial relationship between Converted Organics and Acme,” said Jack Walsdorf, Vice President of Waste Management for Converted Organics. “Food waste from fish processing plays an important role in our California operation, and we expect it will be a valuable component of the organic fertilizer products manufactured in our New Jersey plant as we prepare for the upcoming spring 2010 growing season.”

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Green Star Licenses Algae Biotechnology Prior to Wall Street Auction

Green Star Products, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: GSPI) and its Consortium announced on March 10, 2010, that it will be auctioning the United States licensing rights to a game changing proprietary algae growth biotechnology on September 9, 2010.

Potential bidders who were not interested in the total United States licensing rights to the algae biotechnology have requested licenses for individual U.S. States. To address this new request, this press release is a notice to all bidders that additional licenses have been granted for the States of Utah and Alabama.

Idaho and Missouri where excluded from the original auction because of existing equity holdings of Green Star and its Consortium in these U.S. States.

The auction will now cover the licensing rights for 46 U.S. States.

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Algae-focused Aurora Biofuels Secures $15M in Funding

Aurora Biofuels, Inc. said it has secured an additional $15 million in a recent funding round led by Oak Investment Partners, with the continued support of Gabriel Venture Partners and Noventi Ventures.  This third round of financing brings the total amount of money raised by the company to more than $40 million.  The new funding will be used to support the continued path to commercialization for its advanced algae biofuel technology.

In addition, the company has hired Scott McDonald, a veteran Silicon Valley executive, as its Chief Financial Officer.  Mr. McDonald brings to Aurora Biofuels a 25-year history in executive management and in planning and executing corporate strategy.  He has substantial experience in operations, administration and financial oversight, and has helped to build and scale many successful startup and high growth companies.

“This additional investment will be critical as our company expands its field of operations and further optimizes its technology,” said Mr. McDonald. “I am excited to be joining a company with truly enormous potential and an ample reserve in the bank, and look forward to implementing Aurora Biofuels’ financial and operational strategies moving forward.”

Brian Hinman, Oak Venture Partner and Aurora Director, added that, “Aurora Biofuels has made a significant genetic engineering achievement in doubling the productivity of its proprietary algae, and this round of funding will allow the company to demonstrate the productivity and production processes at scale.”  Mr. Hinman added that “we are pleased to bring Scott McDonald to the company, as he has a wealth of experience in finance, operations and technology, which will be tremendously important as we build out the company’s capabilities on the demonstration scale.”

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