Category: Blog

Bigelow Laboratory is well known for its leading algal culture collection and marine microbiology research. Did you know Bigelow also houses 1 of ONLY 3 US-based WIPO International Depositary Authority facilities approved for patent procedure under the Budapest Treaty?

By Mike Lomas, NCMA Director, Senior Research Scientist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is a world-renowned oceanographic research institution that has materially contributed to what is known about the global ocean for the past four decades. Bigelow currently provides  academic, industrial, and government partners with the same services used by its scientists, to help advance research, enhance discoveries, and find solutions to today’s complex problems. The Lab has six Core Facilities that provide a range of services to individual clients who benefit from its expertise, equipment, and entrepreneurial spirit. In addition, for those interested in working directly in a research-based environment, Bigelow offers its Industrial Collaboration Laboratory and Pilot-Scale Greenhouse for entrepreneurial activities.

Did you know that one of Bigelow’s Core Facilities, the National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota (NCMA), offers a Private Deposit service for biological material and houses 1 of ONLY 3 US-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) International Depositary Authority facilities approved for patent procedure under the Budapest Treaty?

Whether one needs to cryopreserve its biological material for the purpose of patent procedure or would simply prefer a secure backup option outside of its existing lab, Bigelow possesses a dedicated cryopreservation and culturing facility and highly experienced staff ready and willing to meet a Depositor’s needs. The Lab currently accepts a wide range of biological material, e.g., algae, microbes, and terrestrial plant tissue and seed, and has unmatched experience working with marine microorganisms.

PATENT DEPOSIT.  WIPO designated Bigelow’s NCMA as an International Depositary Authority for the purpose of patent procedure under the Budapest Treaty in 2013. As mentioned, Bigelow currently accepts terrestrial plant tissue and plant seed, microbes (non-pathogenic bacteria, non-parasitic protozoa, archaea), and algae (unicellular and multicellular). Deposits can be made directly for this purpose or readily transferred from a Depositor’s private deposit, as applicable, depending upon the status of the Depositor’s IP in development.  The NCMA provides viability tests after the initial deposit and handles all deposit distribution once filed patents are awarded. 

PRIVATE DEPOSIT. As mentioned, the NCMA also accepts biological material into its Private Deposit collection. In this scenario, Depositors typically choose to deposit and cryopreserve (or perpetually culture) their material for off-site storage, risk management, and curation of their valuable biological strains. If a Depositor’s biological material is not cryopreserved, NCMA can either work with them to develop appropriate cryopreservation protocols (NCMA has been cryopreserving algae since 1992 and has~1600 of its own strains cryopreserved) or maintain their strains in liquid medium on a long-term basis. All deposits are completely confidential and accessible only to the Depositor through Bigelow’s secure web-based platform.

About Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

Bigelow Laboratory’s mission is to investigate the microbial drivers of global ocean processes through basic and applied research, education, and enterprise. What we are learning will be essential to the conservation and responsible use of the ocean and the many valuable services it provides.

Please contact us at jbrandeis@bigelow.org or (415) 203 8231 for more information or to discuss research or deposit collaboration.

Note: This is a guest post for the ABO blog. The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) are theirs alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by the Algae Biomass Organization

ABO members are among a new generation of innovators that are bringing solutions to global challenges like food production, water use and climate change. As these innovators garner more attention, Congress has just begun to develop more programs that can give their efforts a boost. 

One that will be of interest to algae cultivators, product developers and researchers is the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA), a new program created in the 2019 Farm Bill that will support innovations in food and agriculture.

Some of AGARDA’s objectives will include:

• early-stage research for innovations with application to agriculture products
• prototype testing
• assistance with product approval, licensure, and clearance
• assistance with the manufacturing and commercialization of products
• support R&D for plant pest countermeasures and veterinary countermeasures. 

AGARDA is modeled after programs at the Department of Energy that have had great success supporting cutting-edge developments before they are commercially successful: the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Biomedical Advanced R&D Agency (BARDA), and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

Any ABO member with an interest in pushing the envelope when it comes to innovating in agriculture should keep an eye on how AGARDA gets off the ground in the coming months. 

Check out this blog post at K&L Gates for more information.

He leaves ABO with a strong legacy of industry diversification and policy wins

Dr. Matt Carr, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization since 2014, has announced that he will be leaving the organization at the end of March to return to academia.

The Board of Directors will soon begin the process of recruiting a new Executive Director. In the meantime, ABO will continue its work advocating for research and development funding, opening markets for a wide range of algae products, and elevating the work of all ABO members.

During his tenure Matt guided ABO, and the algae industry at large, through remarkable changes and on to unprecedented success. In a note to ABO members, Mark Allen, Vice President of Integrated Carbon Solutions at Accelergy Corporation and Chair of ABO’s Board of Directors, commented:

“Over the past five years Matt lead ABO through a significant diversification from its origins in algae for biofuels to a much broader universe of opportunity for algae in food and feed, nutrition and health, chemicals and materials, biofertilizers, energy, and carbon capture and utilization.

“On the policy front he has been a tireless advocate on Capitol Hill and with Federal agencies making the case for annual appropriations on the order of $40 million that flowed into important research and projects across the algae value chain to the benefit of ABO members and the industry. He spearheaded important legislative wins in carbon capture and utilization and landmark accomplishments in the 2018 Agriculture Bill that will benefit ABO members and the algae industry for decades to come.

“These accomplishments and much more are reflected in the quality and diversity of the annual ABO Summit, the world’s leading algae gathering and celebration of algae scientists, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, government officials, and Fortune 500 companies that are adopting algae into their products and operations. Matt has been the greatest algae enthusiast of all.”

An Accomplished Tenure, and a Foundation for the Future

Matt’s transformation of the ABO into an organization representing the full universe of opportunities made possible by advanced algae cultivation has led to remarkable membership growth and policy success.

ABO’s membership now includes five of the largest domestic algae producers. New corporate members that have joined over the past year represent some of the most significant points in the algae value chain. These include providers of food and nutrition products, advanced engineering firms, providers of algae-based water treatment systems, laboratory systems and automation, biofuels and more.

The growth and diversity of the ABO community was critical in propelling a number of remarkable policy wins that will accelerate the development of algae technology and commercialization, including:

• An active and strong bipartisan Congressional Algae Caucus – this group of lawmakers has become an active advocate for annual appropriations that support important research and projects across the algae value chain to the benefit of ABO members and the industry. These funds are expected to exceed $40 million in 2019.
• An engaged Interagency Algae Working Group – a group coordinating federal algae R&D efforts that includes the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Agriculture, Heath and Human Services, and the National Science Foundation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• A transformation of carbon capture policy – An update to the 45Q tax credit will allow algae and other biological forms of carbon capture utilization to take advantage of this valuable incentive for the first time
• A Farm Bill that supports algae farming – provisions in the latest Farm Bill that will assist the algae industry include a new Algae Agriculture Research Program at USDA, and language directing the Department to develop crop insurance tools for algae production – with the potential to deliver millions of dollars of value annually to the algae industry.
• The launch of the Future of Algae for Food and Feed Initiative – With the launch of the Future of Algae for Food and Feed (FAFF) initiative, a huge step was taken toward addressing barriers to widespread adoption of algae food and feed ingredients. The FAFF also laid the groundwork for new partners – and new funding streams – for this important work.
• A successful Algae Biomass Summit, with a strong program shaping up for 2019 in Orlando – The Algae Biomass Summit has become the most important algae industry event. The 2018 Summit featured its strongest business program to date, including a new Products & Markets Track, the Algae Product Showcase, an algae-focused menu, and attracted nearly 200 first-time attendees. The 2019 Summit is shaping up to be even better.

“We view ABO’s mission to advance algae technologies and products as a marathon that is run in a series of sprints. Matt has given us an incredible five years, and as he passes the baton to a new era of leadership we find ourselves more than ready for the next stage of the race,” said Allen.

The Board of Directors expresses its gratitude to Matt for his years of service. We will miss Matt, but know he will continue to make a great impact for society and the planet through educating the next generation of leaders.

Students – Are you interested in doing more for your industry while completing your degree? Help define the algae sector of today and shape the industry of tomorrow as an Algae Biomass Organization volunteer virtual intern.

Internships of 8-12 weeks are available and are completely online. Interns serve a vital role by assisting ABO with industry and policy research, social media and communications. Interns leave their experience with a new understanding of the interconnections between research, industry, government and policy, along with exciting new insights and connections. 

Individuals interested in the ABO volunteer virtual internship program should send a brief cover letter and CV or resume to Barb Scheevel, bscheevel@algaebiomass.org.

Get your abstracts for the 2019 Algae Biomass Summit ready! The Algae Foundation has announced that it is offering $500 travel grants to attend the 13th Annual Algae Biomass Summit in Orlando, Florida, from September 16-19, 2019.

More information on the Mary Rosenthal Student Travel Grant can be found here.

The priority deadline for abstract submission is January 31, 2019, although abstracts will be considered past that point.

When you submit your 2019 Algae Biomass Summit Abstract, please select “Yes” at the end of the application to receive more information about the Student Travel Grant!

To qualify students must meet the following criteria:

• Be an ABO Member ($75 for Students);
• Be a high school, undergraduate, graduate student or pre-doctoral student or
• Be a PhD with a post-doctoral appointment and is currently involved in a full-time academic research program for no longer than 2 years.
• Submit an abstract to present a poster or oral presentation at ABS 2018 and be the presenting author of the abstract. 
• Provide a suggested budget to attend the Summit
• Provide a current letter of recommendation for ABS 2019 from an academic advisor.

Please contact Philip Pienkos at philip.pienkos@nrel.gov for more information.