Category: Blog

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) seeks feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders that will help BETO better understand capabilities, as well as barriers and opportunities, for the operation of integrated biorefineries to produce biofuels, biochemicals, and byproducts. Read more at Energy.gov.

This year BIO’s World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology will be in sunny San Diego, April 17-20, 2016.

This is the world’s largest industrial biotechnology event for business leaders, investors, and policy makers in biofuels, biobased products, and renewable chemicals.

ABO’s executive director and several member companies will be presenting a session titled “Charting the New Algae Industry Roadmap.”

ABO members will also appear in sessions such as:

• Current State of Technology in Algae Cultivation;
• Algae Technology Development Progress: Algae Testbed Public Private Partnership Progress and Research Results; and
•  Strategies for Sustainable Algal Biofuels Production.

Check out the full list of breakout sessions here.

Recent successes and massive potential have guided Solazyme to focus their work exclusively on algae-based food, nutrition and specialty ingredients. Their new name, TerraVia, literally meaning by way of the earth, is an affirmation of commitment to products  that capitalize on nature’s bounty.

TerraVia plans to redefine the future of food by creating products that are healthful, taste great and maintain the highest degree of sustainability. With a decade of R&D into algae-based food products and extensive investment into manufacturing capabilities, the company predicts a speedy ascent in their industry.

Already, the company has secured $28 million in investments and is including new leaders like Irene Chang Britt, former president of Pepperidge Farms, to deepen their industry expertise.

“By unlocking the power of algae, the mother of all plants and earth’s original superfood, we are bringing much-needed innovation in food and nutrition,” said Jonathan Wolfson, the Company’s co-founder and CEO.

The company will group its fuel and industrial oil businesses under the name Solazyme Industrials. Though Solazyme Industrials will not be part of TerraVia, they will continue to seek strategic options for these valuable businesses in the coming year.

For more information, see the official press release here.

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is hosting their annual Policy Forum March 16^th-17^th. The Forum will be held at The W, in Washington D.C.

ABO members can use the discount code SPT20ABO to register for a reduced rate!

In addition to networking time and complimentary coffee, speakers will cover the rapid changes in electricity markets, expanding capital for renewables, renewable taxes, growing demand through the EPA’s Clean Power Plan and the repercussions of the Paris accords.

ABO would like to invite all of its members to consider attending not only to learn but to be sure that the rising star of algae is well-represented.

See inspiring pictures and read more about the forum here, and if you’re already convinced, register here.

RetroSense Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, is developing a gene therapy using algae that is intended to restore vision to those suffering from blindness as a result of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The technology, which uses a component of green algae, was developed by Zhuo-Hua Pan from Wayne State University’s School of Medicine.

To overcome the loss of photoreceptors as a result of RP, RetroSense will inject algae DNA into the retina, conferring new light sensitivity. The expectation is to improve or even restore vision, albeit likely in monochrome or black and white, since green algae cells are only sensitive to the color blue. Trials with mice have shown an increased sensitivity to light.

The technology has been granted Orphan Drug status by the FDA, which includes a seven-year period of market exclusivity, tax credits and reduced regulatory fees.

For more information visit RetroSense or Wayne State University.