EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID:ALGAE CULTURE & EXTRACTION

BIOMARINE TECHNOLOGIES, INC., IS IN THE BUSINESS OF DEVELOPING HIGH-VALUE CHEMICALS FROM CULTURED MICROALGAE. THE PRODUCTS IN THIS PROJECT ARE THREE FORMS OF EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID (EPA), AN ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID WITH THERAPEUTIC AND PROPHYLACTIC APPLICATIONS FOR CARDIOVASCULARPATIENTS. THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE THESE PRODUCT FOR LESS THAN $1.00 PER GRAM. THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES SCALE-UP OF AQUACULTURE, EXTRACTION, AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED IN PHASE I ON A SPECIES OF ALGAE SELECTED IN PHASE I. TECHNOLOGICAL FOCUS IS ON AQUACULTURE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND ON CHROMATOGRAPHY. SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH WILL PRODUCE PHARMACEUTICAL-GRADE EPA TO BE SOLD AS A PRESCRIPTION TO TREAT CARDIOVASCULAR PATIENTS. AWARDEE'S STATEMENT OF THE POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONSOF THE RESEARCH: INITIALLY, THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE HIGH-PURITY EPA CONCENTRATE TO RESEARCH LABORATORIES FOR EFFICACY STUDIES. THE LONG-TERM MARKET IS A PHARMACEUTICAL-GRADE EPA FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANGIOPLASTY AND CORONARY BYPASS PATIENTS AND POSSIBLY INFLAMMATORY DISEASES.