OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS FROM ALGAE

RECENT INVESTIGATIONS INDICATE A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION BETWEEN DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS OF POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (PUFA), ESPECIALLY OMEGA-3 PUFAS, AND REDUCED INCIDENCE OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE. CLINICAL INTERESTS HAVE FOCUSED ON POTENTIAL USAGE OF OMEGA-3 PUFAS, IN THE TREATMENT OF HYPERCHOLESTEREMIA AND HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA. AT PRESENT, THE ONLY SOURCE OF OMEGA-3 PUFAS IS OIL FROM CERTAIN MARINE FISHES. HOWEVER, MANY SPECIES OF ALGAE ALSO PRODUCE LARGE AMOUNTS OF OMEGA-3 PUFAS AND MARTEK CORPORATION BELIEVES THAT THIS GROUP OF ORGANISMS COULD PROVIDE AN INVALUABLE SUPPLY SOURCE OF OMEGA-3 PUFAS FOR CLINICAL TRIALS AND/OR FOOD ADDITIVE TESTING USING ALGAL MONOCULTURE. PHASE I WILLINVOLVE (1) ESTABLISHING SEVERAL OMEGA-3 PUFA-PRODUCING ALGAL SPECIES IN CULTURE; (2) OPTIMIZING THE GROWTH CONDITIONS AND DETERMINING THE MAXIMUM OMEGA-3 PUFA PRODUCTIVITIES; AND (3) EXTRACTING AND PURIFYING THE OMEGA-3 PUFA'S IN PREPARATIVE QUANTITIES. IF SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES OVER THE FISH OIL SOURCE ARE IDENTIFIED, PHASE II WILL INVOLVE SCALE-UP PRODUCTION AND ANEFFORT TARGETED TO INCREASE SPECIFIC OMEGA-3 PUFA OUTPUTS FROM ALGAL SOURCES BY STRAIN IMPROVEMENT AND GENETIC MODIFICATION.