Genetic modification of marine or freshwater algae to better suit industrial applications

GIAVAP adapted genetic engineering techniques to various algal strains of economic interest focusing on carotenoids and PUFA production and the over expression of peptides of commercial value. In parallel, cultivation technologies, harvesting and extraction methods for lipids, carotenoids and proteins using existing model algae strains were adapted to suitably improved strains. Furthermore, products were tested for several applications for economic evaluation of the production processes and their economic exploitation.
A4F scaled-up GMO microalgae up to 1m³ level in a compliant unit.  

Microalgae species: Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chromochloris zofingiensis.

Program

FP7

Budget

7 M€

Duration

36 months

Partners

Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) (Coordinatior), Israel

Rothamsted Research (RRES), UK

J.W. Goethe Universität Frankfurt (GUF), Germany

Georg-August-University, Göttingen (UGOE), Germany

University College, London (UCL), UK

Rosetta Genomics/Rosetta Green (RGen), Israel

Le Mans University (UM), France

CNRS/University Pierre et Marie Curie (CNRS), France  

University of Firenze (UNIFI), Italy

Algatech (ALGATECH), Israel

Nimrod Shaham & Amos Zamir C.P.A., (SHAHAM CPA), Israel

A4F Role

A4F was involved in the pilot scale algal cultivation, including the development of an optimized pilot scale production models for PUFA and carotenoid-producing algae in different designs of optimized sensor controlled photobioreactors, which included the evaluation of mixotrophic cultivation conditions and their upscaling to pilot size.

Website

N/A