The vision of Ricardo Calado, Scientific Coordinator of CEPAM-ECOMARE and Project Manager of Hub Azul Aveiro (H4 - CITAQUA)
This interview was conducted with Ricardo Calado, Scientific Coordinator of CEPAM-ECOMARE and Project Manager of Hub Azul Aveiro (H4 - CITAQUA) , as part of the Blue Compass project, promoted by the Hub Azul Portugal Network, based on insights from the Hub Azul Dealroom, the leading digital matchmaking platform for blue innovation.
What scientific or technological advances are currently driving innovation in Blue Biotechnology?
Blue Biotechnology is undergoing a rapid development, mainly due to advances in next-generation sequencing technologies and multiple omic tools that have been significantly improved. From metagenomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics to proteomics, lipidomics and glycomics, all of these tools allow the genetic material, and biomolecules present in marine organisms to be studied much more rapidly and with unprecedented accuracy.
With increasingly efficient bioinformatic pipelines supported by artificial intelligence, it has been possible to discover more and more new enzymes, secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds in less time and with lower associated costs. It is also very important to mention the advances achieved in gene editing, with emphasis to the CRISPR technique (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), which opens up new horizons for producing, for example, genetically modified microorganisms that can be more easily produced in reactors and give rise to a biomass specifically developed to be valorized in the production of biofuels, as ingredients for feeds, as biofertilizers and/or pharmaceutical compounds.
Aspects related to circularity, the full valorization of marine bioresources and the sustainability of the bioprocesses developed are equally important aspects when promoting a bioeconomy paradigm supported by Blue Biotechnology.
Which subsectors of Blue Biotechnology (e.g. algae-based materials, gene editing, biofuels, marine bioproducts) have the greatest commercialization potential?
It is not easy to answer this question without an appropriate regional framework, as this varies with the investment associated with innovation, market needs and available bioresources. The legal constraints on the commercialization of new products, processes and services based on Blue Biotechnology also vary greatly from region to region. This being said, the following subsectors are the ones that most likely display a higher commercialization potential:
- Valorization of by-products/co-products from fish processing industries for the development of new nutraceutical products (e.g. food supplements rich in omega-3 fatty acids), cosmeceuticals (e.g. skin firming products) and pharmaceuticals (e.g. anti-inflammatories, antivirals and anesthetics to combat chronic pain);
- Valorization of macroalgae for the production of biofertilizers, bioplastics and/or textiles, in order to accelerate the green transition and promote a reduction in plastics derived from fossil fuels;
- Genetic editing of marine organisms using CRISPR (or other genetic engineering technologies) to improve micro and macroalgae, as well as other marine organisms produced in aquaculture, to increase their productivity, with an emphasis on a greater resistance to diseases; the increase in the production of metabolites of interest (e.g. oils, pigments, bioactive products with different types of bioactivity) is also explored, although the legal constraints existing in many markets, particularly in the European Union, may delay (or even prevent) commercialization.
What are the main challenges — technical, regulatory or financial — that currently limit the scalability of Blue Biotechnology solutions?
From a technical perspective, it is worth mentioning that there are still limitations to the access, capture and/or production of several marine organisms with biotechnological potential, particularly those that live in extreme environments and, as such, are more difficult to access. The chemical complexity of many of the biomolecules present in marine organisms of biotechnological interest often makes them difficult to replicate in the laboratory, requiring the use of highly advanced and costly technologies in terms of time and financial resources to clarify and replicate their structures and functions.
Furthermore, there are not always means, or even technology, that allow for the sustainable and large-scale cultivation of marine micro and/or macro organisms with high biotechnological potential, which compromises their production at an industrial scale. The same can be said of the bioprocesses required to transform marine biomass into new products, processes and services in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.
From a regulatory perspective, the legislation governing this sector is extremely complex, often lacking in provisions, and quite fragmented. Access to and exploitation of marine genetic resources falls within areas of national and international jurisdiction, with particular emphasis on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol, which often result in a wealth of bureaucracy due to the authorities' lack of knowledge, which delays and often prevents the granting of licenses, thus compromising innovation and market entry.
From a financial perspective, it is worth highlighting the intensive nature of the capital required to promote Blue Biotechnology, given the specific nature of the equipment needed to bioprospect the marine environment (e.g. research vessels), the laboratory equipment to characterize and replicate the chemical diversity of genetic resources existing in the seas and oceans, and the need to use highly qualified multidisciplinary teams. Additionally, this is a high-risk activity with a long-term financial return, as it has long development cycles (almost always longer than 10 years) from which the expected financial return may not arise, which makes it difficult to finance these activities through more traditional channels.