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Key research themes
1. How can cellular agriculture and engineering biology revolutionize sustainable seafood production?
This research theme investigates the innovative approach of producing seafood through cell and tissue cultures of marine organisms, a method known as cellular agriculture. It aims to address public health, environmental, and animal welfare challenges associated with conventional marine capture and industrial aquaculture. By integrating advances in biomedical engineering, genetic modification, and closed-system aquaculture, this area explores scalable, controlled, and ethical seafood production alternatives that may mitigate overfishing and environmental impacts.
Key finding: Rubio et al. (2018) demonstrate that cellular agriculture can be extended to marine species, specifically fish, proposing cultured muscle tissue production as a solution to challenges such as overfishing, pathogen spread, and... Read more
2. What roles do marine microorganisms and their metabolites play in advancing industrial, pharmaceutical, and environmental biotechnologies?
This theme centers on the bioprospecting and utilization of the vast diversity of marine microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, archaea—and their bioactive metabolites. The research explores microbial genetic and functional diversity as a reservoir for novel biocatalysts, secondary metabolites, and bioactive compounds with applications spanning industrial production, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, cosmetics, and environmental remediation. It emphasizes methodological advances such as metagenomics and culture techniques to overcome challenges posed by unculturable microbes, and highlights microbial consortia and microbiome engineering in algal biotechnology for improved commercial viability.
Key finding: This review articulates that marine microorganisms represent an almost inexhaustible resource of genetic and functional diversity due to their adaptive evolution, making them prime targets for biotechnological exploitation.... Read more
Key finding: The paper highlights the marine microbiome as an untapped reservoir of novel bioactive products, noting that although only a small fraction of marine microbes are cultivable, metagenomic and multi-omics technologies uncover a... Read more
Key finding: This work synthesizes evidence that microalgae-microbiome interactions critically influence algal growth, nutrient cycling, pathogen resistance, and environmental acclimation. It identifies beneficial microbial taxa that... Read more
Key finding: This article provides an in-depth analysis of legal and ethical frameworks governing marine microbial bioprospecting in Europe, emphasizing that lack of awareness and inconsistent implementation of the Nagoya Protocol impedes... Read more
3. How do marine macroorganisms and algae contribute to the discovery of biomolecules and biomaterials for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and biotechnological applications?
This research area focuses on exploiting marine macroorganisms, including seaweeds, sponges, corals, and other invertebrates, as sources of secondary metabolites, enzymes, biopolymers, and bioactive compounds with broad applications. It addresses the characterization, sustainable harvesting, cultivation, and biotechnological processing of biomass to develop new pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and environmentally friendly biomaterials. The theme further examines the integration of omics and cultivation technologies to unlock the commercial and environmental potential of these marine resources.
Key finding: The article synthesizes that marine organisms from diverse habitats produce unique secondary metabolites evolved for environmental adaptation, which hold immense potential for pharmaceutical, biomedical, and industrial... Read more
Key finding: This review identifies macroalgae and microalgae as prolific producers of valuable chemical constituents applied across agriculture, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. It discusses biotechnological advances... Read more
Key finding: Focusing on marine biomaterials from seaweeds, sponges, crustaceans, molluscs, and cnidarians, this paper reviews their bioactive potential and biomedical applications including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer,... Read more
Key finding: The authors achieved a landmark breakthrough by establishing the first continuous marine sponge cell line from Geodia barretti, overcoming longstanding cultivation obstacles. Using an optimized medium (OpM1), they... Read more
4. What frameworks and strategies enhance sustainable growth and governance in marine (blue) biotechnology sectors?
This theme examines the policy, legal, and biosecurity dimensions integral to the responsible development of marine biotechnology. It investigates regulatory instruments such as the Nagoya Protocol, international ocean governance (e.g., UNCLOS, BBNJ Agreement), intellectual property rights, and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) frameworks. Additionally, it encompasses biosecurity challenges in aquaculture and seaweed farming, aiming to balance innovation, environmental protection, and equitable benefit-sharing while mitigating risks such as disease outbreaks and invasive species dissemination.
Key finding: This study highlights significant gaps in awareness and implementation of European and international regulations including the Nagoya Protocol within the marine biotechnology community. It stresses that insufficient... Read more
Key finding: The paper identifies that rapid expansion of global seaweed aquaculture, coupled with climate change, has led to increased disease and pest outbreaks causing substantial economic losses. Through case studies, it demonstrates... Read more
Key finding: This legal analysis elucidates the complex international regulatory landscape governing marine genetic resources (MGR) in areas beyond national jurisdiction. It explains how existing treaties—UNCLOS, CBD, Nagoya Protocol, and... Read more