DNA - U.S. Department of Energy Awards Team Led by Ginkgo Bioworks Funding to Develop Algal Crop Protection Solutions | Benzinga
- Algae-based biotechnology can be used to drive forward clean energy solutions, such as sustainable aviation fuel, yet scaling algal biotechnologies for such purposes faces major barriers
- The DOE has awarded a Ginkgo-led team — which also includes partners from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, and Global Algae Innovations — to build revolutionary algal crop protection solutions
- The team will leverage its expertise in applied algal biology, metagenomics, high-throughput screening, and adaptive laboratory evolution to work to design algal crop protection solutions as more environmentally-friendly alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides, while enhancing productivity
BOSTON, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced that a Ginkgo-led team — including partners from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, and Global Algae Innovations — has been awarded funding through the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). The scope of the project will be to develop a new approach to algal crop protection, inspired by integrated pest management strategies used for terrestrial crops.
Fueling the Future with Algae-Based Biotechnology
The awarded project is part of DOE's investment in the development of clean energy solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More specifically, this project is focused on improving algal biotechnology to enable increased production of affordable biofuels and bioproducts from atmospheric CO2 at large scales.
Microscopic Pests Threaten Valuable Algal Crops
A major barrier to scaling algal biotechnologies is predation on algae by microscopic 'pests' in open outdoor ponds. Current algal pest management strategies are generally not specific to a singular pest and include chemical or environmental control methods that can negatively impact algal productivity and increase pest resistance. There is a clear need for algal crop protection solutions that are highly selective against specific algal pests, are safe to use ...