Algae Sampling Technology Partnership to Find, Exploit Novel Chemical Compounds

Published (October 30, 2012) – A pharmaceutical research and development startup and NOAA signed an agreement designed with two goals in mind.

The company, Biosortia, plans to discover and extract beneficial compounds from natural sources such as algae, and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science wants to use Biosortia’s harvesting technology to unlock aquatic microorganisms’ secrets in a brand new way.

The agreement, informal parlance a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement or “CRADA,” centers on a piece of equipment the company designed that can remove and concentrate large amounts of algae, collecting many pounds of tiny plants, animals, bacteria—the entire community of creatures living and interacting during a complex event such as an algal bloom. The NCCOS scientists use powerful and sophisticated equipment to tease out toxins, metabolites, and minute cellular signals lost when researchers take typical samples by the jarful. It’s like basing a restaurant review on one toothpick’s worth of a taste. Bloom events teem with highly complex chemical and physical exchanges that go undiscovered when researchers study an insufficient amount.

For its part, Biosortia will analyze the new compounds for beneficial medicines, nutritional supplements, natural pesticides, and other commercial uses to benefit jobs, health, and the environment. Both parties stand to gain much from this agreement.

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About Biosortia Pharmaceuticals – Biosortia has a proven and unique ability to obtain unculturable aquatic microbial consortia from the natural environment in unprecedented quantities allowing its research team to discover a diverse array of new natural products. Biosortia is actively engaging pharmaceutical research and development organizations to explore the huge opportunity of exploring aquatic microbial consortia for potential therapeutic agents.

About JLABS – The Biosortia Pharmaceutical operations are located at JLABS in San Diego (JLABS @SD). JLABS is a 40,000 square-foot life science innovation center, located in San Diego. The labs provide a flexible environment for start-up companies pursuing new technologies and research platforms to advance medical care. Through a “no strings attached” model, JJI does not take an equity stake in the companies occupying JLABS and the companies are free to develop products – either on their own or by initiating a separate external partnership with JJI or any other company.

If you’d like more information about the announcement or Biosortia, please contact Chad Hummell of Biosortia at 614-203- 8040 or ch******@*******ia.com.