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Select beneficial algae will be developed into functional foods as well as for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications
Israel-based microalgae cultivation startup Yemoja is joining the MIGAL Galilee Research Institute to spearhead an extensive, four-year research initiative to identify algae-sourced compounds with the potential to help manage inflammation and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Select beneficial algae will be developed into functional foods as well as nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.
The initiative, titled ’Algae4IBD,’ launched in June and has been awarded a grant of €7.5 million from the EU funding arm, Horizon 2020, which is dedicated to supporting game-changing research and innovation projects.
Yemoja is one of a 21-member consortium composed of marine science experts, research institutes, universities, hospitals and IBD centres, and algae cultivation companies. The campaign is being led by Dr Dorit Avni, a senior researcher for MIGAL.
Under this partnership, Yemoja will be responsible for cultivating multiple strains of known and novel microalgae to be screened for their potential anti-IBD properties. Several hundred strains will be screened before advancing to clinical trials. The microalgae candidates will be supplied by Yemoja, in conjunction with other global algae companies.
Yemoja will roll out commercial-scale production of several identified successful microalgae candidates that will be used to develop functional food solutions, such as bread, gummies and bars, as well as natural supplements and pharmaceuticals.