Media

The objective of BLUES is to expand the potential to produce valuable and unique bioactive compounds from marine invertebrates by developing novel cultivation systems of cell lines from 4 phyla of marine invertebrates (Porifera, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Chordata) and optimizing production yield as an alternative to wild harvesting. For many years, research has been done to derive continuous cell lines from invertebrates. Only recently, BLUES partners reached a breakthrough and created the first continuous marine sponge cell line. Results demonstrated that sponge cells of several species can divide extremely rapidly.

The ambition is to design the pathway towards industrial bioprocesses using marine invertebrate cell lines of different phyla as a chassis towards the production of unique high-value marine bio-based compounds, an environmentally sustainable alternative to wild harvesting. The novel bioprocesses that will be developed are not only an alternative for wild harvesting, solving the stock production bottleneck for increased availability of the bioactive compounds, but also for a higher level of sustainable alternative, contributing to the development of circular processing and circular economy.

The technology that will be developed in BLUES will make it possible that valuable marine-natural products are produced in bioprocesses and with that contribute to the Blue Bioeconomy.