The alliance will allow production and positioning in the cosmetic and pharmacological and nutraceutical market, technologies generated in the laboratories of the AU.
With the symbolic signing of the license agreement between the University of Antofagasta (AU) and N-Active SpA, the agreement was sealed that will allow the science-technology-based company to make use of the advances that emerged in the AU after years of Research, Development and Innovation (R & D & I).
The agreement is the result of collaborative work with Hub APTA and N-Active, a company dedicated to the development of functional ingredients, which are added to pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and/or nutraceutic products.
"These alliances generate new opportunities for business for our entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs based in science and technology, to connect with markets national and international. These licences are in addition to the portfolio technology inventions that arise in our laboratories, with the authorship of our human capital advanced," said the rector of the AU, Dr. Marcos Cikutovic.
For his part, the general manager and founding partner of N-Active, Jorge Sanhueza, he explained that they will begin the study stage to make the most of its benefits, "especially in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical area, since they contain many minerals they also help the 'beautiful inside' for their nutritional contribution. We will investigate the potential uses of microalgae to develop functional products or ingredients, also in relation to the productive capacity that exists here in the university".
Licences
The first technology transferred is called "Method of microalgae cultivation Muriellopsis sp. to produce biomass with high lutein content and low metal content", of the research team formed by Dr. Carlos Riquelme, Director of the Antofagasta Bioinnovation Center (CBIA); Leonel González, Director of the Department of Medical Technology; Principal Investigator Dr. Paola Marticorena; and Dr. Fernando Silva, director of the Department of Biotechnology.
Another technology is "Cultivation and microalgae process Nannochloropsis gaditana", rich in omega-3, to generate flour with higher concentration of essential oils for animal and human food. The flour can be used as functional ingredient in food, cosmetics and nutraceuticals. His inventors are Dr. Carlos Riquelme and Dr. Claudia Sepúlveda, both from CBIA.
The third technology is the product called "Microalga flour rich in fucoxanthin". This process allows to grow and make flour rich in fucoxanthin from microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a carotenoid with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties. Microalgae flour can be used as a functional ingredient in food, cosmetics and nutraceuticals. Her inventor: Dr. Jasmine Bazaas.
Public-private partnership
The result of the alliance with N-Active is the result of the linkage with the ecosystem through strategic partners such as Hub APTA. In this context, Giselle Miranda"This is the end of a long-term process, with researchers such as Claudia Sepúlveda and Jazmín Bazaes, and Carlos Riquelme himself, who have been years optimizing these production processes to obtain this biomass from this seaweed strain. N-Active understands the R & D & I ecosystem applied in universities and the time it takes for the scaling and coming to market, so it's been a virtuous relationshipwhich allows us to effectively reach solutions to the market and to different types of industries."
In conclusion, Marcelo Cortés, who is director of innovation and technology transfer, highlighted the development of research of excellence in the AU and the role of Management in the transfer of knowledge.
"This chain goes way back with basic research, and the applied research. Then, once that problem is solved and the product is protected, we enter. For this, we are working on a strategic plan with the Vice-Chancellorship of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies (VRIIP) to be more effective and generate more research that has benefits for society," Cortés concluded.
*Photos: courtesy of the AU.
