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UTEX- The Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Texas at Austin

Major Microalgal Culture Collections , , , 0 Comment

History, Structure, and Purposes of UTEX

The Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Texas at Austin, herein designated as “UTEX”, has been in continuous operation since 1953.  It was established by Richard C. Starr at Indiana University and was moved to its present site in 1976. Dr. Starr was the Director of UTEX from its inception until his untimely death in February of 1998, at which time Jerry J. Brand became the Director.

Dr. Jerry Brand


 

The principal resource of UTEX is its extensive collection of living algae. Nearly 2,800 different strains of algae, representing approximately 200 different genera, are provided to the public at modest charge. The Collection maintains an especially strong representation of freshwater and edaphic green algae and cyanobacteria, but includes representatives of most major algal taxa, including many marine macrophytic green and red algae. All strains in the Collection were obtained as isolates from natural sources, and no genetically altered strains are maintained. Approximately half of UTEX strains are axenic and all cultures are unialgal.

The Culture Collection of Algae is administrated as an Organized Research Unit of the University of Texas in Austin through the College of Natural Sciences. Its principal administrative officer is a Director who is responsible for establishing and enforcing policies regarding the management of UTEX.  The resources of UTEX are managed through a Curator. The primary duties of UTEX staff are transferring cultures to fresh media on regular schedules, shipping cultures to users, keeping records related to sales and inventory, preparing media, and managing glassware.

The principal function of UTEX is the maintenance of its diverse stock of living algae, in order to make these algal strains available to a user community worldwide at modest cost. Cultures in the Collection are used especially for research, but also for biotechnology development, teaching, water quality assessment, food for aquatic animals, and a variety of other purposes. UTEX does not impose restrictions regarding the use of cultures that are purchased and does not assume any responsibility for cultures that are sold and sent away from the facility.

UTEX is a nonprofit organization. Principal financial support is obtained through the National Science Foundation of the U.S.A. Additional support comes from the College of Natural Sciences of The University of Texas at Austin and through the sale of cultures to the user community.

Dr. David Nobles

Dr. David R. Nobles, Jr. earned a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. He studied under Dr. R. Malcolm Brown, Jr., a noted phycologist, microscopist, cell biologist, and leading cellulose researcher. During his time in the R. Malcolm Brown, Jr. Laboratory, Dr. Nobles became familiar with diverse algae via the study of cell wall biosynthesis. His doctoral research focused on the cell biology, molecular biology, and biotechnological aspects of cellulose biosynthesis by cyanobacteria. He received the Outstanding Dissertation Award for his dissertation entitled “Cellulose in the Cyanobacteria”. His postdoctoral research focused on the development of cyanobacteria as sources for biofuel feedstocks. To date, he has developed methods for the cyanobacterial production of cellulose, glucose, and sucrose. Dr. Nobles is a co-author of multiple patents based on this research and is a founding member of Phykotek, Inc., a startup company dedicated to the production of cyanobacterial feedstocks. His current research interests include expanding the number of sequenced algal genomes; the development of novel algal systems for genetic and metabolic engineering; utilizing the amazing diversity of algae for biotechnological applications including the production of pharmaceuticals, biomass, and biofuels; and the use of algae for CO2 mitigation.

Selected Publications

Nobles, DR Jr. and Brown, RM Jr. (2008) Transgenic expression of Gluconacetobacter xylinus strain ATCC 53582 cellulose synthase genes in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis strain UTCC 100. Cellulose 15(5): 691-701.

Nobles, DR Jr. and Brown, RM Jr. (2007) Many Paths up the Mountain: Tracking the Evolution of Cellulose Biosynthesis, in Brown, RM Jr. and Saxena IM eds., Cellulose: Molecular and Structural Biology. Springer, The Netherlands, pp. 1-15.

Nobles, DR Jr., Romanovicz, DK, Brown, RM Jr. (2001) Cellulose in the Cyanobacteria. Origin of Vascular Plant Cellulose Synthase? Plant Physiology, 127(2): 529-542.

Patents

Title Patent Number Year Filed Inventors
Expression of Foreign Cellulose Synthase Genes in Photosynthetic Prokaryotes (Cyanobacteria) 20080113413 2007 R. Malcolm Brown, Jr.
David R. Nobles, Jr.
Transgenic cyanobacteria: A novel direct secretion of glucose for the production of biofuels 20080085520 2007 R. Malcolm Brown, Jr.
David R. Nobles, Jr.
Controlled, direct secretion of sucrose by cyanobacteria for the production of biofuels and plastics 20080124767 2007 R. Malcolm Brown, Jr.
David R. Nobles, Jr.
A cellulose producing marine cyanobacterium for ethanol production 20080085536 2007 R. Malcolm Brown, Jr.
David R. Nobles, Jr.

UTEX Staff (February 2010)

UTEX Staff (From top left): Jennifer Horn, Jingjie Yu, Rebecca Knight, Dr. David Nobles, Caribbean Wawrzyniak, Dr. Jerry Brand, Peter Petrzala, Rebekah Powell, Cathy Leba, Lina Rahman, Tracy Nguyen, Bonnie O’Neil, Ana Aguilar, Domini Maddox, Tinisha Hancock, Pei-Yun Tseng, Onanong Sasiponganan, Molly O’Neil, Meagan Murdock, Stephen Peña
Not pictured: Yi Tat Tong, Kimberly Ha

OriginOil Announces Breakthrough Innovation to Increase Algae Yield

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OriginOil, Inc. (OOIL), the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced Algae Screen™, a process that keeps algae healthy and productive by selectively eliminating microscopic predators without the use of chemicals. The technology employs an electromagnetic pulse, similar to what is used to achieve Live Extraction™. OriginOil will offer Algae Screen and Live Extraction in one integrated offering for growers.

“Much of our technology is based on the same underlying science, so it makes sense to create ‘functionality hubs’ to simplify field operations and create more value for producers,” said OriginOil’s CEO, Riggs Eckelberry. “We see much more integration activity as the algae industry matures.”

The company recently filed for patent protection of the new Algae Screen technology, its twelfth patent application, entitled “Enhancing Algae Growth by Reducing Competing Microorganisms in a Growth Medium.”

“All algae are targets for invasion. Oil-rich algae are particularly attractive to rotifers and other microscopic predators,” said Paul Reep, Senior VP of Technology. “Algae Screen will protect an algae culture continuously from microscopic invaders, such as rotifers, bacteria, and ciliates. An additional unique benefit is that it integrates fully with Live Extraction, since it is based on similar technology.”

Microscopic invaders, such as rotifers, reduce the value of the algae crop by metabolizing valuable oil and biomass. Additionally, invasions can choke off algae growth and reduce the percentage of daily harvest. The problem exists in all types of growth systems, but most acutely in open ponds.

Algae Screen targets invaders with calibrated pulses of low-power electromagnetic energy that leave the algae safe. The pulsing and power levels are adjustable for different algae types and environmental conditions such as water hardness and salinity. Together with Live Extraction, Algae Screen offers a safe and easily manageable resource for algae health and continuous harvesting.

About OriginOil, Inc. (web address: www.originoil.com)

OriginOil, Inc. is developing a breakthrough technology that will transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum. Much of the world’s oil and gas is made up of ancient algae deposits. Today, our technology will produce “new oil” from algae, through a cost-effective, high-speed manufacturing process. This endless supply of new oil can be used for many products, such as diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, plastics and solvents, without the global warming effects of petroleum. Other oil-producing feedstock, such as corn and sugarcane, often destroy vital farmlands and rainforests, disrupt global food supplies and create new environmental problems. Our unique technology, based on algae, is targeted at fundamentally changing our source of oil without disrupting the environment or food supplies. To learn more about OriginOil™, please visit our website at www.originoil.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “may,” “intend,” “expect” and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein, and while expected, there is no guarantee that we will attain the aforementioned anticipated developmental milestones. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with: the impact of economic, competitive and other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets, product, and distributor performance, the impact on the national and local economies resulting from terrorist actions, and U.S. actions subsequently; and other factors detailed in reports filed by the Company.

Abstract

OriginOil announces breakthrough innovation to increase algae yield, Algae Screen technology protects algae from microscopic predators, integrates with Live Extraction

Source: http://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/OriginOil-Announces-Breakthrough-Innovation-to-Increase-Algae-Yield-1073212

CCCyro – Culture Collection of Cryophilic

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The Culture Collection of Cryophilic Algae is hosted at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT in Potsdam-Golm near Berlin. The CCCryo is specialised on cryophilic freshwater and permafrost microalgae from polar and alpine environments, the so-called snow algae. First strains were collected on expeditions to Spitsbergen in 1999 and since then research on the phylogeny, ecology, and adaptations of this group of extremophiles began.

Purpose
 The CCCryo serves as a bioressource of extremophiles for public and industrial research. Strains may be ordered via these websites. For detailed information on current studies performed at IBMT please refer to the website of the institution’s workgroup Extremophile Research.

Source: http://cccryo.fraunhofer.de/web/infos/welcome

Bodega Algae

Biofuel- and Biotech Companies , , 0 Comment

Bodega Algae, LLC, (Bodega) is a developer of scalable algae photobioreactors. The closed continuous-flow reactors produce high-energy algal biomass for use in the production of biofuel.

The Bodega photobioreactor is modular and stackable, allowing it to be co-located efficiently on the premises of industrial plants. The reactor uses nutrients readily drawn from a variety of waste streams. Sources for nutrients include wastewater from domestic sewage, municipal water treatment plants or carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) flue gases from industrial plants. The microalgae in the bioreactor converts these compounds to biomass, creating the feedstock for biofuel while improving the environment.

Microalgae has significant advantages when compared to conventional oil crop feedstocks. Algae produces over twenty times the amount of biofuel than soybeans on an equal amount of land due to rapid growth rates and high concentrations of lipids per cell density. In contrast to soybeans and other oil crops, the modest agricultural and resource requirements of microalgae make it an attractive low-cost alternative feedstock. Estimates indicate that algae grown in large volumes could reduce the cost of manufacturing a gallon of biodiesel by half of current rates. Lower costs and greater energy yield will make biofuels economically competitive with petro-fuels.

Source: http://www.bodegaalgae.com/