Algae have long been at the center of scientists’ interests thanks to their content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with a high physiological value, such as Epa (eicosapentaenoic acid) and Dha (docosahexaenoic acid), and for their potential anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, their cultivation is cheap, since they only need sun and carbon dioxide. Algae are therefore the new frontier of research on pharmaceuticals and food supplements. So why not think that some of the bioactive principles contained in algae cannot provide a defense against chronic inflammatory diseases such as those affecting the intestine, which until now have no effective cure? This is the starting point for the 21 partners that make up the consortium that gave life to the Algae4IBD project funded by the European Union with 7.5 million euros over the next 4 years as part of the Horizon 2020 program. To coordinate the various groups, including also two Italians – the biotech Solaris (which will provide its technical support through the design and construction of the bioreactors necessary for the experimentation on algae) and the University of Naples Federico II – will be the Israelis from the Migal Research Institute.
Many patients, few answers
There are currently nearly 7 million people worldwide with inflammatory bowel disease and other digestive diseases. The prevalence of IBD has increased in recent decades, especially in developed countries and affects the younger age groups. IBD, which describes both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is a bowel disorder that causes prolonged inflammation, damages the digestive tract, and is associated with a high risk of colorectal cancer. At the moment there is no standardized and universally effective therapeutic protocol; the treatment options are expensive and in the acute phases they are mainly based on cortisone but can only be taken for short periods. That is why finding new solutions for these patients is a public health priority.
Algae for health
“For this, specialists from 11 countries were brought together: experts in algae growth and production, gastroenterologists, functional food developers and pharmaceutical SMEs. This multi-specialist and multi-cultural group will bring the skills needed to develop products that hopefully can prevent and cure IBD. People suffering from this disease want a solution and are already very excited about the prospect that our project can bring, ”says Dorit Avni of the MIGAL research institute in Israel, coordinator of the project. Seaweed can be the missing ingredient to add to functional foods, such as grains and smoothies, to prevent, treat and reduce IBD symptoms. Researchers, companies and hospitals involved in the different phases of the project will use state-of-the-art cultivation and extraction technologies to obtain sufficient quantities of high-quality bioactive compounds along with novel processing protocols.
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