AlgaeCytes visit

Jose Cachay

On March 28th, I had the opportunity to visit AlgaeCytes as part of a PhycoClub BBSRC funded visit, and it was an incredibly insightful experience. As one of the leading microalgae companies in the United Kingdom, AlgaeCytes provided a comprehensive overview of their large-scale cultivation processes and shared valuable perspectives on their engagement with international markets. I was particularly impressed by the scale and precision of their operations, including a 12,000 liter tubular photobioreactor used for scale-up, as well as the level of standardization applied across their production pipeline. The visit followed the entire production process, beginning with the preparation of a healthy inoculum and concluding with downstream processing to produce ultra high quality EPA. I also found their biorefinery approach especially compelling, as it ensures that all biomass is utilized to generate value-added products such as microalgae based biostimulants.

In addition to the facility tour, we attended a series of engaging presentations delivered by researchers and professionals from both academia and industry. These talks covered a wide range of topics, including recombinant protein and antibody production using algae and cyanobacteria, carbon capture technologies, phosphorus recycling, gene editing toolkits, and the development of algae-based paints. The atmosphere throughout the day was high tech and focused on the intersection of biotechnology and bio based entrepreneurship. One of the most valuable aspects of the visit was the open exchange of knowledge, particularly around the challenges involved in scaling up microalgae production and navigating regulatory pathways for introducing new algal products to the market. I am very grateful to Donal McGee and the entire AlgaeCytes team for their generous hospitality and openness during the visit. It was a truly valuable learning experience and one that left me feeling inspired about the future of algal biotechnology.