Bioenergy Synthesis and Production from Microalgae

Microalgae are fast-growing microorganisms that have developed efficient mechanisms to harvest and transform solar energy into energy-rich molecules such as lipids. They are thus potentially great renewable cell factories for production of fuels and biomaterials for the chemical industries. However, several biological as well as engineering challenges need to be addressed before the establishment of a profitable microalgal industrial biotechnology. The main goal of our laboratory is to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the conversion of solar energy and atmospheric CO₂ to energy-dense compounds such as oil and hydrocarbon. We assess the molecular limitations of these mechanisms and propose novel strategies for synthetic biology of microalgae. The further use of this knowledge will aid in the design and creation of strains for algal biotechnology. In this communication, I will present current projects and highlight major findings from our group.