Project description
Democratising insulin production with microalgae
Today, more than 90 % of the world’s insulin is controlled by three corporations, leaving local communities dependent on expensive imports. Patents and licensing further limit smaller producers from scaling up. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the HERO project aims to change this by harnessing the microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica to produce insulin sustainably. Using advanced CRISPR techniques, researchers are fusing insulin genes with naturally secreted proteins. They are also streamlining extraction while reducing water use. Additionally, nitrogen-starved algae overproduce valuable lipids as biorefinery co-products. HERO will scale cultivation to pilot levels, demonstrating that SMEs can locally produce affordable insulin, making this life-saving drug more accessible worldwide.
Objective
As of 2024, more than 90% of the global insulin supply is controlled by just three conglomerates. Patents and license agreements restrict the use of optimised expression vehicles such as E. coli, S. cerevisiae, or P. pastoris, by the small/medium scale enterprises (SMEs) who can decentralise insulin production and cater to local demands. Project HERO (HEterozygous expRession of insulin in NannOchloropsis) aims to develop a novel microalgal platform technology for sustainable and accessible transgenic insulin production using Nannochloropsis oceanica as the model organism. The project builds upon the applicant’s recent discovery that N. oceanica (an ω-3 lipid rich, phototrophic microalgae) secretes the protease serine decarboxylase (SDC) during nitrogen scarcity.
In this project, the transcriptome and secretome of N. oceanica under varying nitrogen concentrations will be comprehensively profiled after which, state-of-the-art plasmid designing techniques and CRISPR transformation pipelines will be used to insert the genes for insulin in the microalgal genome and express it as a fusion-protein with SDC. Controlled auto-proteolysis of the fusion-protein will greatly simplify and decrease steps in downstream insulin processing, thereby reducing overall water consumption and production costs. Moreover under nitrogen starvation, N. oceanica naturally over-produces high-value ω-3 lipids through biochemical pathways independent to SDC secretion. This offers the biorefinery benefits of multi-stream production (insulin and lipids) to further offset production costs. Finally, the engineered N. oceanica strain will be cultivated at pilot scale (100 L) to assess insulin yields, perform lifecycle analysis and establish its commercialisation potential.
By empowering local SMEs to economically and sustainably produce insulin and supply them to their local communities, Project HERO intends to help democratise access to this life-saving drug to people across all financial tiers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA transcriptomes
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
4 DUBLIN
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.