Project Goal

Our project's long-term goal is to create a genetically modified algae strain capable of maintaining high vitality and photosynthetic efficiency under heat stress, thereby offering a green solution to mitigating the greenhouse effect and global warming in cities, and ultimately developing an industrial product with practical applications. Although we did not make significant progress on this entrepreneurial initiative this year, the project clearly holds considerable entrepreneurial potential.

Market Potential

First, if such a genetically modified algae strain can be successfully developed, we believe it will have notable market appeal thanks to its visual attractiveness and robust growth performance under heat stress. Moreover, this product could complement existing solutions, being suitable for both urban and non-urban environments, and supporting relatively small-scale or decentralized aquaculture.

Commercialization Challenges

At the same time, we are aware of potential commercialization challenges. According to our survey, nearly half of respondents expressed concerns about genetically modified algae, particularly the risk of uncontrolled growth in urban or natural environments. This underscores the need for careful risk assessment and stringent biological control measures.

Expert Insights

In addition, during our discussion with expert Dr. Yuyong Hou, we learned that Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, as a model organism, has clear disadvantages in terms of transformation efficiency and cost compared with Escherichia coli and yeast. Our conversations with the iGEM team at EPFL also highlighted that they successfully reduced material production costs by leveraging efficient transformation methods in E. coli and yeast. These insights emphasize that cost control is a critical factor for commercialization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while our project’s research objectives present substantial commercial potential, we are also aware of the challenges ahead. We hope that our exploration will provide valuable insights and practical experience for future iGEM teams working toward the commercialization of algae-based research.