SBIR Phase I: Production of an affordable synthetic colostrum replacer in edible green algae

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是开发一种替代抗生素在农业和伴侣动物中的使用。 最近已经证明，给牲畜喂抗生素的做法与感染人类的抗生素耐药性细菌菌株的出现有关。 为此，FDA最近推出了一项自愿计划，逐步淘汰在动物中使用抗生素。 然而，抗生素用于保护动物健康和促进体重增加在畜牧业中很普遍，需要一种可行且无害的替代品。这项拟议中的技术将允许牲畜种植者通过喂养可食用的绿色藻类来保护他们的动物并促进体重增加，这些藻类已被工程改造成能产生初乳蛋白。 初乳蛋白被认为具有与抗生素相同的保护作用，而不会产生抗生素耐药性细菌的负面副作用。 在绿色藻类中生产这些初乳蛋白允许有效的生物制造，这将满足为牲畜生产者提供具有成本效益的初乳来源所需的规模。 用于动物健康和体重增加的抗生素的销售额每年以数十亿美元计，随着该行业从抗生素的使用转向，这种新方法有可能获得该市场的重要份额。该SBIR项目建议开发生产初乳蛋白的绿色藻类，莱茵衣藻的基因工程菌株。 初乳蛋白通常被摄入消化道，在那里它们表现出抗微生物的特性。C.已显示莱茵衣藻具有产生包括单克隆抗体、激素等在内的多种复杂蛋白质所必需的细胞机制。 目标是在C. reinhardtii将作为抗生素的替代品喂养牲畜，并将其纳入伴侣动物饮食中。 拟议的研究将证明藻类中产生的初乳蛋白具有生物活性，并且将以与天然对应物相同的方式发挥作用。 此外，该研究将产生一种培养基，在其中生长可食用藻类，对动物食用安全，并促进感兴趣的初乳蛋白的表达。 最后，该研究将证明藻类表达的初乳蛋白对动物健康和促进生长具有有益作用。总之，这项研究将有助于证明使用藻类表达的初乳蛋白作为牲畜饲料中抗生素使用的替代品和促进宠物食品中宠物健康的可行性。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be to develop an alternative to the use of antibiotics in agricultural and companion animals. It has recently been demonstrated that the practice of feeding antibiotics to livestock is correlated with the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria that infect humans. For this reason, the FDA has recently introduced a voluntary plan to phase out the use of antibiotics in animals. However, antibiotic use to protect animal health and to promote weight gain is widespread in the livestock industry, and a viable and non-harmful alternative is needed. The proposed technology will allow livestock growers to protect their animals and promote weight gain by feeding edible green algae that have been engineered to produce colostrum proteins. Colostrum proteins are thought to have the same protective effects as antibiotics without the negative side effect of producing antibiotic resistant bacteria. Production of these colostrum proteins in green algae allows for efficient bio-manufacturing, which will meet the scale required to supply livestock producers with a cost effective source of colostrum. Sales of antibiotics for animal health and weight gain are in the billions of dollars each year, and this new approach has the potential to garner a significant share of that market as the industry shifts away from the use of antibiotics. This SBIR project proposes to develop genetically engineered strains of green algae, Chlamydomomas reinhardtii, that produce colostrum proteins. Colostrum proteins are normally ingested into the digestive tract where they exhibit anti-microbial properties. C. reinhardtii has been shown to have the necessary cellular machinery to produce a wide range of complex proteins including monoclonal antibodies, hormones, and others. The goal is to produce several key colostrum proteins in C. reinhardtii that will be fed to livestock as a replacement for antibiotics, and be included in companion animal diets. The proposed research will demonstrate that colostrum proteins produced in algae are bioactive, and will function in the same manner as their natural counterparts. Additionally, the research will produce a media in which to grow edible algae that is safe for animal consumption and promotes the expression of the colostrum protein of interest. Finally, the research will demonstrate that algal expressed colostrum proteins have a beneficial effect on animal health and growth promotion. Together, this research will help demonstrate the feasibility of using algal-expressed colostrum proteins as a replacement for antibiotic use in livestock feeds and promotion of pet health in pet food.