Japan, China and South Korea account for 84 percent of the macroalgae patents

A CSIC study highlights the importance of scientific investment for the promotion of biotechnology development

2013-07-10

(Press-News.org) The algae, traditionally cultivated for the food sector, are accessible marine resources as they grow in coastal areas. These crops increase by 7.5% on average every year and have become an important part of marine aquaculture through the diversification of demand for products based on macroalgae for bioenergy, cosmetics and biomedicine. This and other conclusions are deduced from a study led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) that delves into the distribution of applications and products patents derived from macroalgae among countries all around the world. The work concludes that Japan, China and South Korea account for 84% of macroalgae patents, a figure that contrasts with that of other Asian countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam since they are also among the worldwide top producers of this type of algae. The study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, analyzes the number of macroalgae patents registered between 1980 and 2009. The researchers have compared this distribution with the production capacity (tons produced per country) and the scientific effort involved in the study of their culture (number of scientific studies related to the aquaculture of these algae). Despite the high production in some developing countries of Asia and Africa, the nations that invest effort in research –such as Japan, China and South Korea– are the ones that hoard the patents. Countries like the U.S. and France lead the rest of the market, although they are not producers. Inés Mazarrasa, CSIC researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies emphasizes: "On the contrary, countries like the Philippines or Indonesia, major producers but with a low investment in research, have not registered patents". CSIC researcher specifies: "Before the study, we expected that, given its greater accessibility, the macroalgae patents market was more evenly distributed among producing countries. Moreover, the increase in demand for new macroalgae products and applications could open a chance for traditional producing countries to benefit from their macroalgae production capacity". The study highlights the role of research as an engine of biotechnological development and opens a new avenue for cooperation with the developing countries that have traditionally been macroalgae producers. CSIC researcher states: "Scientific collaboration and investment is essential for enhancing a production of more sophisticated products and a sustainable development from their own natural resources, as the Convention on Biological Technology promotes. If it doesn't occur, these countries would stay once again out of an emergent market despite dominating the production of the raw material in favor of other nations, who would end up taking a greater benefit by patenting derived processes and products". Although the rate of discovery of new marine species is low (0.93% per year), the number of domesticated marine species increases at a rate of 3% annually. The number of natural products of marine origin -such as cosmetics, industrial enzymes or genes derived from organisms- and ocean genes patents increase, respectively, at a rate of 4% and 12% every year.

### END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Research suggests Madagascar no longer an evolutionary hotspot

2013-07-10

Madagascar has long been known as a hotspot of biodiversity. Although it represents only one percent of the earth's area, it is home to about three percent of all animal and plant species on the planet. But research suggests the island's heyday of species development may be all but over. "A staggering number of species are found only on Madagascar," said Daniel Scantlebury, a Ph.D. student in biology, "but this research shows there are limits to the number of species the island can sustain, and Madagascar may currently be at those limits." Scantlebury's paper is being ...

Penn study shows vascular link in Alzheimer's disease with cognition

2013-07-10

PHILADELPHIA – Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that, across a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular disease affecting circulation of blood in the brain was significantly associated with dementia. The researchers contend that people already exhibiting clinical features of Alzheimer's disease and other memory impairments may benefit from effective therapies currently available to reduce vascular problems. Thus, early management of vascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, and ...

School policies reduce student drinking -- if they're perceived to be enforced

2013-07-10

"Just say no" has been many a parent's mantra when it comes to talking to their children about drugs or alcohol. Schools echo that with specific policies against illicit use on school grounds. But do those school policies work? University of Washington professor of social work Richard Catalano and colleagues studied whether anti-alcohol policies in public and private schools in Washington state and Australia's Victoria state were effective for eighth- and ninth-graders. What they found was that each school's particular policy mattered less than the students' perceived ...

Note to teens: Just breathe

2013-07-10

In May, the Los Angeles school board voted to ban suspensions of students for "willful defiance" and directed school officials to use alternative disciplinary practices. The decision was controversial, and the question remains: How do you discipline rowdy students and keep them in the classroom while still being fair to other kids who want to learn? A team led by Dara Ghahremani, an assistant researcher in the department of psychiatry at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior conducted a study on the Youth Empower Seminar, or YES!, a workshop for ...

Illinois chemical/bioengineers use adhesion to combine advantages of silicones and organic materials

2013-07-10

Introductory chemistry students learn that oil and water repel each other. So do other hydrophobic substances, which carry no electric charge, and hydrophilic substances, which carry an electric charge that allows them to mix with water. In a study reported in the July 1, 2013 Angewandte Chemie, a group of University of Illinois bioengineers have found a way to strongly adhere hydrogels to hydrophobic silicone substrates, an innovation that provides a valuable new tool for microscale biotechnology. The article reporting the work was highlighted by the editors as a "Hot ...

NASA sees Tropical Storm Chantal's heavy rainfall and towering thunderstorms

2013-07-10

VIDEO: On July 8, NASA's TRMM satellite saw Tropical Storm Chantal's heaviest rainfall happening at a rate of over 115.5 mm/hr. (~4.5 inches) near Chantal's center where thunderstorms reached heights of... Click here for more information. Two NASA satellites captured a look at Tropical Storm Chantal, from the inside and outside and revealed powerful, high thunderstorms dropping heavy rainfall. Later in the day at 1700 UTC (1 p.m. EDT) on July 8, the Moderate Resolution ...

Infants' food linked to higher, lower Type 1 diabetes risk

2013-07-10

Infants who get their first solid food before 4 months of age and after 6 months may have a higher risk of developing Type 1 diabetes, University of Colorado researchers have found. The researchers, from the Colorado School of Public Health and the CU School of Medicine's Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, also found that the risk goes down if the mother is still breast-feeding the baby when solid foods, particularly those containing wheat or barley, are introduced into the diet. The results were unveiled Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association publication ...

NASA satellites see strong thunderstorms surround Typhoon Soulik's center

2013-07-10

Visible and infrared satellite data show strong thunderstorms surrounding the low-level center of the tropical storm turned Typhoon Soulik. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Typhoon Soulik in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean on July 9 and two instruments showed the power in the typhoon's center. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Soulik on July 9 at 1:25 UTC (July 8 at 9:25 p.m. EDT). The image shows a tight concentration of thunderstorms around the typhoon's center and ...

Breakthrough study reveals biological basis for sensory processing disorders in kids

2013-07-10

In a groundbreaking new study from UC San Francisco, researchers have found that children affected with sensory processing disorders (SPD) have quantifiable differences in brain structure, showing a biological basis for the disease that sets it apart from other neurodevelopmental disorders. SPD—which is more prevalent than autism and as common as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—receives far less attention than other neurodevelopmental disorders. For one, SPD often occur in children who also have ADHD or autism, and the disorders have never been ...

Behavior change may have the greatest influence on waves of influenza outbreak: McMaster study

2013-07-10

Hamilton, ON (July 9, 2013) - Three waves of the deadliest influenza pandemic in history, known as the Spanish flu, hit England and Wales in 1918, just as World War 1 was coming to an end. Why flu arrives in multiple waves like this is the focus of a study by McMaster University researchers who discovered three contributing factors: the closing and opening of schools, temperature changes and – most importantly – changes in human behavior. "We found all three factors were important in 1918 but that behavioural responses had the largest effect," said David Earn, an investigator ...