Name:
CyanoCare

Developed by:
i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health; PORTUGAL

Country(ies) involved:
Portugal

Funding sources:
government budget funds and ERDF (FCT, EIT Health Porto, etc)

General idea:
CyanoCare aims to develop added-value products based on cyanobacteria. CyanoCare products will all have origin in cyanobacteria, which have several competitive characteristics: high growth rate, low nutritional requirements (sunlight, air, water and inorganic nutrients) resulting in low-cost production, high source of compounds with industrial interest (e.g. polymers, biomass, pigments), and are renewable and sustainable resources of raw material for platform technologies. CyanoCare startup activity will start by commercializing a unique biopolymer named Cyanoflan, which is produced naturally in large quantities by a marine cyanobacterium. Due to its natural properties, this raw material can be used in different industries, including the biopharmaceutical through cosmetic and body care products, aiming at replacing the daily use of synthetic compounds by renewable natural products. The incorporation of these 100% natural, biodegradable, biocompatible and non-toxic polymers in the final products of different industries will allow reaching ecologically conscious consumers.

Description:
CyanoCare’s objective is to develop added-value products based on cyanobacteria to replace the daily use of synthetic compounds. Nowadays, the global awareness of the risks of using recalcitrant petroleum-based materials/plastics is increasing dramatically. Therefore, novel solutions are mandatory in order to reduce the use of these synthetic polymers with high ecological footprint that cause a negative impact in environment and human health. In addition, a push towards industrial practices that promote a low carbon economy is a prominent factor that is catalysing the market growth of environmentally sustainable solutions. CyanoCare key technology is based on a unique 100% natural cyanobacterial polymer with multi-functional properties for several industries, but the main focus is its use as excipient in personal care industry formulations that require distinct physical and performance characteristics, namely as moisturizer, thickener, emulsifier and stabilizer. Cyanoflan positive cost-benefit ratio contributes to meet the increasing demand for biopolymers due to environmentally sustainable concerns and legislative incentives. Cyanoflan production, isolation and versatility due to its natural characteristics (patent pending), makes this solution superior to others existing on the market, contributing to a positive impact on the green industry in coming years. Moreover, the biomass resulting from the production process will also be used to generate value on a circular economy basis, since it can be commercialized as aquaculture feed or biofertilizer, enabling a sustainable production with a zero-waste value chain.
The stakeholders more useful to CyanoCare are key players involved in the personal care products industry (B2B), including ingredients suppliers, formulations developers and final products retailers, since they will dictate the customers’ demands.

TRL:
4. Technology validated in lab

Sources:
Interviews