The Buzz

MSU’s Algal Photobioreactor Licensed by Phenometrics, Inc.

June 29, 2011
AlgaeIndustryMagazine.com

henometrics, Inc. has licensed the algal simulation photo bioreactor technology from MSU Technologies at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The technology was developed by the Kramer lab, under a grant from the National Alliance for the Advancement of Biofuel and Biomass Consortium (NAABB), which is funded by the U. S. Department of Energy.

The Phenometrics exclusive license is for the SPBR_TM (Simulation Photo Bio Reactor), a desktop sized, high throughput algal photobioreactor that simulates field growing conditions. The unit’s computer controlled phenomic capabilities include: CO₂sparging, mixing, temperature and light cycles (diurnal, seasonal), and pH. Parallel growth and phenotypic analysis can be controlled and measured simultaneously in modular configurations of up to 250 units. Further customization is possible using a variety of probes and sensors. The volume of the culture vessel is 520cc.

“The great promise of phenomics is that revealing detailed properties of the plant under a wide range of conditions we can link physiological, biochemical, biophysical, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and developmental information together,” said Kramer lab director Dr. David Kramer.

Research for the development of the SPBR_TMwas funded by the NAABB, a consortium of leading scientists and engineers from universities, private industry, and national laboratories led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Phenometrics, Inc. was founded in 2010 by Mimi C. Hall and Dr. David Kramer to develop and market unique phenomic and photosynthetic research tools to accelerate algal discoveries in the biofuel, food, pharmaceuticals, and waste remediation industries. Phenometrics is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan with Sales and Marketing in San Diego, California.

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