Seaweed is central to a €1.4 million research project exploring opportunities to produce more effective and inexpensive food supplements.
Researchers at University College Dublin (UCD) have been given the four-year award by Science Foundation Ireland for the project, which is entitled “Bio-inspired particle architecture delivery technologies (Bio-PADT)”.
The project involving Prof Kenneth Dawson, Prof Yan Yan, Prof Grace Mulcahy and Prof David Brayden is a partnership between UCD and Marigot Ltd.
Marigot Ltd is described as a pioneer in harvesting and production of seaweed minerals for nutritional value.
The research programme seeks to develop an understanding of marine-derived raw materials, including the company’s product named “Aquamin”, a multi-mineral complex derived from Lithothamnion seaweed species.
The UCD researchers aim to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms in how complex particle materials function.
Dr Siobhán Roche,who is director of science for the economy at Science Foundation Ireland, said the project “highlights the impact of the strategic partnership programme, which aims to build partnerships across academia and industry to address key societal challenges and enhance the competitiveness of our economy”.
Marigot Ltd managing director Michael Ryan said his company is “excited by what the Bio-PADT project can deliver for nutrient delivery and particle interaction with biological barriers and the immune system”.
“We envisage new discoveries which can be groundbreaking for treating micro-nutrient deficiencies and modulating inflammatory processes in human and animal applications,” he said.
