No Cover Image

Journal article 17 views 1 download

Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications

Hannah Morris Orcid Logo, Zoe Bentham, Zeinab El Dor, Valerie J. Rodrigues, Alla Silkina Orcid Logo, Pietro Marchese, Mary Murphy, Jessica M. M. Adams Orcid Logo, Frank Barry, Claudio Fuentes-Grünewald Orcid Logo, Walid Rachidi Orcid Logo, Deya Gonzalez Orcid Logo

BioTech, Volume: 15, Issue: 2, Start page: 34

Swansea University Authors: Hannah Morris Orcid Logo, Zoe Bentham, Alla Silkina Orcid Logo, Deya Gonzalez Orcid Logo

  • biotech-15-00034-v3.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © 2026 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

    Download (4.04MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.3390/biotech15020034

Abstract

Marine macroalgae, microalgae, and associated microorganisms are increasingly recognised as valuable sources of bioactive compounds with applications across biotechnology and health. The environmental and ecological conditions they inhabit shape their metabolite diversity, leading to the production...

Full description

Published in: BioTech
ISSN: 2673-6284
Published: MDPI 2026
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa72031
first_indexed 2026-06-09T10:49:29Z
last_indexed 2026-06-09T10:49:29Z
id cronfa72031
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rfc1807 xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>72031</id><entry>2026-06-09</entry><title>Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>baf81810ff7548e636e29444a213ba6a</sid><ORCID>0009-0001-1430-4625</ORCID><firstname>Hannah</firstname><surname>Morris</surname><name>Hannah Morris</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>ff600fd9543fafd5feea4f8cb38726e6</sid><ORCID/><firstname>Zoe</firstname><surname>Bentham</surname><name>Zoe Bentham</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>216d36449db09ed98c6971a2254a2457</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-1804-8083</ORCID><firstname>Alla</firstname><surname>Silkina</surname><name>Alla Silkina</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>bafdf635eb81280304eedf4b18e65d4e</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-1838-6752</ORCID><firstname>Deya</firstname><surname>Gonzalez</surname><name>Deya Gonzalez</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2026-06-09</date><deptcode>MEDS</deptcode><abstract>Marine macroalgae, microalgae, and associated microorganisms are increasingly recognised as valuable sources of bioactive compounds with applications across biotechnology and health. The environmental and ecological conditions they inhabit shape their metabolite diversity, leading to the production of high-value compounds such as sulphated polysaccharides, lipids, pigments, phenolics, and peptides. These compounds exhibit conserved biological activities that underpin potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and pro-regenerative effects with strong potential for translation. Although external factors drive rich metabolite diversity, continual variation can also lead to translational constraints including heavy-metal accumulation, inconsistency in extract composition, and regulatory complexity. This review examines the environmental drivers of metabolite diversity and the functional potential of bioactives derived from marine algae. We focus on their translational application within four areas of growing interest: nutraceuticals, cosmetics, regenerative medicine, and oncology, where emerging evidence suggests their promise as next-generation bioactive ingredients and therapeutic leads. In addition, insights from Irish and Welsh Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are collated to identify key bottlenecks in commercialisation and the requirements for effective marine biodiscovery pipelines. We consider the importance of controlled cultivation, standardised analytics, preclinical testing platforms, and collaborative innovation ecosystems and highlight the need for coordinated scientific, technical, and regulatory advances to unlock the full translational potential of marine-derived compounds.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>BioTech</journal><volume>15</volume><journalNumber>2</journalNumber><paginationStart>34</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>MDPI</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>2673-6284</issnElectronic><keywords>marine biodiscovery; marine bioactive compounds; microalgae; macroalgae; regenerative medicine; anti-cancer mechanisms; marine metabolites; cosmeceuticals</keywords><publishedDay>15</publishedDay><publishedMonth>5</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-05-15</publishedDate><doi>10.3390/biotech15020034</doi><url/><notes>Review</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Medical School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>MEDS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Other</apcterm><funders>This review was part-funded by the Welsh Government’s Agile Cymru Programme [grant number: AC25015]. The work of A.S. was supported by UK Research and Innovation Building a Green Future strategic theme [grant number UKRI239].</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-06-09T11:51:35.5373748</lastEdited><Created>2026-06-09T11:32:19.3157215</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences</level><level id="2">Swansea University Medical School - Biomedical Science</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Hannah</firstname><surname>Morris</surname><orcid>0009-0001-1430-4625</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Zoe</firstname><surname>Bentham</surname><orcid/><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Zeinab El</firstname><surname>Dor</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Valerie J.</firstname><surname>Rodrigues</surname><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Alla</firstname><surname>Silkina</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1804-8083</orcid><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Pietro</firstname><surname>Marchese</surname><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Mary</firstname><surname>Murphy</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Jessica M. M.</firstname><surname>Adams</surname><orcid>0000-0002-6687-8145</orcid><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Frank</firstname><surname>Barry</surname><order>9</order></author><author><firstname>Claudio</firstname><surname>Fuentes-Grünewald</surname><orcid>0000-0002-3122-9452</orcid><order>10</order></author><author><firstname>Walid</firstname><surname>Rachidi</surname><orcid>0000-0002-0829-7799</orcid><order>11</order></author><author><firstname>Deya</firstname><surname>Gonzalez</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1838-6752</orcid><order>12</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>72031__36896__c4301e4796d34962b22031a0e2123479.pdf</filename><originalFilename>biotech-15-00034-v3.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2026-06-09T11:32:19.2476105</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>4239834</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>© 2026 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling v2 72031 2026-06-09 Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications baf81810ff7548e636e29444a213ba6a 0009-0001-1430-4625 Hannah Morris Hannah Morris true false ff600fd9543fafd5feea4f8cb38726e6 Zoe Bentham Zoe Bentham true false 216d36449db09ed98c6971a2254a2457 0000-0002-1804-8083 Alla Silkina Alla Silkina true false bafdf635eb81280304eedf4b18e65d4e 0000-0002-1838-6752 Deya Gonzalez Deya Gonzalez true false 2026-06-09 MEDS Marine macroalgae, microalgae, and associated microorganisms are increasingly recognised as valuable sources of bioactive compounds with applications across biotechnology and health. The environmental and ecological conditions they inhabit shape their metabolite diversity, leading to the production of high-value compounds such as sulphated polysaccharides, lipids, pigments, phenolics, and peptides. These compounds exhibit conserved biological activities that underpin potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and pro-regenerative effects with strong potential for translation. Although external factors drive rich metabolite diversity, continual variation can also lead to translational constraints including heavy-metal accumulation, inconsistency in extract composition, and regulatory complexity. This review examines the environmental drivers of metabolite diversity and the functional potential of bioactives derived from marine algae. We focus on their translational application within four areas of growing interest: nutraceuticals, cosmetics, regenerative medicine, and oncology, where emerging evidence suggests their promise as next-generation bioactive ingredients and therapeutic leads. In addition, insights from Irish and Welsh Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are collated to identify key bottlenecks in commercialisation and the requirements for effective marine biodiscovery pipelines. We consider the importance of controlled cultivation, standardised analytics, preclinical testing platforms, and collaborative innovation ecosystems and highlight the need for coordinated scientific, technical, and regulatory advances to unlock the full translational potential of marine-derived compounds. Journal Article BioTech 15 2 34 MDPI 2673-6284 marine biodiscovery; marine bioactive compounds; microalgae; macroalgae; regenerative medicine; anti-cancer mechanisms; marine metabolites; cosmeceuticals 15 5 2026 2026-05-15 10.3390/biotech15020034 Review COLLEGE NANME Medical School COLLEGE CODE MEDS Swansea University Other This review was part-funded by the Welsh Government’s Agile Cymru Programme [grant number: AC25015]. The work of A.S. was supported by UK Research and Innovation Building a Green Future strategic theme [grant number UKRI239]. 2026-06-09T11:51:35.5373748 2026-06-09T11:32:19.3157215 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Swansea University Medical School - Biomedical Science Hannah Morris 0009-0001-1430-4625 1 Zoe Bentham 2 Zeinab El Dor 3 Valerie J. Rodrigues 4 Alla Silkina 0000-0002-1804-8083 5 Pietro Marchese 6 Mary Murphy 7 Jessica M. M. Adams 0000-0002-6687-8145 8 Frank Barry 9 Claudio Fuentes-Grünewald 0000-0002-3122-9452 10 Walid Rachidi 0000-0002-0829-7799 11 Deya Gonzalez 0000-0002-1838-6752 12 72031__36896__c4301e4796d34962b22031a0e2123479.pdf biotech-15-00034-v3.pdf 2026-06-09T11:32:19.2476105 Output 4239834 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications
spellingShingle Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications
Hannah Morris
Zoe Bentham
Alla Silkina
Deya Gonzalez
title_short Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications
title_full Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications
title_fullStr Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications
title_full_unstemmed Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications
title_sort Algae-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Platforms for Translational Biotechnology and Health Applications
author_id_str_mv baf81810ff7548e636e29444a213ba6a
ff600fd9543fafd5feea4f8cb38726e6
216d36449db09ed98c6971a2254a2457
bafdf635eb81280304eedf4b18e65d4e
author_id_fullname_str_mv baf81810ff7548e636e29444a213ba6a_***_Hannah Morris
ff600fd9543fafd5feea4f8cb38726e6_***_Zoe Bentham
216d36449db09ed98c6971a2254a2457_***_Alla Silkina
bafdf635eb81280304eedf4b18e65d4e_***_Deya Gonzalez
author Hannah Morris
Zoe Bentham
Alla Silkina
Deya Gonzalez
author2 Hannah Morris
Zoe Bentham
Zeinab El Dor
Valerie J. Rodrigues
Alla Silkina
Pietro Marchese
Mary Murphy
Jessica M. M. Adams
Frank Barry
Claudio Fuentes-Grünewald
Walid Rachidi
Deya Gonzalez
format Journal article
container_title BioTech
container_volume 15
container_issue 2
container_start_page 34
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2673-6284
doi_str_mv 10.3390/biotech15020034
publisher MDPI
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str Swansea University Medical School - Biomedical Science{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Swansea University Medical School - Biomedical Science
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Marine macroalgae, microalgae, and associated microorganisms are increasingly recognised as valuable sources of bioactive compounds with applications across biotechnology and health. The environmental and ecological conditions they inhabit shape their metabolite diversity, leading to the production of high-value compounds such as sulphated polysaccharides, lipids, pigments, phenolics, and peptides. These compounds exhibit conserved biological activities that underpin potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and pro-regenerative effects with strong potential for translation. Although external factors drive rich metabolite diversity, continual variation can also lead to translational constraints including heavy-metal accumulation, inconsistency in extract composition, and regulatory complexity. This review examines the environmental drivers of metabolite diversity and the functional potential of bioactives derived from marine algae. We focus on their translational application within four areas of growing interest: nutraceuticals, cosmetics, regenerative medicine, and oncology, where emerging evidence suggests their promise as next-generation bioactive ingredients and therapeutic leads. In addition, insights from Irish and Welsh Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are collated to identify key bottlenecks in commercialisation and the requirements for effective marine biodiscovery pipelines. We consider the importance of controlled cultivation, standardised analytics, preclinical testing platforms, and collaborative innovation ecosystems and highlight the need for coordinated scientific, technical, and regulatory advances to unlock the full translational potential of marine-derived compounds.
published_date 2026-05-15T11:51:37Z
_version_ 1867516264913567744
score 11.108223

Similar Items