Company
Portfolio Data
Back to Company SearchASTALAKE BIOSYSTEMS, INC.
UEI: FTLPMWKBJ995
Number of Employees: 7
HUBZone Owned: N/A
Woman Owned: N/A
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: N/A
SBIR/STTR Involvement
Year of first award: 2014
7
Phase I Awards
1
Phase II Awards
14.29%
Conversion Rate
$1,060,046
Phase I Dollars
$1,499,777
Phase II Dollars
$2,559,823
Total Awarded
Awards
Generation of alfalfa plants with optimized lignin biosynthesis for improved forage quality and yield
Amount: $181,500 Topic: 8.2
Generation of alfalfa plants with genetically optimized lignin biosynthesisfor improved forage quality and yieldAstalake Biosystems Inc.DBA: AFINGEN®The world is facing unprecedented challenges in food systems (i.e. on farm profitability and publicdemand for environmental health) due to climate change water scarcity diminution of arable landsand population increase to nearly 8 billion people. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennialnitrogen-fixing legume with tremendous potential benefits to soil health environmental healthand contribution to animal and human nutrition. As one of the world's oldest domesticated foragecrops alfalfa is grown on six continents and is the fourth most important economic crop in theUnited States. Traits such as higher yields stress tolerance and biomass quality (improveddigestibility and nutrient composition) have been targeted by alfalfa breeders to benefit farmerscattle growers and beef/dairy industries. Although numerous breeding and biotechnology effortshave aimed to improve such traits traditional genetic improvement techniques such as constitutivegene silencing methods have had negative consequences when applied to commercial crops. Forexample improving forage quality by lowering lignin often resulted in plants with poor structuralintegrity and diminished biomass yield at maturity. This proposed SBIR Phase I research projectdevelops an efficient approach to fine-tune lignin biosynthesis and biomass composition whileincreasing biomass yields in alfalfa. Moreover an additional feed quality trait enabled by ourgenetic engineering strategy towards mitigating enteric methane emissions has the potential toimprove the sustainability of meat and milk production. Our molecular metabolic and phenotypiccharacterizations of these new engineered alfalfa lines generated in Phase I will represent valuablematerial for 1) future verification at greenhouse/field environments and 2) trait transfer into elitegermplasms via licensing and breeding. If the project demonstrates the abovementioned goals inalfalfa this new biotechnology platform could be applied to other perennial forage/pasture speciesthat currently cover 121.1 million acres in the United States (6% of the U.S. surface area).
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2023
USDA
Generation of fast-growing high-yield wheat plants by optimizing lignin bioregulation
Amount: $100,000 Topic: 8.199999999999999
This Small Business Innovation Phase I Research Grant proposal aims to develop aUV temperature and pH-stable edible blue C-phycocyanin (CPC) pigment derived from bio- engineered cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis (a.k.a. Spirulina) for the industrial ingredientmarketplace. Specifically this pigment will be initially used in the food industry for dyeingbeverages confectionary products and baked goods but has the future potential to be appliedto cosmetic textile ink paint medical therapeutic and diagnostic industries.Objectives: 1) Use metabolic engineering to create a strain of Arthrospira platensis thatproduces a stable blue CPC pigment.2) Demonstrate proof of concept by expressing purifying and testing the stability of the A.platensis pigment at high temperature (>47C) low pH < 3 and prolonged UV light exposure.Keywords: Arthrospira platensis metabolic engineering CRISPR extremophile cyanobacteriaindustrial biotechnology plant protein food ingredients colorant stabilityIntellectual Merit: There is limited information available in the scientific literature about thegenetic engineering of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina). The organism is highly-resistance toconventional metabolic engineering techniques with high endonuclease activity thereforenovel methods of genetic engineering need to be attempted to create a platform forproduction of industrial biotechnological ingredients primarily ingredients for the foodindustry. Particularly of interest is the pigment C-phycocyanin (CPC) which is a rare biobasedblue pigment. In order to increase the stability of this pigment so that it can be used inconventional food production processes novel CRISPR-based engineering techniques will beapplied to enhance the resistance to high temperature low pH and increased UV exposure. Thesame techniques used to develop CPC mutants can be used to expand the stability of othermolecules overall color palette of chromoproteins and expand the usage of biobasedreplacements for petrochemical-derived dyes for any current colors.Broader Impacts: As a company Spira is focused on supplying CPC from A. platensis as naturalblue color additive that since its FDA approval in August 2013 has been used in the food (i.e.confectionary dairy) and beverage (i.e. health drinks) industries. Other commercial applicationsthat benefit from a stable acidothermo CPC are worth noting: Phycobilisomes containing CPCare also finding use as naturally engineered solar light concentrators to "sensitize" metal andsemiconductor surfaces for organic photoelectron-chemical (PEC) photovoltaic cells. CPC is alsoused in cosmetics and textiles as a colorant. Small quantities of reagent-grade CPC are used asfluorescent tags in diagnostic cell labeling. As a potent anti-oxidant CPC can non-enzymaticallyneutralize and scavenge free-radicals of reactive oxygen species (ROS) causing oxidative stress.CPC anti-microbial activity for the in vitro growth of fungi viruses and bacteria enables it tocontribute to natural (i.e.non-artificial) food preservation and improvement of food shelf life.CPC is also an immune stimulant and anti-inflammatory agent capable of modulatingmacrophage function. CPC has been shown to have anti-cancer properties as well via itsinhibition of tumor cell proliferation and/or inducement of tumor cell apoptosis. As an anti- obesity agent CPC inhibits pancreatic lipase activity and has been shown to decrease serumcholesterol. As a neuro-protector CPC interacts with -synuclein to reduce formation of fibrilformation in neurodegenerative diseases. In summary CPC is used a colorant in food textileand cosmetic industries and has potential to be more extensively used as a therapeutic via itsantioxidant anti-inflammatory anti-microbial anti-obesity antihepatoxicity and anti-cancerproperties among others.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2020
USDA
Genetic optimization of corn lignin biosynthesis for synergistic improvements in forage quality, yield and preservation
Amount: $106,500 Topic: 8.2
As the world's population reaches 9.7 billion in the year 2050 global crop production willneed to double to meet the projected demands for food feed fiber and fuel. Corn themost produced annual crop in the world will have a major role in helping to meet thisneed. In the United States more than a third of the corn produced is used as feed forlivestocks (148 million tons in 2017) and its stover also represents the most abundantagricultural residue for production of clean bioenergy (100 million tons by 2020).Improving the quantity and quality of corn biomass and stress tolerance are essential tosustain global productions of meat and milk as well as biofuels and bio-products.Especially biomass quality for the above agricultural and industrial processes isdetermined by its digestibility or processability a trait associated with biomasscomposition which consists of energy-rich matrix polysaccharides protected byrecalcitrant indigestible lignin polymers. This SBIR Phase I project will develop a moreefficient approach to engineering corn biomass digestibility while improving yields andmaintaining resilience to stress. Although traditional breeding has increased corn yieldsdrastically over the past 50 years modest or no improvements have been achieved forforage quality and digestibility. This is in part due to partial antagonisms between thesetwo traits.This work proposes to fine-tune lignin deposition in corn biomass and thereby reducinglignin content by 20% in a tissue-specific manner as well as increasing biomass yieldsby at least 10%. The quality trait provided by our patent-pending genetic engineeringstrategy will ameliorate biomass degradability. Our molecular metabolic andphenotypic characterizations of these new lines in Phase I will represent valuablematerial for both future field-test validation and introgression of the biomass quality traitinto elite germplasms via modern breeding programs.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2019
USDA
Fast Growing High-Yield Wheat and Canola for Efficient Nutrient Recycling Systems
Amount: $124,956 Topic: T7.02
Among a suite of synthetic biology methods, Afingen's APFL technology offers a robust path to produce high-value biochemicals from inedible biomass-derived substrates with minimal cis-genetic manipulation and improved genetic stability compared to conventional bio-engineering. By amplifying and/or reducing target compounds with unprecedented specificity and improved tolerance, engineered food-, feed-, and biofuel crops (e.g. switchgrass, wheat, canola, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, tomato, potato) may offer higher yields of biomass and enhance degradation in the inedible biomass to facilitate nutrient recycling. This STTR Phase I application by Afingen, Inc. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is aimed at generating significantly improved rotation crops, wheat and canola,with a combination of three beneficial traits: [1] accelerated rooting growth, [2] increased grain yield and vegetative biomass, and [3] enhanced degradability of inedible biomass.
Tagged as:
STTR
Phase I
2017
NASA
Fast-growing high-yield forage crops via a novel biotechnology platform
Amount: $99,429 Topic: 8.2
Alfalfa and sorghum are two major forage crops in the U.S. each offering advantageous traits for the agricultural value chain. Alfalfa, a perennial dicot, generally offers high protein content. Sorghum, an annual monocot, offers more cellulose and other nutritious carbohydrates. As forage crops, traits such as rapid growth rates, increased harvest yields, and high quality (digestibility) are desirable. Improvement of such traits has been the goal of numerous biotechnology efforts. However, alternative biotechnology techniques are typically constitutive and when applied to commercial crops have resulted in net negative consequences. For example, efforts to improve quality by lowering lignin biosynthesis have resulted in plants with poor structural integrity and diminished mass at maturity.In this USDA SBIR Phase I project, AFINGEN will transfer a simple tissue-targeting technology from our previously demonstrated switchgrass project to two forage crops, alfalfa and sorghum. These two commercial crops will be enabled to offer three beneficial agricultural traits - faster growth, more harvested biomass, and improved digestibility. We will generate a total of eight constructs with unique gene assemblies for alfalfa and sorghum. We intend to characterize the viability, gene integration and transgene expression of the constructs and will perform further growth, morphological and quality analyses of the selected lines. This proposed project with first generation engineered plants will narrow down the two best strategies to increase biomass yield by at least 30%, reduce lignin content by 20% for better forage digestibility, and demonstrate robust, healthy plants with shorter life cycle. Given the positive outcomes in earlier projects we are confident to state the above targets - and if the project demonstrates these goals in both alfalfa and sorghum, this new biotechnology platform would be able to be applied to many other varieties of forage and energy crop.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2016
USDA
Engineering robust yeasts for biorefinery applications
Amount: $222,694 Topic: 18j
Yeasts are the industrial workhorses of the bioethanol industry and have proven their economic feasibility in large-scale facilities converting biomass into ethanol. However, fermentation production of biofuel molecules of higher energy density have been problematic due to the low toxic tolerance of the typical yeast strains in use currently. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) recently developed a suite of synthetic biology tools, collectively called the Artificial Positive Feedback Loop (APFL), which enables the engineering of microorganisms to amplify specific metabolic pathways without deleterious effects to the overall health of the organism. Consequently, precursors to many isoprenoid derivatives leading to high energy density biofuel molecules could be produced by non-conventional yeasts. For example, isoprene and sabinene have been produced by heterogonous synthetic pathways in engineered microorganisms, but the low toxic tolerance of conventional host organisms have resulted in low production yield of the target molecules. This SBIR Phase I project will apply LBNLs novel synthetic biology approach (APFL) to dramatically improve production yields of valuable high energy density compounds. Precursor production from yeast has already been demonstrated. The broader testing of the APFL technology in new constructs of engineered yeast strains is expected to enable a more benign and more efficient method to amplify production of high value target compounds. The researchers who developed the APFL at LBNL have founded Afingen, Inc. to pursue commercial development of this technology. Commercial application and benefit: The target advanced biofuel compounds, isoprene and sabinene, are produced from precursors derived from the well-known yeast terpene-isoprenoid-ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. In addition to their utilization as flavors and fragrances, both target terpenes have great potential in renewable energy since they can be rapidly converted into biofuels after a simple biofuel conversion. Renewable biofuels and biofuel precursor products are fast growing markets and demand will keep rising for decades. Upon further demonstration of the APFL technology in engineered yeast strains, a large variety of yeasts can be engineered to biologically synthesize biofuels and specialty biofuel precursor compounds. Using non-conventional yeasts and the new synthetic biology tools, we expect to increase yields of target compounds by 50x or better. Keyword: Synthetic Biology, Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, APFL Technology, Transcriptionsfactors, Enzymes, Isoprenoids Synthetic Pathway, Carbon-neutral Biofuels, Combinatorial DNAAssembly Summary for member of congress: A new synthetic biology technique enables engineered yeast strains to increase production of advanced biofuel compounds by 50x to compete favorably with the cost of 2D diesel.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2015
DOE
Generation of switchgrass plants with optimized biomass composition for biofuel production
Amount: $224,967 Topic: 21d
Liquid fuel produced from dried plant material (i.e. lignocellulosic biomass such as wood chips, straw, switchgrass, and corn stover) is nearly cost competitive with corn ethanol. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant, readily available, and renewable material on Earth to produce biofuels. However, lignin, a key component of plant material necessary for growth and protection against pathogens and pests, is a very tough substance that prevents accessibility to fermentable sugars present in biomass. Lignification makes biomass processing for biofuels very difficult and expensive. Previous efforts to develop low lignin plants have failed due to weakened stalks and stems and poor growth. In this project, we will validate the combination of two traits (cell-specific low lignin and increased fermentable sugar accumulation) that were successfully proven in model plant organisms. In Phase I, we will develop synthetic biology tools for plant transformation and generate low lignin/high sugar switchgrass transgenic lines. During Phase II, these lines will be extensively characterized for their optimized properties in greenhouse trials, and the best engineering strategies will be selected for field trials for a Phase III effort. Commercial Application and Benefits: This engineering technology will enable healthy switchgrass plants to grow with 20% more fermentable sugars and 40% less lignin (but reduced only in selected internal fiber structures so that stalks and stems remain strong). Consequently, biorefineries using this low lignin switchgrass can reduce their initial investment, lower their ongoing operating expenses, and increase their annual revenue. Low lignin switchgrass would give cellulosic biofuels an economically competitive advantage compared to corn ethanol. This project will demonstrate healthy, low lignin switchgrass if approved for the full Phase I and Phase II. The combined phases are necessary due to the long time required for switchgrass engineering and characterization because plants need to grow to maturity and at least two cycles are required to show that the desired traits are reproducible. Demand for low lignin switchgrass will significantly increase in the next few years. Construction is already underway to expand annual production capacity of cellulosic biofuels from 25 million gallons (ethanol equivalent) in 2012 to over 650 million gallons in 2016. Biorefineries benefit most directly. Farmers benefit from the increased demand and diversity of planting options. Additionally, once the low lignin switchgrass is demonstrated, this technology could be used to enhance the productivity and profitability of other commercial crops such as grazing and forage crops.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2014
DOE
Generation of switchgrass plants with optimized biomass composition for biofuel production
Amount: $1,499,777 Topic: 21d
"Liquid fuel produced from dried plant material (i.e. lignocellulosic biomass such as wood chips, straw, switchgrass, and corn stover) is nearly cost competitive with corn ethanol. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant, readily available, and renewable material on Earth to produce biofuels. However, lignin, a key component of plant material necessary for growth and protection against pathogens and pests, is a very tough substance that prevents accessibility to fermentable sugars present in biomass. Lignification makes biomass processing for biofuels very difficult and expensive. Previous efforts to develop low lignin plants have failed due to weakened stalks and stems and poor growth. In this project, we will validate the combination of two traits (cell-‐specific low lignin and increased fermentable sugar accumulation) that were successfully proven in model plant organisms. In Phase I, we will develop synthetic biology tools for plant transformation and generate low lignin/high sugar switchgrass transgenic lines. During Phase II, these lines will be extensively characterized for their optimized properties in greenhouse trials, and the best engineering strategies will be selected for field trials for a Phase III effort. Commercial Application and Benefits. This engineering technology will enable healthy switchgrass plants to grow with 20% more fermentable sugars and 40% less lignin (but reduced only in selected internal fiber structures so that stalks and stems remain strong). Consequently, biorefineries using this low lignin switchgrass can reduce their initial investment, lower their ongoing operating expenses, and increase their annual revenue. Low lignin switchgrass would give cellulosic biofuels an economically competitive advantage compared to corn ethanol. This project will demonstrate healthy, low lignin switchgrass if approved for the full Phase I and Phase II. The combined phases are necessary due to the long time required for switchgrass engineering and characterization because plants need to grow to maturity and at least two cycles are required to show that the desired traits are reproducible. Demand for low lignin switchgrass will significantly increase in the next few years. Construction is already underway to expand annual production capacity of cellulosic biofuels from 25 million gallons (ethanol equivalent) in 2012 to over 650 million gallons in 2016. Biorefineries benefit most directly. Farmers benefit from the increased demand and diversity of planting options. Additionally, once the low lignin switchgrass is demonstrated, this technology could be used to enhance the productivity and profitability of other commercial crops such as grazing and forage crops. "
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase II
2014
DOE