Australian and Scottish marine science firms join forces in discovery of new actives

14-Mar-2012 - Last updated on 14-Mar-2012 at 11:31 GMT

Marine biotechnology company Aquapharm Biodiversity has inked an exclusive deal with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) as it looks to discover new commercially viable active ingredients for use in cosmetics, toiletries, and other personal care products.

Scientists from the Scottish firm will be given exclusive commercial access to a selection of Australian marine microbes in the AIMS Bioresources Library, with the goal of screening a wider variety of micro-organisms from a diverse range of habitats and organisms and discovering new products.

"AIMS is among the world's top specialist research institutions, and it has cultivated a sizeable collection of marine microorganisms from Australia's unique marine territory," said Jon Williams, vice president Commercial at Aquapharm.

"This territory spans an immense 16 million square kilometres, leading to high biodiversity and the potential for novel microbes and their products.”

Exclusive commercial access

As part of the agreement, Aquapharm has been granted exclusive commercial access to a select range of organisms for testing and development, with the option to conclude an exclusive license agreement for commercialization if they are found to be suitable.

"The signing of this agreement is recognition not only of Aquapharm's research and development capabilities, but also the immense opportunity presented by Australian marine microbial biodiversity," Williams added.

"Our ability to commercialise suitable compounds within the right markets is a win-win situation that will allow us to tap into AIMS' superb resources, whilst helping AIMS to further realise the potential of its Bioresources Library."

Supporting sustainable development

AIMS is tasked with supporting the sustainable development of Australia's marine environment and has spent more than 25 years building up a collection of samples representative of Australia's marine biodiversity at more than 1,600 sites.

“By facilitating access to the Bioresources Library, its vast diversity of natural molecules and attributes can be probed for those with the potential to be commercialised and generate benefits for Australia,” said Libby Evans-Illidge, manager of AIMS Bioresources Library.

"We welcome the partnership with Aquapharm and look forward to the discovery and development of new and commercially viable products."