"Microalgae, a photosynthetic organism, is a source for antioxidant new drugs that can prevent disease, a future food resource, and a next-generation marine natural product resource that can contribute to responding to the climate crisis. Many species remain unexplored, so there is high potential to develop new high value-added materials."
Pan Cheol-ho, principal researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, said this in a keynote lecture at the 1st Gangneung NP·BIO International Conference held at St. John's Hotel in Gangneung on the 22nd, noting that "microalgae are the central axis of the marine bio industry, and the development of high value-added functional materials based on Korean-style indoor culture technology will determine the competitiveness of the future bio industry."
Unlike large seaweeds such as miyeok and dasima, microalgae are invisible plant plankton—microscopic photosynthetic organisms that use chlorophyll for photosynthesis. Pan, who has devoted about 30 years to research on natural products, has spent more than half of his career on microalgae research. The related international academic papers he released number more than 150, and he holds numerous patents.
That day, Pan introduced an industrialization strategy for natural product–based bio materials centered on an end-to-end research platform built by the KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, including function evaluation, mass culture, strain improvement, and formulation. He stressed that microalgae have high potential to efficiently use light energy to produce high value-added natural substances.
Pan said, "Humans generate reactive oxygen species in the process of oxidizing food to obtain energy, which causes various diseases," adding, "Microalgae also produce reactive oxygen species during photosynthesis, but they simultaneously produce pigment substances that suppress them." He went on to explain, "These pigments act as excellent antioxidants to protect plants and also help improve human health."
Fucoxanthin, a representative antioxidant, has drawn attention as a functional material since the 2000s, and its various effects—including improving skin elasticity, suppressing inflammation, and enhancing cognitive function—have been demonstrated. The KIST research team developed cosmetic ingredients that promote skin collagen synthesis using fucoxanthin, health functional foods that improve dry eye, and body fat–reducing products with complex lactic acid bacteria compositions. These products have also been recognized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as health functional foods.
Pan pointed out that mass production of plant-based natural products is difficult. He said, "Plants are greatly affected by seasons and climate, so in regions like Korea with large variations in sunlight and temperature, outdoor open culture is inefficient," adding, "To overcome this limitation, KIST developed an indoor tank-type microalgae culture system."
Microalgae cultivation has a carbon-absorbing effect, so the potential for expansion into a carbon-neutral industry is also large. Residual cell wall components can be recycled into functional feed or fertilizer, and it is also possible to develop health functional materials using exosomes in the culture medium. Exosomes are bio-derived particles responsible for intercellular signal transmission and are next-generation carriers used to deliver drugs to specific cells. The explanation is that, through this kind of circular structure, it can develop into an eco-friendly blue (marine) bio industry model.
In 2020, Pan developed an eye health–improving material using microalgae and co-founded the eco-friendly microalgae raw material production company Microalgae Ask Us. The company became a subsidiary of Daesang Holdings last year and is expanding its business.
He emphasized, "Fewer than 20 of the 50,000 species of microalgae worldwide are currently used industrially," adding, "Many species remain unexplored, leaving ample room to develop new high value-added materials."