2021

NordAqua News & Events

  • Conference on 8-9-10 JUNE 2022- Elevating Nordic algal biotechnology: From fundamental photosynthesis to industry

We are delighted to announce that we are organizing a conference titled “Elevating Nordic algal biotechnology: From fundamental photosynthesis to industry” that will be held in Turku, Finland from 8 to 10 June 2022 as a face-to-face* event.

The three-day conference aims to bring together the community of scientists, entrepreneurs and industry representatives working with cyanobacteria, microalgae and macroalgae. We will have some core scientific themes of photosynthesis fundamentals, cell factories, biotechnology, biorefinery and industry. We will have a focus on the Nordic region and wider Europe, and alganeers from all around the world are welcome.

The conference itself will serve as an extended Nordic Algae Symposium 2022 (NAS22) and the final Annual Meeting of the NordAqua Nordic Centre of Excellence. NordAqua (www.nordaqua.fi) is a Nordic Centre of Excellence funded by NordForsk through the Nordic Bioeconomy Programme that aims to develop Nordic algal research and strengthen its impact on blue bio-economy. The Nordic Algae Symposia, started in 2018 by the University of Turku, have been held annually in different Nordic countries to provide a professional arena especially for Nordic alganeers.

Please stay tuned for further details about registration and the programme for the conference by following us on Twitter @NordAqua and visiting our website at www.nordaqua.fi .

  • Aboa Tech Talks webinar series 2

The second Aboa Tech Talks will be on solar driven technologies and how researchers aim to address the major global sustainability challenges of our modern society.
Solar powered technologies harness energy from sunlight, which is a main source of sustainable energy, and transform it into useable form in our daily lives. The goal of these technologies is to develop novel harvesting solutions for solar energy with higher conversion efficiencies.

The event is launched by Turun yliopisto – University of Turku and universities in Turku, Finland. Aboa Tech Talks will stimulate a cooperation between the Universities, facilitate interaction with industry, and promote multidisciplinary education as an enabler of clean solar technology development in the Turku region. The second webinar will take place on 14 December 2021 at 9.30-11.30am as a hybrid eventFor more information please visit: Aboa Tech Talk 2

  • Aboa Tech Talks webinar series 1

Turun yliopisto – University of Turku and the universities in Turku, Finland are launching a joint webinar series for autumn titled “ Aboa Tech Talks “ focusing on technology and sustainable development.  Aboa Tech Talks will highlight new technologies and innovative technological research that can offer solutions to the complex global challenges of our time.
The first Aboa Tech Talks of the autumn will take place on 14 October 2021 at 9.00 am (Helsinki time zone). The keynote speaker will be Lars Peter Lindfors, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Neste, who will talk about innovations that have been instrumental in achieving sustainable technological solutions at Neste.

The webinar is free of charge and open to anyone interested, including representatives from companies, associations, governmental bodies, academia, research centers as well as students and the general public. The webinar will be held in English. For more information please visit: Aboa Tech Talk 1

  • Public Lecture Series in Finnish

We are pleased to invite you to Public Lecture Series organized under NordAqua and our sister organization- FuturoLEAF umbrella.

We have four lecture series that are organized as hybrid events: With audiences at the Turku City Library & online stream via Facebook live from Facebook account of Library. The lectures will take place in person at the Studio hall of Turku City Library and participation is limited to 45 audiences due to Covid.

The lectures will also be streamed online via Facebook Live via Turku City Library Facebook account (Turun kaupunginkirjasto – Åbo stadsbibliotek – Turku City Library) . You can find the links of  live streams on the each web pages. The lecture series will be in Finnish and held:

on Thursday, 23th September  between 18.00-19.30 by Lauri Nikkanen (Ph.D): Fotosynteesi, maailman tärkein reaktio: Toiminta, tutkimus, ja bioteknologinen hyödyntäminen. For more info https://www.turku.fi/tapahtuma/09232021-1800-fotosynteesi-maailman-tarkein-reaktio-toiminta-tutkimus-ja-bioteknologinen

on Thursday, 30th September  between 18.00-19.30 by Vilja Siitonen (Ph.D): Keinotekoinen lehti – nanoselluloosaan pakatut fotosynteettiset mikrobit solutehtaina. FuturoLEAF projektin esittely. For more info https://www.turku.fi/tapahtuma/09302021-1800-keinotekoinen-lehti-nanoselluloosaan-pakatut-fotosynteettiset-mikrobit

on Thursday, 7th October  between 18.00-19.30 by Tuomas Huokko (Ph.D): Fotosynteettiset solutehtaat – ratkaisu kemiallisten yhdisteiden kestävään tuottamiseen? For more info: https://www.turku.fi/tapahtuma/10072021-1800-fotosynteettiset-solutehtaat-ratkaisu-kemiallisten-yhdisteiden-kestavaan

on Thursday, 14th October  between 18.00-19.30 by Henna Mustila (Ph.D): Mikrolevien hyödyntäminen kestävässä jätevesihuollossa. For more info: https://www.turku.fi/tapahtuma/10142021-1800-mikrolevien-hyodyntaminen-kestavassa-jatevesihuollossa

Please join us in the library or connect online via Facebook live. Please support us with your participation in person or virtually!

  • New research articles by the Uppsala Uni team are on-line

Congrats to Uppsala Uni team for publishing! Research articles contributing to WP5-cell factories are on-line.

Semisynthetic [FeFe]-hydrogenase with stable expression and H2 production capacity in a photosynthetic microbe

Current advances in engineering cyanobacteria and their applications for photosynthetic butanol production.

  •  A new research article on biosorption of Cd ion by Nordic microalgae is online

Congrats to all authors;  Martin Plöhn,Carlos Escudero-Onate and Christiane Funk for the new research article which is recently out!

The study demonstrates the high potential of Nordic microalgae to remove heavy metals at conditions relevant for an industrial tertiary wastewater treatment unit and will support the development of new, biobased, innovative technologies for the bioremediation of heavy metal polluted streams. Please click to read the article: Biosorption of Cd(II) by Nordic microalgae: Tolerance, kinetics and equilibrium studies

  • The Elias Tillandz Prize

Congrulations to Dr. Sindhujaa Vajravel, Dr. Sema Sirin, Dr. Sergey Kosourov and Prof. Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne from University Turku team for winning the Elias Tillandz Prize -awarded to Best BioCity Turku Publication in 2020!

The best publication prize of BioCity Turku has been named after Professor Elias Tillandz (1640-1693) who was the first empirical life scientist in Turku. Prof. Tillandz has been considered to be the “father of botany” in Finland because he published in 1673 the first botanical study, “Catalogus plantarum, tam in excultis, quam in cultis locis prope Aboam superiore aestate nasci observatarum”, and also because he established the first academic botanical garden in Turku (1678).

The UTU team won the prize with the publication “Towards sustainable ethylene production with cyanobacterial artificial biofilms”. Team leader Prof. Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne shortly explains the concept of the study as “The thin-layer artificial biofilms fabricated in our group have sustained ‘green’ ethylene production from light and CO2 for up to 40 days”.For more info please click here: The Elias Tillandz Prize 2020

Funding is essential for scientific breaktroughts. We are grateful to all funding bodies NordForsk, Academy of Finland, the Novo Nordisk Fonden and University of Turku for their support on the project!

  • Open postdoc position on photosynthesis and photoelectrochemistry

The UTU Photosynthetic Microbes group is a part of a Nordic Center of Excellence (NordAqua, www.nordaqua.fi) and looking for a motivated postdoc to hire!

The team focuses on both fundamental aspects of photosynthesis, studying alternative electron transport pathways, and also applied photosynthesis, studying water remediation, biofuels and chemical production. You can learn more about the group here: www.utu.fi/photo-microbes .The goal of the project is to utilize the ability of photosynthetic microbes to create solar-driven electricity and produce the targeted chemicals.

Deadline for the application is 30 June 2021!  For more information about the application process see: Postdoc position @Photomicrobes group

  • Articles from NordAqua consortium in Physiologia Plantarum special issue

Here you can find articles from our consortium that are published in the Physiologia Plantarum “Blue economy in the North” special issue ! This volume of the journal is a special issue organized in collaboration with NordAqua.

Bioactive peptides from microalgae: Focus on anti-cancer and immunomodulating activity”

“Chemical diversity and cellular effects of antifungal cyclic lipopeptides from cyanobacteria”

“Doing synthetic biology with photosynthetic microorganisms”

NordAqua, a Nordic Center of Excellence to develop an algae‐based photosynthetic production platform

“Nordic cyanobacterial and algal lipids: TAG accumulation, chemotaxonomy and bioindustrial potential”

Photoautotrophic production of renewable ethylene by engineered cyanobacteria: Steering the cell metabolism towards biotechnological use”

Photosynthetic hydrogen production: Novel protocols, promising engineering approaches and application of semi‐synthetic hydrogenases”

“Regulatory electron transport pathways of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria and microalgae: recent advances and biotechnological prospects”

“Sustainable resource production for manufacturing bioactives from micro‐ and macroalgae: Examples from harvesting and cultivation in the Nordic region”

“The cell wall of green microalgae and its role in heavy metal removal”

Wastewater treatment by microalgae”

  • FinnCERES Public Seminar: Fibre and Beyond

FinnCERES invites you to a unique showcase of the latest research findings and innovations in the world of bio-based materialson 10 March at 2 PM (EET/GMT+2). Please click here for more info and registration!

  • NordAqua Annual Meeting 2021 will be held ONLINE

NordAqua members! We are delighted to welcome you to the NordAqua Annual Meeting 2021, on Thursday 4th March. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this meeting will be held online. In this meeting our partner organizations will give a brief recap of 2020. The information regarding the final programme and zoom link have already been sent to internal email of NordAqua consortium.

We also would like to inform you that the Nordic Algae Symposium (NAS) is cancelled because of the outbreak. We look forward to meeting you online!

  • A new research article on nutrient removal from hydroponic effluent by Nordic microalgae in a greenhouse environment at pilot scale

Congrats to UTU & LUKE team for the collaborative paper which is recently out! The study shows the feasibility of using Nordic cyanobacteria and microalgae for bioremediation of hydroponic effluents from a commercial cucumber greenhouse was evaluated. It is a proof of concept paper for using a greenhouse infrastructure to provide artificial light and temperature for the cultivation of microalgae creates an exciting opportunity for microalgae bioremediation in Nordic countries.

Please check here the article: “Nutrient removal from hydroponic effluent by Nordic microalgae: From screening to a greenhouse photobioreactor operation”

  • A new research article on pharmaceutical removal with Nordic microalgae at pilot scale

Congrats to Umeå University team members! A new research article is recently out which determines the efficiency of Nordic microalgal strains in API removal using HRAPs fed with municipal wastewater and their fate after treatment! Please click to read the article: Fate of active pharmaceutical ingredients in a northern high-rate algal pond fed with municipal wastewater

  • New research articles by the Uppsala Uni team are on-line

Congrats to Uppsala Uni team for publishing! The articles contributing toWP5-cell factories are:

Isobutene production in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by introducing α-ketoisocaproate dioxygenase from Rattus norvegicus

Metabolic engineering of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for improved bisabolene production

Engineered cyanobacteria with additional overexpression of selected Calvin-Benson-Bassham enzymes show further increased ethanol production

  • Save the date: 04.03.2021 – NordAqua Annual Meeting

The NordAqua Annual Meeting will be held ONLINE on March 4, 2021. NordAqua members, please save the date. The information regarding the details of the annual meeting will be sent to consortium common email list. Please stay tuned!