Johan Andersen-Ranberg says: “Genetically engineered microorganisms are today widely used for producing everyday items such as food ingredients, medicine and laundry detergents. Most of these microorganisms eat sugar, coming from plantations that have replaced tropical rain forests, and while producing a desired product they exhale CO2. Marine algae that have existed on earth for billions of years do the exact opposite when they grow. They inhale CO2 and use energy from the sun to convert it into biological materials. Algae can also be used for production, but since we cannot genetically engineer algae the same way as with the sugar-eating microorganisms, only a limited number of products, including baby formula supplements, are made using algae today. SunMade wants to change this by developing the genetic engineering tools that will enable the sustainable production of food ingredients and protein in algae. The long-term goal is thus to replace sugar-eating microorganisms with algae, to enable the direct conversion of CO2 into valuable bioproducts that are widely used in our society today.”