[ad_1]
Symbolfoto.
© BARBARA GINDL
Graz: Squalene is an important component of vaccine boosters and could also play an important role in future SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Since its main source is the livers of sharks, animal rights activists say it could kill hundreds of thousands of sharks. Researchers in Graz have found a way to biosynthetically produce the substance, which is also used largely in the cosmetic industry. That could save the lives of several sharks.
Natural squalene oil is produced in plants such as sugar cane, amaranth, olive trees and even in the human body, but the most productive source is the liver of deep-sea sharks, the Austrian Center for Industrial Biotechnology announced Wednesday. (acib). In the context of the development of a globally available vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the demand for squalene is increasing rapidly. Active enhancers such as squalene ensure that vaccines develop their maximum effect by ensuring better absorption of the active ingredients. Even small doses and the smallest pathogen particles in the body can induce a permanent immune response, and the pharmaceutical industry uses fewer antigens in single doses.
3,000 sharks for a ton of squalene
However, this should intensify shark hunting: according to acib, around 3,000 sharks would have to be slaughtered to obtain one tonne of squalene. According to estimates by environmental authorities, up to three million sharks are already being killed due to the oil, which is popular in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutritional supplement industries. According to animal rights activists, there could now be an additional 500,000 sharks in the neck. Organizations such as the US NGO Shark Allies have already called for alternatives to be sought. Plant-derived squalene would be an option, but it is more than 30 percent more expensive than animal squalene, according to aacib.
The latest news
Therefore, microorganisms are considered the future hope for squalene production. Acib researchers have succeeded in producing the substance biosynthetically in baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). To do this, the team first got the yeast to produce the amberine fragrance (a rare fragrance molecule that originally comes from the digestive tracts of whales). “An intermediate product that arises in the course of sterol biosynthesis is squalene,” explained Harald Pichler of acib.
“After the yeast strain had already produced this lipid, we were able to use metabolic engineering to modulate certain metabolic pathways in such a way that the yeast cells suddenly accumulate many times more squalene,” said the delighted researcher. Meanwhile, Graz experts can use microbial “squalene factories” to produce several grams of pure squalene in the laboratory. “We have shown that the process works on a laboratory scale,” says Pichler. The aim now is to optimize the logs so that they can also be produced on a large scale and used by industry. (WHAT)
