From Ocean to Medicine: What Seaweed's Pharmaceutical Potential Means for BC

A January 2024 study from researchers at the University of Coimbra and University of Aveiro in Portugal traces, for the first time in a comprehensive and integrated way, the full development pipeline from seaweed extract to approved pharmaceutical drug. Published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the study examines how bioactive compounds are extracted from seaweed, characterized, tested for pharmacological activity, formulated for delivery, and brought through regulatory approval to commercial market entry. The lead author is clear about the timeline: this is work measured in decades, not years. But the direction it points matters for BC.

The species at the centre of this research include the kelp and red algae families that grow along BC's coast. The compounds receiving the most scientific attention, including fucoidan, fucoxanthin, laminarin, carrageenan, and related polysaccharides and polyphenols, are present in species harvested and farmed here. Research to date has documented their potential across a range of health applications: anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activity, as well as potential roles in cardiovascular health, metabolic disorders, and neuroprotection. These fall across a spectrum from nutraceuticals and natural health products at the nearer end, to pharmaceutical drug development at the longer and more demanding end. Both ends of that spectrum represent real commercial value well above what food-grade or feed-grade biomass currently generates.

For BC to participate meaningfully in that value chain, the sector would need to develop several capabilities that do not yet exist at scale here. These include biomass traceability and quality documentation systems capable of meeting pharmaceutical and nutraceutical-grade standards; extraction infrastructure suited to isolating specific bioactive compounds reliably and at volume; and partnerships between producers, post-secondary institutions, and life sciences companies willing to invest in characterization and clinical research. The National Research Council of Canada is already screening Canadian seaweed strains for high-value bioactive compounds and building genetic records of kelp populations in Canadian waters. That foundational science work is underway. The question for BC producers is whether the biomass they are growing today is being handled and documented in ways that would support that next tier of application.

The gap between commodity seaweed and bioactive-grade seaweed is partly a processing and infrastructure question, and partly a standards and traceability question. Neither is insurmountable, and the sector in BC is early enough that building toward these standards now is considerably more practical than retrofitting later.

Source: Cotas, J., Lomartire, S., Gonçalves, A.M.M., and Pereira, L. (2024). From Ocean to Medicine: Harnessing Seaweed's Potential for Drug Development. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(2), 797.