Deleware State University lands nearly $300,000 USDA grant for algae research

In Delaware, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded two DSU researchers a three-year just under $300,000 grant for a project that could leverage the properties of microalgae toward energy and cancer treatment purposes.

The technical title of the project is “A Multiple-Stage Cost Effective Smart Farming of Engineered Microalgae for Simultaneous Production of High-Value Molecules and Bioenergy.”

The research involves 1). Converting microalgae into bio-energy/biofuels, and 2.) Using microalgae to develop a more cost effective alternative for the production of taxol, an anti-cancer pharmaceutical.