From Chile's coast to a Qingdao lab: what we could build together

This week we looked at seaweed compounds in cancer research, laboratory work on norovirus binding, and gut barrier studies in mice. These are early and very different stages of research, not proven treatments. They do show one thing clearly: which seaweed you use, and how you prepare it, matters.

What connected work looks like

One example from this week shows what that looks like. BG136, a cancer drug candidate now in clinical trials in China, is made from cochayuyo, a seaweed Chilean families have cooked into soups for generations. It does not grow in China, so the Qingdao team went to Chile to secure a stable, high quality supply. Developing it took more than a decade and three partners: Ocean University of China, the Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Qingdao and Conson Pharmaceutical Group. Together they covered extraction, purification, production and quality standards.

What could we build here?

What could we build in BC and Canada if we connected ours? We also have species others do not. Bull kelp, for example, forms large forests along the Pacific coast of North America, from Alaska to California, and does not grow in the Atlantic.

Some say a small, young sector is naturally less open. I have not seen evidence for that. Research on how new industries form argues the opposite: young industries earn the trust of buyers, funders and regulators when their founders act together, through shared standards, common methods and associations (Aldrich and Fiol, 1994). Openness does not mean giving away what you own. Supply agreements, recipes and customer lists can stay private. What we can share is what no one wins alone: what our species contain, how to test them, and what it costs to meet a standard. BG136 itself is the proof. No single partner could have built it.

An invitation

Our sector is small, and much of the work still happens in isolation. I would like to start with one project:

First, a local seaweed. Second, one clearly defined compound and one shared research question. Third, an agreed plan to prepare it, test it and find out who would buy it.

If you can bring biomass, research expertise, processing capacity, equipment, funding or market insight, let's talk. Comment on our posts on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, send us a direct message, or write to us at seaweedeconomy.com/contact. Tell us what you can offer and what you need.