Nadja Henke has a great job: she brings color into life - at least in animal feed and cosmetics. The young systems biologist is developing a sustainable process in which bacteria produce the antioxidant pigment astaxanthin under economic conditions.

Research for application

"I'm curious about biology and nature independently of my career," says the 28-year-old. She had already had a penchant for nature in her high school years. "I was already certain that I would study biology," she recalls. She did so at the University of Bielefeld. Once again, she quickly realised where she wanted to go next: molecular biology. "I wanted to do something meaningful in my career and also found the abstraction exciting - there are many things you don't see," she explains her decision.

Early in her studies, she worked intensively with bacteria. "I was fascinated by bacteria because experiments can be carried out quickly," said Henke explaining what distinguishes this field from other areas of biology. She is doing her master's degree in genome-based systems biology and is finally doing her doctorate at the Centre for Biotechnology (CeBiTec) under Volker Wendisch – still at the University of Bielefeld, in the region which is her home.

Astaxanthin is in high demand

The biologist has been working with pigments for even longer than with microorganisms. Initially, she studied flavonoid synthesis in the favourite organism of plant researchers, the thale cress. In her master's thesis, she started focusing on carotenoid biosynthesis in bacteria. Carotenoids form a large group of pigments, many of which also have excellent antioxidative properties. "I finally got hooked on astaxanthin," said Henke.

"Astaxanthin is a substance that has been given a lot of attention," continues the researcher. The red-violet carotenoid is used as a feed in fish farming, but is also an ingredient in cosmetics. The antioxidant effect of the pigment protects the skin from UV rays better than vitamin E. In fish, the carotenoid also has a positive effect on immune defence and fertility. Above all, however, it gives salmon its reddish colour, which the animals get in nature by eating small crustaceans. The small crustaceans, in turn, receive the pigment from green algae they eat. They are also the only alternative source to obtain astaxanthin without synthesizing the pigment from petroleum.

Bacteria as an alternative to petroleum and algae

Or rather, they "were" the only alternative source, for Henke is in the process of establishing a second alternative. "My predecessor at the university analyzed the pigmented bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum and found that the staining was caused by a carotenoid," said the systems biologist. An exciting discovery because: "Corynebacterium glutamicum is industrially established because it has been used for the production of amino acids for more than 60 years," said Henke. "If we normally discover something in research, it's exotic and difficult to handle."

Invitation to business plan competition

After her doctorate, things took a whole new turn for Henke: she started to refine the process with a start-up. "The trigger was an e-mail from a business plan competition," she recalls. "I felt challenged, because I had no clue about it and could learn something." It helped that the production organism had already been adapted for industrial use and that she had support from Professor Wendisch, a real expert on the corynebacterium.

During her doctorate, she held initial talks with business angels and sponsors. "Everyone encouraged me to commercialize the process." And so she started by writing a grant application. "We have to move from proof-of-principle to a fully developed industrial base," she describes the challenge. In January, she received funds from the EU's ERDF programme for 18 months to work with two staff members to advance her project as the university spin-off "Bicomer". "It is still too early for customers or investors," explains the 28-year-old, "although the market is hot and many customers are requesting samples."