The BEAP-MAR Kick Off Meeting took place in Lugo, Spain on the 30th January 2024
BEAP-MAR is a Interreg Atlantic Area funded project which aims to address significant challenges within the Blue Bioeconomy sector in the Atlantic Area. These challenges primarily revolve around the limited understanding of marine organisms, particularly those that are not conventionally exploited for commercial purposes. Examples include new algal strains, marine fungi, and sponges.
The project seeks to capitalize on these underutilized resources by extracting and developing new and innovative bioactive compounds and products with applications across various industries.
Project partners from France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain travelled to Lugo for the one day event. The partners held their first kick-off meeting which consisted of a presentation from Carlos Garea Lodeiro, the Interreg Atlantic Area Project Manager followed by a a project overview from lead partner Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Later each partner presented on their organisation in general and in relation to the BEAP-MAR project which allowed for partners to get to know each other better. Actions for the future were planned and partners had time to discuss any outstanding issues or queries.

With the internal BEAP-MAR meeting wrapped up, it was then time to welcome stakeholders in-person and virtually to the BEAP-MAR Public Launch event. 60 people attended the event, with 25 people in person and a further 35 joining us online.
The event comprised of four keynote speakers, with the first being Luis Botana, the coordinator of the BEAP-MAR project. During his presentation, entitle “An overview of our Drug Discovery approach funded by the Interreg Atlantic Program”, Botana outlined the project’s objectives and introduced the partnership involved. Furthermore, he conducted a review of previous Interreg projects, highlighting their main achievements and illustrating how they are interconnected with BEAP-MAR. This discussion emphasised the evolutionary trajectory of these initiatives, which began many years ago with a discovery-oriented approach.

Next, Celso Alves (Polytechnic of Leiria, Portugal) delivered a presentation entitled “An Untapped Source of Biotechnological and Therapeutic Value-Added Products.” During this session, he highlighted the presence of various seaweed-derived components stemming from primary and secondary metabolism. These compounds boast diverse applications in the fields of nutraceuticals, biotechnology, and therapeutics. He provided illustrative examples of their potential activities through several case studies conducted by their research group.

The subsequent speaker was Romulo Aráoz, who presented on “Vulcanodinium rugosum: Bio-Guided Drug Discovery Reveals New Cyclic Imine Congeners with Potential Pharmacological Applications” Initially, he delved into the significant implications of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (nAChRs) and various molecules derived from natural organisms traditionally used to modulate these receptors. Following this, he elucidated on the MRBassay, a high-throughput assay, and their application for the detection and discovery of new nAChR ligands. Aráoz further explained how the utilisation of a Chemical Library from ICSN facilitated the discovery of a novel cyclic imine congener with promising pharmacological applications.
The final speaker was Eva Cagide, R&D Coordinator at AMSlab Group, who delivered a talk titled “Innovation in Biotechnology”. Initially, she outlined the company’s focus on the blue-bioeconomy sector, highlighting its significance. Subsequently, Cagide detailed the various contributions of the AMSlab Group to biotechnology, including its role in analyzing contaminants, conducting toxicology studies, performing stability studies, producing reference materials, and utilizing omics technologies. Finally, she explained the application of biotechnology to marine biotoxins and elucidated the process for obtaining Marine Reference Compounds (MRCs).
The Launch Event was thought-provoking and led to many discussion post event between stakeholders and partners. It was an extremely beneficial session and a fantastic way to kick start the BEAP-MAR journey. Many thanks to our Lead Partner Universidade de Santiago de Compostela for the warm hospitality and organising a fantastic and productive day.