Are algae ready to take off? GHG emission savings of algae-to-kerosene production

Aviation alternative fuels are perceived as an effective short-term mean to decarbonise our flights. Sustainable aviation fuels from algae have been recently approved for commercial flights, and here we present an assessment of their greenhouse gas (GHG) savings. Three case studies have been investigated with different plant designs and cultivation strategies. The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation's Life Cycle Assessment methodology is used as a guideline to assess the GHG saving potential of aviation fuels from algae. The approach here presented allows having a sound comparison with other alternative fuel production pathways. We show that the cultivation strategy based on oil maximisation does not necessarily provide significant advantages in terms of GHG savings. The assessed GHG savings fall in a wide range, being dependent on the inputs and cultivation strategy considered. In the best-case scenario, up to 68% of GHG savings can be achieved, therefore offering a substantial advantage over traditional fuels. When compared with the GHG saving of kerosene from other traditional bio-based feedstocks, like rapeseed, the results confirm algae as an interesting alternative, provided that certain conditions for their cultivation, such as high process optimisation, nutrient recycling and use of renewable energy to meet input demand, are met. The study also assessed the area potentially needed for an algae production plant able to supply large volumes of raw material to an existing commercial biorefinery. The findings confirm the potential of this feedstock to mitigate land abandonment on the coasts of the Mediterranean basin

Detection and isolation of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow of patients with clinically localized prostate cancer

BackgroundDisseminated tumor cells (DTCs) have been reported in the bone marrow (BM) of patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa). However, the existence of these cells continues to be questioned, and few methods exist for viable DTC isolation. Therefore, we sought to develop novel approaches to identify and, if detected, analyze localized PCa patient DTCs.MethodsWe used fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate a putative DTC population, which was negative for CD45, CD235a, alkaline phosphatase, and CD34, and strongly expressed EPCAM. We examined tumor cell content by bulk cell RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq) and whole‐exome sequencing after whole genome amplification. We also enriched for BM DTCs with α‐EPCAM immunomagnetic beads and performed quantitative reverse trancriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) for PCa markers.ResultsAt a threshold of 4 cells per million BM cells, the putative DTC population was present in 10 of 58 patients (17%) with localized PCa, 4 of 8 patients with metastatic PCa of varying disease control, and 1 of 8 patients with no known cancer, and was positively correlated with patients’ plasma PSA values. RNA‐Seq analysis of the putative DTC population collected from samples above (3 patients) and below (5 patients) the threshold of 4 putative DTCs per million showed increased expression of PCa marker genes in 4 of 8 patients with localized PCa, but not the one normal donor who had the putative DTC population present. Whole‐exome sequencing also showed the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms and structural variants in the gene characteristics of PCa in 2 of 3 localized PCa patients. To examine the likely contaminating cell types, we used a myeloid colony formation assay, differential counts of cell smears, and analysis of the RNA‐Seq data using the CIBERSORT algorithm, which most strongly suggested the presence of B‐cell lineages as a contaminant. Finally, we used EPCAM enrichment and qRT‐PCR for PCa markers to estimate DTC prevalence and found evidence of DTCs in 21 of 44 samples (47%).ConclusionThese data support the presence of DTCs in the BM of a subset of patients with localized PCa and describe a novel FACS method for isolation and analysis of viable DTCs.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151343/1/pros23896.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151343/2/pros23896_am.pd