Old Hands Making New Discoveries
Old Hands Making New Discoveries
To bring sustainable products to the world through Innovation and Experience.
To develop sustainable products for our species and our habitat.
Strameno Limited was formed in 2018 to commercialise some science that was first started forty years previously. At that time we met up as young scientists working in the same field. During her studies Jane isolated a group of organisms in the marine environment about which very little was known. Although we kept in touch our work lives took us in different directions.
Throughout this time the cultures of these microorganism were continuously sub-cultured and a few years ago work began on identifying them and exploring their properties.
We now have a collection of strains of these microorganisms with confirmed strong potential in the general field of “algal” oils and other important products. We have formed Strameno Ltd to commercialise and develop them further. We hold a GB Patent for the most productive strains of our novel micro organisms. You can find out all about it here.
Jane returned to scientific research in 2013 to work on the little known micro-organisms called Labyrinthulomycetes because of their environmental and economic importance. Her work includes the exploitation of a unique collection of Thraustochytrids, deriving from her earlier studies, and new work on the recent move of pathogenic Labyrinthulids to land, where they cause the disease of grasses called Rapid Blight. As a result she is a director of Strameno Ltd. The majority of Jane’s earlier work was concerned with diseases of crayfish, particularly the lethal disease (Crayfish Plague) caused by the oomycete, Aphanomyces astaci.
We have known for many years that scientific discoveries can take a long time to reveal how they are useful. It’s really exciting to be involved in a project which demonstrates this, allows a group of older scientists to use their expertise creatively and demonstrates the value of the original sponsorship for this project – from the Natural Environment Research Council in 1980!
David Alderman has had a distinguished and highly productive career as a microbiologist in the UK Government Scientific Service and has unusually extensive expertise in a range of micro-organisms and laboratory procedures, on which expertise is generally less common.
David introduced formal statutory Good Laboratory Practice to the Weymouth Laboratory in the UK and his experience as a licence holder for the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 means that he is the go-to regulatory person in Strameno Ltd. He has been Editor of several scientific journals over the years and became Vice President and finally President of the European Association of Fish Pathologists. We rely upon him for drafting documents.
He first encountered the Thraustochytrids in the early 1970’s during a post doctoral fellowship at Portsmouth during which he described the genus Althornia and together with colleagues published some suggested revisions to their taxonomy. Moving to the MAFF Fish Diseases Lab (now CEFAS Weymouth), he then concentrated on shellfish diseases (including a major project joint with Jane Polglase on the spread of crayfish plague in the UK) and into methods to control Saprolegniasis in freshwater fish. From this he developed advisory expertise on aquatic veterinary medicines and development of disease challenge methods for use in the development of data for approval of aquatic veterinary medicines and vaccines to GLP standards. Having provided facilities for years to maintain Jane Polglase’s culture collection at Weymouth, in retirement he was able to support her return to active research into her collection which is the basis of Strameno’s collection.
It is really pleasing to see unusual organisms which hitherto were on the fringe of academic interest now become a potential sustainable solution for our planet. Having helped to maintain cultures for many years I hope Strameno will be able to bring our work to commercialisation.
Lydia qualified as a vet in 1978 from Liverpool University and then went to the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling where she obtained a PhD in aquatic veterinary studies. Her career has developed through working for feed companies, contract research organisations, veterinary pharmaceutical companies and teaching and research in an American University. Along the way she acquired an MBA, became President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (1998/99) and her final appointment was as Managing Director of PHARMAQ Ltd in the UK.
I have had a wonderful career and am thankful for all that has come to me through it. In working with Strameno I am still able to connect my passion for science with excitement about developing work we first saw at the beginning of our career. I’d love to talk to anyone who wants to discuss the optimisation and commercialisation of our product.