Sargassum microbes to drive new science hub

The discovery of three microbial strains in sargassum could help Barbados secure new intellectual property, expand scientific research and turn marine resources into high-value commercial products, Science and Technology Minister Jonathan Reid has said.

The groundbreaking find by UWI researcher Dr Bidyut Mohapatra represents a transformative leap forward for Barbadian innovation, biotechnology and commercial manufacturing and forms part of a wider effort to become a regional centre for technological and biological research, he said.

Reid told Barbados TODAY that the government was taking steps to secure the intellectual property rights. “To Dr Mohapatra’s credit, that’s exactly what he wanted,” he said. “He named them after Barbados, and he wanted to patent them here, and that’s part of his dream. So we are assisting with the facilitation of that through the Attorney General’s office.”