Aequor, Inc.

I discovered novel chemicals in the ocean that are highly potent to kill bacteria and fungi wherever they are found:  on inert, nano and organic surfaces, on plant, animal and human tissues, in the air and in water.  In addition to supporting a Woman-Owned Small Business (only 2.7% of women-owned companies get funded) and encouraging women in Science, the Prize will elevate the importance of the Green Chemistry industry -- which has grown to $100 billion but is hardly making a dent in the $3 trillion+ chemical megasector.

Aequor is focused on biocides (antimicrobials, disinfectants, antibiotics), which are used today at toxic doses to kill bacteria and fungi that have developed antimicrobial resistance. These biocides accumulate and persist in ecosystems and organisms, never break down, and have entered the food chain. The average American is exposed to 3,000 lbs. of toxic chemicals per year, including "endocrine disruptors" that affect reproduction and metabolism. Babies are being born with over 200 chemicals in their bodies.

Aequor will use the $300K to buy bulk quantities of our EPA-approved chemicals and start sales of green ingredients to identified formulators of consumer and industrial products, and users of our non-toxic water treatments and surface cleaners.

I am a scuba divemaster and earned my M.Sc and Ph.D. in Marine and Medical Microbiology from St. George's University in Grenada.  I hypothesized that some surfaces in the coral reef were protected from bacteria and fungi and the biofilm they produce - the root cause of contamination, disease and fouling (attachment of barnacles, mussels and algae to underwater surfaces). I discovered a new genus and several new species of marine microbes that produce non-toxic chemicals that remove biofilm in minutes and prevent its formation for days/weeks/months.  I won TechAmerica's Abacus Award for this discovery. I worked with chemists and contractors since 2009 to develop 70 new chemical compounds, 25 of which are approved under the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as "green" and non-toxic and are available for immediate sale. NASA was our first customer since biofilm forms thicker and faster in Space and had contaminated the water reuse/recycling water system used on board the International Space Station.  My goal is to start sales to companies committed to replacing toxic biocides in consumer products and industrial processes and raise money to develop new drugs to kill the antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and fungi Superbugs -- all of which are biofilm-formers.  

Since chemicals need regulatory approval before they can be sold, Aequor is starting sales of our EPA-approved "green" chemicals to sectors where we can make the biggest impact to address the climate crisis, provide new sources of food, create new industries in the bioeconomy, etc. For example, >span class="MsoHyperlink"> funded the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to test our treatment in bioreactors cultivating microalgae. We boosted the biomass by 40% in half the time.  In bioreactors using yeast to ferment plant residues, we boosted biomass by 30% and, importantly, eliminated the need for antibiotics that end up in animal feed.  Sandia National Lab is testing our treatment to boost algae biomass production in open ponds in deserts, using brackish water, in urban marginal land, etc. to increase the profitability of biofuels and create jobs in rural and urban areas. The demand for bioethanol continues to rise, as blending it with gasoline at the pump is the quickest way for countries to meet their UN carbon emission reduction goals, and bioethanol is used to make bio-based co-products: food, feed, nutraceuticals, plastics, chemicals, materials, etc.).   Algae biomass is already a $50B industry as consumers adopt taste for the meatless burger, etc.

Aequor looked to Nature to solve the pressing problems of the Century: green chemicals to replace toxic biocides in thousands of consumer products (Walmart banned 8 chemicals from its shelves, affecting 90,000 products), clean water, effective surface cleaners, industrial process enhancers to reduce energy consumption and boost the profitability of sustainable, bio-based products, and new approaches to kill the antimicrobial-resistant Superbugs.

It is no coincidence that every antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogen, pandemic threat, urgent threat, and biothreat is a biofilm-former.  The tragedy is that 80% of all wound infections and 90% of all hospital-acquired infections are associated with biofilm. Antibiotics, although still widely prescribed, can't work.  Over 1 million people died from biofilm-related infections worldwide in 2019. In 2020, the CDC announce that 20% of COVID deaths were from biofilm-related infections. Children with otitis media (a biofilm infection) end up deaf. Cystic fibrosis (a biofilm) is considered incurable.

Fortunately, a major Pharma company validated the efficacy of Aequor's chemicals and stated: "Nothing else known can remove biofilm at non-toxic doses." The NIH agreed and offered Aequor free pre-clinical trials for its new drug candidates. We seek funding for chemical development, first-time synthesis and scale-up in order to start those trials.

Aequor has been lecturing widely since 2009 to raise awareness of the urgent threats of bacterial and fungal biofilm, the importance of One Health, and the need for "green" substitutes for toxic biocides that work in multiple use cases to improve environmental and human health, particularly as populations increase and the climate crisis worsens. We apply for grants and send letters to journalists and Congressmen to offset the heavy lobbying by chemical, energy, and Pharma interest groups.  

What keeps us going are awards:  the NASA iTech Award in the life support category (one dose of our treatment eliminated bacterial biofilm and contamination from the water reuse/recycling system used on board the ISS for 15 months without replenishment); we were invited to speak on biofilm and One Health at the 2016 United Nations General Assembly High Level Meetings where AMR was named a global threat to humanity; etc.; we have won over $2M in validation testing (from USDA, DOE, NASA, multinationals doing pilot projects), etc.

We continue to apply for awards, grants, and investment funding for the operating capital to hire a management team, order chemicals in bulk and start sales. We always seek collaborators that can amplify our message.