Unveiling microbial and microalgal chassis for therapeutic and diagnostic protein expression

Biopharmaceuticals are becoming one of the most successful clinical therapeutic products for treating various disorders and are gradually being utilized across nearly all areas of medicine. They have revolutionized the treatment of numerous diseases and continue to represent a significant area of research and development. Presently, host cell systems like bacteria, yeast, insects, and mammalian cells dominate the production of both therapeutic and diagnostic proteins. This review explores the strengths and limitations of these existing host systems for recombinant protein production, emphasizing the promising potential of microalgal systems for expressing therapeutic and diagnostic proteins. It accentuates the advantages of microalgae, such as their rapid growth rates, scalability, and sustainability. We delve into the intricacies of glycosylation patterns in microalgae, comparing them with those in other expression systems. This review highlights recent advancements in algal-based protein expression systems for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. It also outlines a strategic roadmap for future developments in biopharmaceutical production, emphasizing how each expression system's unique characteristics can help meet modern medicine's growing demands.