Microalgae-based approaches to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

At the end of 2019, a new coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began to spread rapidly worldwide, to the point of becoming a pandemic by early 2020. After almost two years of living with this new disease, humanity continues to face one of its greatest crises, not only health-wise but also environmentally and economically. To alleviate some of the effects suffered worldwide by the pandemic, it is necessary to integrate new strategies in medical therapies and economic strengthening. Under this scenario, the present review presents the functionalities of microalgae that could be exploited to boost the areas most affected by the pandemic. Among the most promising benefits are the various biomolecules derived from microalgae that could be adjuvant therapies or preventive agents and their potential to become biofactories of antibodies or vaccines through genetic engineering. Finally, the development of microalgae-based industries could become a driver of the economy and a source of local employment generation. In this way, the positive impact of microalgae-derived products in pharmacological, environmental, and industrial fields that could be exploited to counteract the consequences of two years of the pandemic is presented.