iBB

Marine microbiomes are prolific sources of bioactive compounds of pharmaceutical value. A new study, published in Marine Drugs, inspected two culture collections comprising 919 host-associated marine bacteria belonging to 55 genera and several unclassified lineages. The study identified numerous isolates with a potentially rich secondary metabolism and inhibitory activities towards human-pathogenic bacteria and fungi. These culture collections, available at iBB-IST and Aveiro University, are a valuable resource of understudied marine bacteria that hold promise for a future, sustainable production of novel drug leads. The work was developed within the SymbioReactor project (DGPM | Fundo Azul program), first-authored by MSc João Almeida and coordinated by Dr Tina Keller-Costa and Prof Rodrigo Costa. The study also involved PhD student Matilde Marques, Dr Dalila Mil-Homens, Prof Miguel Teixeira and Prof Arsénio Fialho from iBB as well collaborators from Aveiro University and Biocant.

A new research project “SymbioReactor - Sustainable production of bioactive metabolites from microbial symbionts of marine sponges and corals” was recently awarded 178k EUR funding by the Fundo Azul programme from the Ministry of the Sea (Blue Biotechnology call 5/2017). SymbioReactor aims to uncover the antibacterial, antifungal and antitumor properties of an existing culture collection at BSRG-iBB comprising a yet uncharted panel of 1,000 bacterial symbionts from marine sponges and corals. The project’s overarching goal resides in the exploration of marine symbiotic communities to develop customized, effective tools that lead to the sustainable production of pharmacologically applicable metabolites from the seas. The project is headed by Rodrigo Costa and Tina Keller-Costa from BSRG-iBB and involves two public research institutions (University of Aveiro and Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular), an industrial partner (Biotrend) and an international consultant (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology). It also counts with the support of the Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve and the Straw Patrol initiative for scientific dissemination.