Description

NOVELMAR – Novel marine products with biotechnological applications, matches one of the three main research lines of CIIMAR- Marine Biotechnology. The main objective of this research line is to strengthen and consolidate CIIMAR know-how and competence in the area of marine biotechnology in special on the use of marine organisms (e.g cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi and other organisms) bioactive products that may have pharmacological, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, antifouling and other industrial applications. This will involve a team composed of many top level CIIMAR researchers complemented with the creation of scientific jobs that will reinforce our capacity to do international level research in the marine biotechnology area. We will survey the bioactive compounds produced by marine organisms using an innovative approach, gathering knowledge that will make CIIMAR more competitive in national and international terms. The main innovation this research line will be the use of a double approach – a genomic and a bioassay-guided approach, to study a diversity of industrial applications using a biorefinery pipeline concept, aiming to produce zero residues. We will apply a methodology that will involve several levels of biological organization from the DNA (sequencing and survey of gene clusters that produce some of the compounds and further heterologous expression) to the organisms. Due to the previous successful experience of the MARBIOTECH project (ON2) we will have available at the beginning of the proposed project pure elucidated compounds, organisms biomass, isolated organisms, and will continue the collection and isolation of new organisms, in special extremofiles that may have innovative products, including enzymes, with novel properties to be used in industrial processes. The knowledge gathered during this multidisciplinary project that will involve geneticists, biologists, microbiologists, chemists, biochemists, and pharmaceutics, among other will be essential to increase CIIMAR competitiveness in the marine biotechnology area.