Unlocking the Hidden Treasures of Aquatic Extremophiles: sustainable development of industrially relevant novel active biomolecules (EXPLORA)

Unlocking the Hidden Treasures of Aquatic Extremophiles: sustainable development of industrially relevant novel active biomolecules (EXPLORA)

The aim of the project is to study beneficial compounds among Antarctic marine bacteria to use them for human needs in the future.

The subject of the study is aquatic extremophiles. These are marine bacteria in the Southern Ocean that survive prolonged low temperatures and often significant ultraviolet radiation. Scientists will try to figure out how they do it.

First, the project will sample marine bacteria in the area of the Vernadsky base – in the waters of the Wilhelm Archipelago off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The following tasks are further planned:

• DNA analysis of the selected samples, determination of their composition and functional characteristics
• Development of a database of promising microorganisms that can potentially synthesize useful compounds with antifreeze and antioxidant properties
• Selection of optimal conditions for growing bacteria and their cultivation
• Examine the genome of bacterial cultures for genes that encode their useful properties.

The most promising bacterial cultures will then be sent to laboratories, where the microorganisms will be propagated in bioreactors to synthesize and isolate useful compounds.

Scientists hope that the resulting compounds will be potentially useful for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medicine, etc.

A separate highlight of the project is the improvement of technologies for sampling microorganisms in extreme environments, as this is often a complex process.

In cooperation with partners, it is planned to develop a robotic sampling system in the waters of the Southern Ocean. The system will be tested at the Vernadsky station. This will make the sampling of microorganisms more accurate and standardized, reducing the involvement of humans in this process and their potential impact on the process.

The EXPLORA project is implemented by the National Antarctic Scientific Centre (NASC) together with 12 partners from Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Bulgaria.

It started on December 1, 2024, and will last for 48 months.