Pharmaceutical industry

Natural plant substance from microbes

Nature offers a wide range of active ingredients that play an increasingly important role in medicine, the pharmaceutical and food industries. Natural substances that are not very popular are gradually coming into the spotlight. Ferulic acid is one of these candidates. It is contained in many plants such as rice, dill or roseroot and has health promoting ingredients as well as flavours which are relevant for the production of aromas such as vanillin and the typical wheat beer taste.

Biocatalyst for new drugs

For many years, medicine has been looking at many molecules from nature, but usually these compounds are so complex that it is difficult to chemically replicate them. If they do succeed, the basis for this is ultimately petroleum-based chemistry. In nature, by contrast, enzymes produce these complex molecules. One of these enzymes is the enzyme AmbDH3, which a team led by Frank Hahn has now investigated in greater detail. This enzyme is involved in the formation of Ambruticin, a suspected fungicide in bacteria.

Creating new microbial bio-factories

“Microbes can do more” could be the motto of the "Microbial Biofabrics for the Industrial Bioeconomy" funding program of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Its goal is to identify previously not industrially used microorganisms and to optimize them in order to create new products or processes. Bacteria from the Bacteroidetes group might have this potential, which the "BaPro" project now hopes to exploit.

Building houses from fungi

Fungi are usually eaten or used to make cheese or beer. However, for Vera Meyer they are more than that. As a biotechnologist and artist, she is well aware of the diversity of the species and their potential, for the bioeconomy in particular. This is because fungi can not only be used to produce new composites and packaging, but also clothing, furniture and building materials. Meyer's vision of living in fungi houses not only drives her research: as an artist, she forms these multi-talents into sculptures in order to bring the diversity of fungi to a wider public.

Coral antibiotic from the cell factory

Nature's biodiversity harbors an almost immeasurable treasure of biologically active substances that can be of benefit to humans. A well-known example is the antibiotic penicillin, which is extracted from the mold Penicillium chrysogenum. Less known is the antibiotic Erogorgiaene. It is produced in small quantities by the horn coral Antillogorgia elisabethae. A team from the TU Munich has now succeeded with international partners in producing this active ingredient in bacteria.

Reducing allergens in food

Many people suffer from food allergies. According to estimates by the German Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB), around six million children and adults are affected in Germany alone. Peanut allergy is particularly widespread. So far, allergy sufferers have had to do without allergy-causing foods such as peanuts or mustard, as the condition cannot yet be cured.

Conserving ocean biodiversity

The earth is 70% water. The oceans are the root of biological diversity and are home to an incredible range of organisms that, among other things, serve the human world as source of nutrition and raw materials. The seas are also the most important trading lane for the global economy, while coastal and inland waters are for many a place of rest and relaxation. But the marine ecosystem is threatened: experts have long warned of a decline in ocean biodiversity caused by climate change and the adverse impacts of human activity.

Painting with molecules

Molecular structures are the building blocks of every organism. But because of their minute size, they are extremely difficult to visualize. A team of Dortmund-based researchers headed by Leif Dehmelt at the Technical University and Yaowen Yu at the Chemical Genomics Center of the Max Planck Society developed a new method to depict the inner workings of a cell.

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