| Project Detail |
Shedding light on the hidden world of extremophiles
In the realm of microbiology, archaebacteria, the resilient extremophiles, hold untapped potential for biotechnology. Thriving in extreme conditions, they exhibit unique biochemical properties. However, our limited knowledge of their cellular structure and functions has hindered their industrial application. With the support of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions programme, the C-ARCTECH project will train 11 doctoral candidates to delve into fundamental archaeal research and biotechnological applications. Mentored by experts from academia and industry, they will pioneer cutting-edge methods, unlocking the immense potential of archaea in sectors like green energy, sustainable biomaterials, and drug delivery. Overall, C-ARCTECH will shed light on these enigmatic microorganisms and revolutionise the biotechnology landscape.
Archaea form one of the three domains of life, next to bacteria and eukaryotes. Archaea have unique cellular characteristics that allow them to thrive in extreme environments, for example at high pressures, salt concentrations or temperatures. Although their biochemical and metabolic properties show great potential for a wide range of biotechnological applications, our lack of knowledge about the structure and function of the archaeal cell surface and its role in formation of communities, such as biofilms, is currently hampering the large-scale industrial use of these organisms. Indeed, several prominent questions remain unanswered due to the small scientific community working in the field, and the lack of methods and technologies enabling research under extreme conditions.
ARCTECH proposes the first training initiative on archaea, aiming to foster the next generation of European visionaries in ‘fundamental archaeal research and their application in biotechnology’. The 11 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) will address key knowledge gaps and develop methods and technologies for archaeal research, which are needed to unleash the industrial potential that archaea hold. The scientific outcomes of ARCTECH will be applicable to several biotech areas, such as Green Energy production, Sustainable Biomaterials, Biocorrosion, Enzyme production and Drug Delivery.
This project will directly impact the European Higher Education Sector as the first research training initiative embarking into the unchartered world of archaea. The DCs will be trained by world experts from European academic and industrial institutions, benefiting from strong interdisciplinary exposure (e.g. microbiology, bioimaging, biogas production). These entrepreneurial, innovative, and resilient DCs will be of great value both to the academic and non-academic sectors, bringing unique capacity to inspire/spawn new fields of innovation in European industries. |
