A major European research project which aims to harness the full potential of the marine microbiome has entered a new stage.
A microbiome is the community of microorganisms that can usually be found living together in any given habitat. The marine microbiome is one of the fastest growing segments of the so-called ‘blue bioeconomy’, and its study is vital for the discovery, understanding, protection and use of ocean resources.
The BlueRemediomics project, which was awarded funding through the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme, involves researchers from a range of universities and research organisations worldwide, including Professors Abbe Brown and Marcel Jaspars, from the University’s School of Law and Department of Chemistry respectively.
Professor Jaspars is leading the use of genomic data for the discovery of new antimicrobial peptides (part of the innate immune response found among all classes of life) to target bacterial infections.
Meanwhile, Professor Brown is exploring innovative legal and policy approaches to improving access, protection, and governance of marine genetic resources and intellectual property rights.
This month, the completion of the 15-month long Traversing European Coastlines (TREC) expedition marks the beginning of an exciting research phase that involves the analysis of 23,000 marine samples and 70,000 terrestrial samples, providing new opportunities to study human impact on coastal ecosystems in unprecedented detail.
For the BlueRemediomics project, which aims to develop novel tools and approaches to explore marine microbiome data, these samples will provide critical insights into the search for novel products and cosmeceuticals derived from valuable marine bioresources.
