At the chair of Applied Microbiology, we search for novel natural products, we investigate their potential for application (mainly as antibiotics), their biosynthesis pathways, and their ecological functions in interactions with the biotic and abiotic environment.
The bacterial genus Streptomyces is one of the most prolific when it comes to production of natural products with diverse biological activities. These molecules often serve as pharmaceuticals or as lead structures for the development of medicines.
To face the growing antibiotic resistance crisis, we search for natural products from established and newly isolated microorganisms. The biosynthesis of natural products is often closely tailored to fit environmental conditions and modifications of regulatory mechanisms or the biosynthesis pathway itself allows the isolation of novel natural products even from well-characterized organisms.
It is often unknown why microorganisms produce a natural product, and what its ecological function is. It is likely that natural products offer advantages for example in the mobilization of nutrients or the inhibition of competing microorganisms. Understanding these ecological roles of natural products, such as antibiotics, will aid in the search for novel bioactive molecules and the development of treatment strategies.
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Last update: Aug 25, 2022