Descrizione del progetto
Nuova luce sul mondo nascosto degli estremofili
Nel regno della microbiologia, gli archeobatteri, organismi estremofili resistenti, dispongono di grandi potenzialità non sfruttate per le biotecnologie. Prosperando in condizioni estreme, essi presentano proprietà biochimiche uniche; tuttavia, le limitate conoscenze delle loro funzioni e strutture cellulari ne hanno ostacolato l’applicazione a livello industriale. Con il sostegno del programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie, il progetto C-ARCTECH formerà 11 dottorandi allo scopo di approfondire la ricerca fondamentale sugli archei e le relative applicazioni biotecnologiche. Con l’aiuto di esperti del mondo accademico e dell’industria, gli studiosi saranno i pionieri di metodi all’avanguardia che potranno sbloccare l’immenso potenziale degli archeobatteri in settori quali energia verde, biomateriali sostenibili e somministrazione di farmaci. Nel complesso, C-ARCTECH farà luce su questi microrganismi enigmatici rivoluzionando l’attuale panorama delle biotecnologie.
Obiettivo
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.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN - HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral NetworksCoordinatore
9712CP Groningen
Paesi Bassi