Project description
Skinless cell droplets to revolutionise biological manufacturing
While living things usually build minerals inside tiny, skin-like bags within their cells, they can also be grown inside special droplets that lack a surrounding membrane, thus opening up new ways to create biological materials. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the BAM project aims to investigate the regulatory role of membraneless organelles in biomineralisation, a process traditionally associated with membrane-bound compartments. Using artificial membraneless organelles constructed from biogenic heavy metal-binding peptides, it will shed light on the mechanisms governing metal sulphide formation. By integrating high-throughput microfluidic methods, the project will define how these condensed phases affect mineral structure and material properties. Ultimately, it will advance the frontiers of synthetic biology and bio-inspired chemistry, establishing tools for controlled, intracellular-like biomineral production.
Objective
Biomineralization typically occurs within membrane-bound intracellular sub-compartments, where phospholipid membranes and embedded proteins play essential roles in regulating the process. Lately, membraneless organelles have emerged as potential platforms for biomineral production. Despite their recognized importance in both cell and synthetic biology, only a few studies have examined how membraneless organelles influence biomineral formation and the resulting material properties.
In this context, our preliminary results demonstrate that metal sulfide minerals can form within artificial membraneless organelles (AMOs). This finding provides the conceptual foundation for the BAM project, which aims to elucidate the mechanisms of metal sulfide biomineralization within AMOs.
Specifically, BAM will:
1. Define how membraneless organelles regulate biomineralization in vitro.
2. Use membraneless organelles to control the structure and properties of biominerals.
3. Establish high-throughput and controlled methods for biomineral formation adapted for potential applications.
These objectives will test the hypothesis that membraneless organelles can support intracellular biomineralization through mechanisms distinct from those in membrane-bound organelles. To achieve this, we will employ biogenic heavy metal–binding peptides and proteins—molecules already known to be involved in biomineralization—to construct artificial organelles.
Our interdisciplinary approach will enable the rational design and control of minimal systems based on AMOs. The BAM project will therefore deliver a unique, multidisciplinary investigation that expands the frontiers of biomineralization and synthetic biology. Ultimately, it will establish novel methods and tools for the scientific community, while also creating opportunities to develop innovative inorganic synthesis strategies at the interface of inorganic and physical chemistry, biology, and microfluidic engineering.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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66123 Saarbrucken
Germany
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