Laboratory of Algal Biotechnology

Photoautotrophic cultivation

Microalgae strains produce a spectrum of biologically active compounds such as plant hormones and antimicrobial compounds. Biomass and its extracts can therefore be used as an alternative to chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers, the residues of which can cause environmental pollution. Since the cultivation of microalgae requires certain amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon, municipal wastewater contains high amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon (in the form of organic matter) can replace the expensive mineral fertilisers used for microalgae cultivation. The team is now focusing on the investigation of microalgae with a specific fatty acid profile, as some polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) produced by microalgae may have biotechnological applications in food and feed production.

Algal Bio-refinery

Both basic and applied research of this group is focused on the development of complex processing techniques algal biomass, sequential extraction followed by fractionation of individual components, which is currently a process known as bio-refineries.

Natural products: Biosynthesis and regulation

We focus on cyanobacterial secondary metabolites with potential use in disease prevention in humans, livestock, and the underlying mechanisms of their biosynthesis using various techniques of molecular biology. By combining modern chemical techniques with bioinformatic and molecular methods, we are able to comprehensively study the compounds starting with their isolation following bioactivity-guided purification and the following detailed characterization of their properties, functions, and biosynthetic pathways.

The main goal of our research is to indentify novel compounds with antimicrobial properties to help counteract the current shortage of effective antibacterial drugs.