Finding new antibiotics from single marine microbes
Enabling synthetic biology through single cell functional genomics
This project uses single-cell genomics to find antibiotic compounds in microbes living on marine animals that could help people with bacterial infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11254922 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I'm hoping for new treatments, the team collects microbes from sea animals like sponges, nudibranchs, and tunicates and isolates individual microbial cells to read their genomes. They use bioinformatics to spot gene clusters that make antibiotic compounds and apply a synthase-selected single-cell approach to focus on PKS-producing microbes. Promising gene clusters are engineered into lab-friendly host strains so those microbes can produce the compounds, with flow cytometry guiding production. The overall aim is to discover natural-product antibiotic candidates that could become leads for new drugs against infections.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with bacterial infections, especially those with infections resistant to current antibiotics, would most likely benefit from eventual drugs developed from this work.
Not a fit: People with non-bacterial illnesses such as viral infections, or those needing immediate treatment, are unlikely to benefit directly from this early-stage research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could produce new antibiotic candidates that may treat bacterial infections, including antibiotic-resistant strains.
How similar studies have performed: Many current antibiotics come from natural microbial products, so nature-based discovery has a strong track record, but applying single-cell functional genomics to marine symbionts is a newer approach with promising early results.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Burkart, Michael D. — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Burkart, Michael D.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.