Miriam Agler-Rosenbaum receives the ERC Consolidator Grant in the amount of two million euros for her project e-MICROBe. With the ERC Consolidator Grant, the European Research Council specifically supports excellent scientific projects in Europe. The biotechnologist is a pioneer in electrobiotechnology: with the grant she will establish a new group which will investigate microbial bioelectrochemistry.

Microorgansims like bacteria influence our lives in various ways - amongst other things they are a source for antibiotics. For the production of these substances their metabolism uses oxygen. Electrons are transmitted from one molecule to the other in these chemical reactions - electrictiy flows. Unfortunately oxygen often destabilizes the synthesis and its products. The result is only a very small or no output.

With e-MICROBe, Miriam Agler-Rosenbaum intends to reverse this process. She will link the metabolism of bacteria with an electrode in order to conduct away the metabolic electricity and to substitute the oxygen. That way, the scientists hope to be able to guide the production of the required molecules. Moreover this research approach might be an opportunity to discover much needed novell antibiotic substances.

Link zur Pressemitteilung (Deutsch)

Photo: Jan-Peter Kasper, FSU

12/10/2019