Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Our Misson
The principal interests of our group encompass basic and applied research on the discovery and production of novel secondary metabolites by various bacteria, fungi and medicinal plants. We focus on isolation, genome-based studies and manipulation of bacteria and fungi known as prolific producers of secondary metabolites, as well as development of approaches to sustainable plant micropropagation and production of bioactive compounds by plant organ and cell cultures.
Major Topics
- Isolation and genome-scale studies on plant-associated and marine-derived bacteria and fungi
- Bioprospecting for new bioactive compounds from endophytic bacteria and fungi, as well as from medicinal plants
- Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering for drug discovery
- Role of secondary metabolites in plant-microbe interactions
- Application of plant tissue culture for in vitro propagation of rare and endangered medicinal plant species
- Production of secondary metabolites using plant tissue cultures
- Quality enhancement of medicinal plants via selection for elite genotypes
- Maintenance of the medicinal plant garden and the greenhouse