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  Discovery of novel pharmaceuticals from marine and desert microorganisms


   School of Natural and Computing Sciences

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  Prof M Jaspars, Dr R Ebel  Applications accepted all year round  Self-Funded PhD Students Only

About the Project

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying. 

Microorganisms from extreme environments such as the deep seas, cold seas and hyper arid deserts have been shown to produce a range of complex natural products with high biological activity. In this project you will investigate the chemistry of these compounds and their potential for treating a range of diseases. Via collaborations we obtain desert and marine samples from which you will isolate unique bacterial and fungal strains. Cultivating these under different conditions gives rise to varied metabolic profiles. We have new facilities for cultivating bacteria at very high pressures to mimic deep sea environments. You will use a range of chromatographic techniques to isolate the compounds from these cultured microbes. The next step will be to identify their chemical structures using spectroscopic techniques followed by testing the compounds in a range of biological assays to ascertain their biological activity and potential for use against human diseases.

As part of this project you will gain skills in microbiology, natural product chemistry and biological testing. You will work in a committed group of scientists interested in investigating natural resources for their potential to treat disease. The group is located in the Marine Biodiscovery Centre which houses state-of-the-art facilities and scientists with skills in microbiology, molecular biology, chemical analysis and natural product chemistry.

Informal enquiries are encouraged. Please contact Professor M Jaspars ([Email Address Removed]) for further information.

Essential Background:

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Chemistry, biochemistry or pharmacy.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for Chemistry (PhD) to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project title on the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the studentship.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you DO NOT need to provide a research proposal with this application.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at [Email Address Removed]

Biological Sciences (4) Chemistry (6)

Funding Notes

This is a self-funding project open to students worldwide. Our typical start dates for this programme are February or October.

Fees for this programme can be found here Finance and Funding | Study Here | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk)

Additional research costs / bench fees may also apply and will be discussed prior to any offer being made.


References

1. Whole Genome Sequence of Dermacoccus abyssi MT1.1 Isolated from the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench Reveals Phenazine Biosynthesis Locus and Environmental Adaptation Factors” Abdel-Mageed, WM; Juhasz, B; Lehri, B; Alqahtani, AS; Nouioui, I; Pech-Puch, D; Tabudravu, JN; Goodfellow, M; Rodriguez, J; Jaspars, M; Karlyshev, AV Marine Drugs 2020 18 131
2. “Downsizing Class II Lasso Peptides: Genome Mining-Guided Isolation of Huascopeptin Containing the First Gly1-Asp7 Macrocycle” Cortes-Albayay, C; Jarmusch, SA; Trusch, F; Ebel, R; Andrews, BA; Jaspars, M; Asenjo, JA Journal of Organic Chemistry 2020 85 1661
3. “Heterologous Expression of a Cryptic Gene Cluster from Streptomyces leeuwenhoekii C34(T) Yields a Novel Lasso Peptide, Leepeptin” Gomez-Escribano, JP; Castro, JF; Razmilic, V; Jarmusch, SA; Saalbach, G; Ebel, R; Jaspars, M; Andrews, B; Asenjo, JA; Bibb, MJ Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2019 85 e01752-19
4. “Simplified immunosuppressive and neuroprotective agents based on gracilin A” Abbasov, ME; Alvarino, R; Chaheine, CM; Alonso, E; Sanchez, JA; Conner, ML; Alfonso, A; Jaspars, M; Botana, LM; Romo, D., Nature Chemistry 2019, 11, 342-350
5. “Asenjonamides A-C, antibacterial metabolites isolated from Streptomyces asenjonii strain KNN 42.f from an extreme-hyper arid Atacama Desert soil”, Abdelkader, MSA; Philippon, T; Asenjo, JA; Bull, AT; Goodfellow, M; Ebel, R; Jaspars, M; Rateb, ME, Journal of Antibiotics 2018, 71, 425-431
6. “Zebrafish-Based Discovery of Antiseizure Compounds from the Red Sea: Pseurotin A2 and Azaspirofuran A”, Copmans, D; Rateb, M; Tabudravu, JN; Perez-Bonilla, M; Dirkx, N; Vallorani, R; Diaz, C; del Palacio, JP; Smith, AJ; Ebel, R; Reyes, F; Jaspars, M; de Witte, PAM, ACS Chemical Neuroscience 2018, 9, 1652-1662

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