Unlocking the potential of microbes through the BioExplor project

• Researchers hope to discover new bioactive compounds such as antimicrobial agents, antioxidants and anticancer agents during the BioExplor project.
• The results of the research will also have an impact on the environment, thanks to the fact that the project involves the use of agro-industrial waste in the production process, thus solving the problems of safe disposal of environmental pollution.

Dr. El-Sayed Ramadan El-Sayed Ali is a graduate of South Valley University in Egypt. In 2015, he completed his Master’s degree, and in 2018 got a PhD in Applied Microbiology at the Ain Shams University. Also, that year he became an assistant professor of Microbiology at the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority in Cairo.

His research focuses on the discovery and production of natural products for industrial applications such as the immunosuppressant mycophenolic acid, anticancer drugs taxol and vinblastine, cardiac glycoside digoxin, and biopigments. Over the last few years, his research interests extended to using fungal endophytes to synthesise different nanomaterials, as a green, cost-effective, and eco-friendly platform. 

He is an author of 26 publications reported in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) database, and is also an editor of three journals: Archives of Microbiology, BMC Microbiology, and BMC Biotechnology. Dr. El-Sayed has also been recently awarded the State Encouragement Prize in Biological Sciences 2021 by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

– In November 2022, I started a new chapter in my scientific career by joining the UPWr team as a visiting professor at the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis.  I am the leader of the BioExplor project titled Unlocking Bioactivity of Forest Plants Associated Mycobiome as Sources of Novel Carotenoids and other BioPigments: Intensifying their Potential using Nanotechnology. The project received approximately 1 million PLN from the POLONEZ BIS programme co-funded by the National Science Centre and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant. Since the start of the project, the project mentor Prof. Filip Boratyński and I have built up a group of executives. Now, we have a group containing one assistant professor, two PhD students, one MSc student, and a student from the medical school – says Dr. El-Sayed.

Project BioExplor, what's it about?

The basic idea of the BioExplor project lies in the area of microbial biotechnology; using microbes as platforms for production of valuable products. Among the microbial populations, endophytic fungi that spend a part or whole lifecycle inside tissues of its host plant, typically causing no apparent symptoms of disease. 

– The forests of Poland are extensive and their biodiversity is vast. Generally, forest trees are well known to live in close association with several microbial populations. These microorganisms (fungi) represent an untapped pool of novel bioactive compounds with potential application in agriculture, medicine, and the food industry. Indeed, the wide biodiversity of the yet unexplored fungal populations associated with these plants can be an infinite source of a wide range of bioactive compounds – explains Dr. El Sayed.

Basically, natural pigments (colours) consist of a wide array of bioactive compounds that are extensively used in industrial sectors, as food colourants, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, aquaculture and poultry feed. Recently, the need to discover new sources of natural pigments has increased magnificently, mainly due to the toxic effects caused by synthetic colours used in many industries. 

– So, this project aims to develop a cost-effective fermentation process of natural pigments. Thus, we aim to unlock the potential of these microorganisms through the BioExplor project which target main goals of: discovering novel bioactive compounds such as antibiotics and anticancers, searching for new carotenoids and other biopigments, and developing a cost-effective production process – adding that he considers the BioExplor project a great innovation. – I expect from the project several discoveries of novel bioactive compounds such as antimicrobials, antioxidants, and anticancer agents. In addition, we are also working on developing a cost-effective production process of natural pigments with improved properties – he says.

Good for society AND good for the environment!

The outcome of the project will affect not only society but also the environment. The project results will contribute in tackling the global problem of antibiotic resistance by the discovery of new compounds with antimicrobial properties. Also, the discovery of new anticancer compounds could be useful in cancer therapy. Besides, developing a cost-effective production process of natural pigments will increase their availability to consumers and decrease the use of synthetic pigments in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. In the same connection, the project will exploit the agro-industrial wastes in the production process, thereby solving the problems of safe disposal and pollution avoidance to the environment.

As Dr. El Sayed Ali says he is currently working to establish himself as an expert in natural product discovery and agro-industrial wastes valorization. – I’m also interested in finding any valuable prospects of taking on an advisory role as an expert in European and International organisations and committees. Regarding UPWr, I would like to establish a research centre for natural products discovery here in Wroclaw. This centre would pave the way for several pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food industries to develop new products with novel properties – concludes Dr. El-Sayed Ramadan El-Sayed Ali.

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