Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Phylogenetic analysis of cyanobacterial population from hypersaline mangrove regions of Gujarat and their bioprospection for anticancer compounds |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Ekta Verma, Magadh University, Bihar |
Timeline Start Year : | 2022 |
Timeline End Year : | 2024 |
Contact info : | ektabhu2907@gmail.com |
Equipments : | Analytical Balance
Laminar Flow
PCR
Refrigerated centrifuge
Vertical Autoclave |
Details
Executive Summary : | Despite being the deadliest disease of humans, complete remedy for cancer is still a dream. Although the computer aided drug designing and other cutting edge techniques in the field of synthetic chemistry have provided revolutionary breakthroughs, demands for the new methods and/or medicines to treat cancer are still high. In this regard, huge importance has been given to the microorganisms in recent times for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds having the efficiency to counteract cancer. As result, a number of microorganisms including cyanobacteria have been identified to produce various anticancer compounds. Since the first discovery of cyanobacterial anticancer compound, a large number of studies related to the bioprospection of cyanobacteria for anticancer compounds have so far been invested. However, these studies are limited to the cyanobacteria that strictly thrive in the extreme environments. The mangrove region of Gujarat represents one such extreme environment due to its hypersaline nature. Hypersaline environments are thought to be the prolific sources of various important biomolecules as they host a considerable diversity of extremely halophilic and halotolerant microbes. Halophilic prokaryotes are characterized as extremophiles as they require at least 2.5–5.2 M NaCl for optimum growth. Due to thriving in such extreme conditions, these microbes present unique properties of medicinal interests such as the ability to synthesize antimicrobial and anticancer compounds. The bacterial and archeal diversity of Gujarat mangroves and their bioprospection for various medicinally and industrially important compounds have been studied by few workers. However, the distribution of cyanobacteria in this region and their efficiency to produce anticancer compounds has not yet been unraveled. Hence, the completely unexplored cyanobacterial diversity of Gujarat mangrove region, their possible immense potential to produce various unique bioactive compounds (having anticancer properties) and the continuously increasing problem of cancer in India, are the three major factors which compelled to pen down the present project proposal. The project has been planned to study the distribution and phylogeny of cyanobacterial population from the hypersaline mangrove region of Gujarat, their bioprospection for anticancer compounds and structural/functional characterization of efficient anticancer cyanocompounds through in silico and wet lab studies. |
Total Budget (INR): | 30,61,820 |
Organizations involved