Integrated Biology of Photosynthetic Organisms
The aim is to design a platform for the identification, characterization and production of bioactive molecules of photosynthetic organisms as well as to study the mechanisms and processes involved in their metabolic regulation. The diversity of the chemical nature of the molecules studied ranges from proteins and lipids to secondary metabolites such as polyphenols. These are, among others, biodegradable compounds, antioxidants, antimicrobials, and/or plant growth and defense promoters, with potential use in the protection of crops of agronomic interest, the formulation of dietary supplements and/or drugs of natural origin.
In addition, the projects of the group tend to the valorization of agroindustrial biological by-products that are usually discarded, such as sunflower shells and potato tuber skin, through its use as a source of some of the bioactive compounds studied, as well as the biomass of invasive macroalgae from the local coasts as a source of plant biostimulants. Therefore, its main objective is to study biological processes of photosynthetic organisms, both for the generation of basic knowledge, and for the exploration of their biotechnological potentialities.
Members
Guadalupe Rodríguez