PROBIO

The specific objectives of the PROBIO project, which stands for PROspection for BIOactive compounds in the North Sea, are:

1. The identification and collection of 50 North Sea species that possibly contain bioactive substances with a commercial potential and the development of “Bioprospection Index Cards” with a summary of the existing information on the potential components, breeding potential and spatial/seasonal distribution of these species.
2. The high throughput screening of extracted components and the creation of an opensource database, in which structural and analytical (mass spectral) data and bioactivities of the components and other metadata related to marine organisms are included.
3. The identification of pharmacological targets for the selected bioactive compounds with a commercial potential through the research based on high throughput bioassays.
4. The high throughput screening of the antimicrobial activity of extracts of North Sea species, which may inhibit biofilm formation or eliminate biofilm.
5. The identification of promising applications of marine bioactive substances and the stimulation of new follow-up innovation projects for biorefinery, aquaculture and biotech applications in Flanders, through the integration of actors from industry and knowledge institutions.

The PROBIO project provides a critical first step, the development of a knowledge basis, which will trigger further innovation to stimulate new commercial developments in a variety of sectors. Therefore, the accumulated expertise also has potential for future marine biotech valorisation and innovation projects.