Continuous production of antimicrobial vesicles with bacteria

Continuous production of antibiotic membrane vesicles with bacteria

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat because more and more bacteria develop resistant to existing antibiotics, while few new classes of agents are being identified. Recently, some strains of bacteria have been identified that release membrane vesicles containing antibiotic natural products. These vesicles exhibit antimicrobial properties and high biocompatibility, and thus offer promising approaches for the development of new antibiotic concepts.

To use these vesicles efficiently, large-scale production is necessary. The conditions for such production will be investigated at the Institute of Bioprocess Engineering. In collaboration with the Chair for Pharmaceutical Biology (Prof. Dr. Gregor Fuhrmann), different cultivation parameters for continuous bacterial cultivation in bioreactors will be evaluated to identify and optimise their influence on bacterial growth and vesicle production.

This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (funding reference 03DPS1138B).