Consortium under the name of "Methane biotechnology for the development of Lublin province" will be formed by the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), Lublin Province, the company KUL Creative, KUL Development Foundation, the company Elementa Critica, Lublin Coal "Bogdanka", law firm Dentons, Institute of Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze. The letter of intent on cooperation has been signed, the consortium members will still have to determine details of cooperation, including financial and technical participation of individual members of the consortium.

"I am confident that the launch of the consortium will offer legal, organizational and financial framework to conduct research in order to start the production of ectoine" - said the rector of the Catholic University of Lublin, Fr. Prof. Antoni Dębiński.

Marshall of the Lublin province Krzysztof Hetman assured that the project can be financed from the EU funds in the new budget perspective, as one of the key projects for the Lublin province. "This is a matter that can be a flywheel and showcase of the Lublin province, when it comes to combining science and economy" - he emphasised.

The innovative method of producing ectoine has been developed and patented by a team of researchers from the Department of Biochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, Catholic University of Lublin, under the supervision of Prof. Zofia Stępniewska.

Ectoine is an amino acid with protective functions in the body - including stabilisation of enzymes, nucleic acids, DNA-protein complexes and whole cells. It provides cells protection against various external factors, such as UV radiation, but also prevents the aging process, facilitates the normal development of cells.

In medicine, ectoine is used in radio and chemotherapy. It also increases the immune response to HIV. It can also be helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer\'s disease, the treatment of liver cirrhosis, allergy. In cosmetics is used in moisturizing and anti-wrinkle creams.

Prof. Stępniewska reminded that ectoine discovery is the result of research conducted in coal mine Bogdanka. At first, researchers wanted to find out why Bogdanka does not have a high risk of methane explosion, like in the coal mines in Silesia. It turned out that the coal rocks in Bogdanka are the habitat of bacteria - methanotrophs - which "feed" on methane. "They are invisible allies of our miners" - she noted.

The researchers then analysed how these bacteria live and function in such harsh conditions, more than 1 km underground, with low humidity, increased salt concentration in the environment. "We found that ectoine protects them. We understood that we had a unique, exceptional material" - said Stępniewska.

Researchers from the Catholic University of Lublin have developed a method of obtaining ectoine produced by methanotrophic bacteria. In this production process, pre-grown bacteria are subjected to various factors and then the valuable amino acid they produce is isolated.

Under natural conditions, ectoine is produced by microorganisms living in the extremely adverse conditions such as geysers and salt lakes.

For industrial purposes ectoine is currently obtained in the process of chemical synthesis. It is an expensive process, based on expensive substances (L- amino acids), that requires a complicated synthesis technology consisting of 22 stages, and then purifying the product.

Ectoine production method using methanotrophic bacteria should be cheaper than acquiring ectoine in chemical synthesis. In addition, ectoine sourced using natural processes also has a high level of purity.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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