Project
Tolerate EU project – H2020
The project focuses on the study of ancient Arctic DNA to understand how plant roots adapted to climate changes over a million years. Based on this information, our goal is to engineer a rhizosphere bacteria that can enhance plant resilience to climate challenges. This project includes a legal and regulatory assessment to ensure the proper authorisation and use of these engineered bacteria, promising applications in industries like 3D printing, drug delivery, and the production of industrial fluids.
Background
In this study, we are examining very old soil and sediment samples from the Arctic, which contain ancient DNA (aDNA) metagenomes dating back a million years. These samples offer a unique insight into how plant root environments (rhizosphere) have adapted to climate changes and extreme events over time.
Project description
Our initial findings suggest that this collection is a valuable source of ancient DNA, showing a timeline of how plant roots adapted to climate changes. By studying and comparing these ancient metagenomes with historical climate data, we aim to identify specific genetic adaptations that make plants more resilient to temperature increases and droughts caused by climate change.
The information gathered will be used to create and test special bacteria that can enhance plants' ability to tolerate climate challenges, making it easier for them to grow in less favourable agricultural areas. Additionally, we plan to use this knowledge to reconstruct ancient enzymes that can withstand extreme temperatures, which may have applications in various industries.
Our project aims to engineer specific bacterial strains for bioproduction, focusing on genes that produce substances crucial for climate-resilient traits. The end goal is to use these substances in creating products like 3D printed organ-on-chip systems, drug delivery systems, and industrial fluids for metalworking, lubrication, and cleaning.
To increase public understanding and inform decision and policy makers about the beneficial role of biotechnology and genetic engineering in addressing climate-related societal challenges (e.g., making agriculture fit for future drought, low environmental footprint substrates and sustainable biobased products) and to identify obstacles and opportunities in the development, authorisation and use of engineered rhizosphere bacteria based on current and upcoming legal and policy scenarios will be assessed. This will include a thorough assessment of the anticipated legal changes and consequences based on a new EU approach to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and New Genomic Techniques (NGTs).