IMBM Lab UWC

Our latest paper is another installment towards developing a deeper understanding of the oxalotrophic role of microorganisms in western South Africa, particularly in the "heuweltjies" of the Cape Floristic region. This collaborative work is relevant to modeling carbon storage in drylands where termites are significant consumers of vegetation. Read it here: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ec…

We invite MSc and PhD applications for projects on offer for 2026, focused on two research themes: i) Discovering novel lanthipeptides from marine invertebrate endosymbionts; ii) Diversification of ornithine lipids for application in cosmetic formulations, wastewater treatment, human therapeutics and for various agricultural applications. Projects will be supervised by members of the NRF SARChI research chair in Microbial Genomics. See advert for details. Selected candidates will be assisted with their NRF bursary applications. See advert for details.

We have expanded the Fimsbactin alphabet 😊 - read our latest publication describing new siderophores produced by a novel Marinomonas species isolated from the Hamacantha esperioides sponge endemic to the South African coast: doi.org/10.1111/1751-7… #Iamuwc #imbm #marinebiodiscovery

The B3 (cubed) project: BlueBiobankBiotech is a training initiative targeting high school marine biology, life science teachers and students: youtu.be/2VTlTcTcP50 We ran this event for the first time, co-hosted with @diplomics_sa on 12 April 2025 under the auspices of the @BlueRemediomics project and the @BioBankSA. The event offered an immersive exploration into the fascinating world of marine microbial genomics. Teachers received hands-on training in state-of-the-art genomic technologies, and they each sequenced the genomes of marine bacteria isolated from the South African coastline. The sequenced specimens are catalogued in the National Microbial Biodiversity BioBank hosted at IMBM and; therefore, the teachers have contributed to building this invaluable resource for innovative research, conservation, and cultural understanding of indigenous species. A special thanks to the IMBM team (Marla Trindade, Lonnie van Zyl, Leanie Mocke, Stephanie Lawrence, Chelsey Arries, Nompumelelo Ikegwuoha); our invited speakers Dr Gwynneth Matcher @NRF_SAIAB; Yi-Ting Ho @AnchorEnviro, Dr Rob Finn @emblebi, and the Diplomics team (Shane Murray, Mhlekazi Molatoli, Anja le Grange) who made this event a huge success! #DIPLOMICS #BlueRemediomics #BBSA #BioBank #UWC #IMBM #WCED

Check out our latest publication "Carbon dynamics in termite mounds: The effect of land use on microbial oxalotrophy", resulting from collaboration with colleagues at @StellenboschUni @UPTuks @KentState @UTAustin: sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

We were so excited to host @Evonik at IMBM, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies that offer biosurfactants as environmentally friendly and high-performance alternatives to conventional surfactants. Biosurfactants are our flagship project and we hold several patents for their production. We have established relationships with several industry partners and are excited for possible opportunities with Evonik in the future.

Two Post Doctoral positions focused on Microbial Genomics are available in IMBM- Apply Now! #jobsearch

IMBM's Dr. Elzaan Booysen was awarded a R1M grant to assess our patented biosurfactants in water remediation and in collaboration with @biodx as industry partner. Read the full story here: uwc.ac.za/news-and-annou…

B-Cubed; BlueBiobankBiotech, is an exciting training workshop that we are preparing for high school teachers in marine microbial genomics, in partnership with @diplomics_sa and under the auspices of the @BlueRemediomics project.

The Ocean Biodiversity Treaty was adopted on 19 June 2023, aimed to protect the deep sea through conservation measures like marine protected areas and promotes equity through rules about sharing the benefits from research on marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction. This book, published by IMBM collaborators and featuring an excerpt about our involvement in this area of research, provides practical guidance and tools to scientists, commercial end-users and policymakers to better understand aspects of the new BBNJ Treaty, which is set to fundamentally change the way biodiversity is governed in two-thirds of the ocean.

We are growing our "marine lanthipeptide" team and invite post doctoral fellows to apply for a position available from 1 March 2025.

📢🧬After 23 months of research, our #BlueRemediomics consortium came together virtually for our 4th consortium meeting today discussing some of the project's main achievements & plans for the upcoming months. Thanks to all partners for the ongoing effort!

Gert van Lill, a PhD student in IMBM and the Biotechnology Department @UWC, attended his first International Conference this month and presented his early research work as a poster. He bubbled with excitement saying "The 16th International Conference on Yeast (ICY2024) was an incredible experience. It was amazing to see the groundbreaking research happening around the world and to engage with some of the brightest minds in the field. The presentations and posters were truly inspiring. I’m excited for the potential collaborations and look forward to continuing these conversations at future conferences!". #ICY2024

Dr Anita Burger presented a poster at the SEPAWA conference in Berlin, 16 - 18 October 2024. The conference is one of the most significant meetings for for the detergents, cleaning agents, cosmetics and fragrances industry in Europe. The poster detailed research performed under the DSI/NRF SARChI research chair in Microbial Genomics, led by Prof Marla Trindade, that demonstrated the use of lyso-ornithine lipids (LOL) as natural emulsifiers in cosmetic lotions, for the first time. The IMBM has several patents related to the production of these biosurfactants that are being evaluated for application in cosmetics, wastewater treatment, agriculture and as therapeutics for human diseases. The work has involved many academic and industry partners, in particular Prof Rudolf Hausmann and his colleagues at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart.

Dr Anita Burger visited Dr Emanuele Buratti and Sara Cappelli at the ICGEB HQ in Trieste, Italy this week.  Dr Buratti is a collaborator on the ICGEB-funded project "Towards the identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in the strong neuroprotective activities displayed by two bioactives in an in vitro neuronal cell line model". The project is in collaboration with Axonova, a Mauritian-based preclinical development company with expertise in developing therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, amongst others. These bioactives are produced by our marine-invertebrate endosymbionts that also form part of our contribution to the @diplomics #1KSA initiative to decode the incredible diversity of life in South Africa. Ms Cappelli was instrumental in the analysis of the RNA sequencing data that the project recently generated.  The results will be presented at the first ICGEB Collaborative Research Proposal (CRP) Awardees meeting in Cape Town, 5 - 7 November 2024. #icgeb #marinenaturalproducts #microbialgenomics #biodiversity