SECRETed is an EU Funded project and aims to unlock the potential of aquatic biotechnology towards the creation of innovative industry-driven amphiphilic compounds for applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, cosmetics, nutraceuticals and chemistry. The project focuses on developing hybrid molecules with customised properties by combining biosynthetic genes from marine and extremophilic microorganisms.

The amphiphilic nature of biosurfactants and marine siderophores provides an exciting opportunity to develop methods of biosynthesis that would enable the exchange and customisation of different chemical parts enabling the development of new-to-nature compounds with custom properties.

SECRETed integrates a unique biotechnology toolbox and analysis results including screening of Microbial collections; chemicals and biosynthetic gene clusters databases; Systems metabolic engineering; Lab & Pilot scale fermentation; chemical characterisation of compounds; Proof of concept for end users’ applications; and Sustainability assessments.  In this scope, reverse engineering of the biosynthetic gene clusters will standardise and modularise genetic elements to enhance industrial exploitation. Industry-driven formulations will be developed based on engineered combinations of genetic elements expressed in microbial hosts, with new strains designed, built, and tested iteratively for sustainable industrial processes.