A research team from UP Diliman (UPD) found microorganisms in Mabini, Batangas whose genes have potential medical and biotechnological applications.
Joshua T. Veluz, Paul Christian T. Gloria, Laurence Anthony N. Mallari, Ann Elizabeth R. Enova, and Maria Auxilia T. Siringan from the Natural Sciences Research Institute and the Marine Science Institute of the UPD College of Science published the discovery in their study MAGnificent microbes: metagenome-assembled genomes of marine microorganisms in mats from a Submarine Groundwater Discharge [SGD] Site in Mabini, Batangas, Philippines.
The team was investigating microorganisms found in an SGD, or a site where fresh groundwater flows into the sea or ocean, in Mabini, Batangas, and found that many contained biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC), which can be used in making medicine.
According to a 2023 article in the US National Library of Medicine, BGCs can produce metabolites, which are “becoming a cornerstone to produce multiple medications.”
The researchers stated that finding the said BGCs could open avenues “for future discoveries in natural products and synthetic biology, with promising implications for advancements in medicine and biotechnology.”
The researchers also stated that, to the best of their knowledge, this is the first study of its kind in the country, and only the second one published in Southeast Asia.
Published in the 11th volume of the journal Frontiers of Marine Science, the study is part of the program SGD Project 4: Probing Microbial Diversity in Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) Areas under the program Biodiversity and Resilience of Coral Reefs and Associated Ecosystems in Submarine Groundwater Discharge Areas (BioRe CoARE SGD).
The program was funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development.
The study can be found online at the Frontiers in Marine Science website.