Recalcitrant dissolved organic matter (RDOM) constitutes one of the largest pools of reduced carbon and one of the most diverse mixtures on Earth. At 656 Pg C, it contains over 200 times more carbon than the marine living biota (i.e. 3 Pg C) and it consists of millions of different molecules. Despite these unique features, the biotechnological potential of this organic carbon pool has never been explored. With pharmaDOM, for the first time, the bioactive potential of RDOM will be unraveled at two defined pipelines: a short-term cosmeceutical and long-term pharmaceutical bioprospection. In order to achieve it, the latest state-of-the-art analytical technologies for natural complex mixtures, i.e the ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry (15 Tesla FT-ICR-MS) and multidimensional NMR (600 MHz, microcryoprobe), and high-content and phenotypic approaches will be utilised.

Funding: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and University of Oldenburg (Carl von Ossietzky Fellowship)

List of people involved:

Teresa S. Catalá
Thorsten Dittmar

External Collaborators:

Prof. Dr. Spencer Shorte, Technology and Service (UTechS), Institute Pasteur (Paris, France).
Dr. Nathalie Aulner, Technology and Service (UTechS), Institute Pasteur (Paris, France).
Dr. Christian Galasso, Marine Biotechnology Department of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn di Napoli (SZN) (Italy).