AG Microbial Biotechnology

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Research Group Microbial Biotechnology

The MBT Team

is interdisciplinary working to describe novel biocatalysts: from gene to product. It combines versatile methods from disciplines as microbiology, molecular biology, bio-/chemistry and biocatalysis.

Colorful research: microbial degradation of dyes can support (preventive) environmental protection.

Reactors

We work in various scales: cultivation from 1-mL to 10-L and establish biocatalysis in special systems.

News

Seminar plan microbiology

Press

EU funding for international doctoral network

The “HaloVerse” network focuses on important building blocks for drug production. Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of seven locations.

New Agents with Genome Mining and Mutagenesis

A German-Dutch research group has expanded the toolkit for potential medications.

An overview of biocatalysis

The book lays a foundation for the future, particularly in teaching at Master's/PhD level and above and in research.

Ruhr-Universität Bochum is a member of the CLIB cluster

The Cluster for Industrial Biotechnology initiates research projects for more sustainability and ensures that the results are transferred into practice.

Utilising CO2 from waste incineration as a recyclable material

Container modules should make it possible to reuse the greenhouse gas in a meaningful way. Bacteria play a key role in this.

How to Make Ubiquitous Plastics Biodegradable

Understanding the function of a specific bacterial enzyme has paved the way for the biotechnological degradation of styrene.

AI as an opportunity and challenge in biotechnology

Dirk Tischler calls for the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data to be anchored in university studies.

Enzyme for biocatalysis uses solvent as a substrate

A team from Bochum has discovered a new reaction that makes it possible to break difficult bonds. The biocatalyst is also stable in solution.

Utilising waste materials sustainably

A new joint project is converting waste water and biodiesel waste into recyclable materials.

You can find more information here

Study Award for a New Building Block in the Drug Toolbox

Simon Schröder has worked out how enzymes can be used to more easily form the desired bond between two nitrogen atoms.

Bronze for Bochum antibiotics detector

Eight students took part in a global competition. They have developed a genetically modified bacterial cell that detects and eliminates antibiotics in water. The idea was awarded a prize.

© Privat

Soil bacteria as biocatalysts

Researchers have clarified the molecular structure of an enzyme class, enabling them to use bacteria to produce prodrugs.

Keep those enzymes busy

“Multidisciplinary, high-tech, innovative and internationally-minded” is how a postdoc from Lithuania sees Ruhr University after a two month stay in Bochum. A joint research project exceeded all his expectations.

Step by step to the end product through enzyme catalysis

Enzymes from microorganisms can produce valuable chemical substances. In a cascade, they can do that even if they need different environmental conditions.

Funding for catalyst research

With a total of around 240,000 euros, the Mercator Research Center Ruhr is funding two cooperative projects between the RUB and its partners in the University Alliance Ruhr.

News feed

2025 - Approval of the “3D-BioReactor” project as a BMWE cooperation project with Hirsch Engineering Solutions GmbH; contact: Dirk Tischler
2025 - Approval of the “HaloVerse” project as an EU-funded doctoral network together with international partners (university and industry); contact: Dirk Tischler
2025 - with the eLearning competition 5x5000 we are allowed to build a “Virtual Analytical Laboratory for Natural Products”.
2024 - Our publication on solvents as an energy source is honored in BIOspektrum and RUB Press
2024 - At this year's VAAM, the Bochum microbiologists bring VAAM 2025 to RUB
2024 - A BMBF project for Carolin's team supports structural change in the Rhenish mining area
2024 - Many new projects! Dirk was able to acquire two DFG projects for the team, one of them in the SPP2240 eBiotech program, and a BMBF project in the CO2BioTech funding program.
2024 - Short talk within SynBYSS series hosted by Prof. Tae Seok Moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbtXMcA4YqA&t=642s
2024 - Dirk Tischler was elected to the DECHEMA section Biotechnological Production Systems and Products
2023 - Daniel Eggerichs has successfully defended his doctoral thesis
2023 - this year's iGEM team is presented in BIOspektrum
2023 - Simon Schröder has received the DECHEMA Student Award 2023 for his master thesis entitled "Expression and characterization of the piperacic acid synthase KtzT from Kutzneria sp. 744". The award was presented during the 14th European Congress of Chemical Engineering and 7th European Congress of Applied Biotechnology (ECCE/ECAB) in Berlin.
2023 - An enthusiastic MBT Team enjoys the BioTrans Conference 2023 in La Rochelle, France
2023 - Two awards for master students of our team: Heiner Weddeling was honored with the Wilke Award as the best graduate of the year 2022 for the master program in biochemistry. Nils Weindorf received the GBM Master Prize for his outstanding master thesis entitled Title: "Eugenol oxidases: sequence-activity-relationships for application in biocatalysis".

2022 - Admission to the EU supported network COST Action CA21162 entitled „Establishing a Pan-European Network on Computational Redesign of Enzymes (COZYME)“
2022 - Approval of the MERCUR cooperation grant „ Combinatorial expression systems for complex genes“, together with TU Dortmund, Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering; contact: Dirk Tischler
2022 - Approval of the project „BiodeCCodiNNg“ as EU supported doctoral network together with international partner universities and industries; contact: Dirk Tischler
2022 - Anna C. Lienkamp has successfully defended her doctoral thesis
2022 - Dirk Tischler presented a lecture at the Göttingen Microbiology Colloquium on “Actinobacteria, metabolic power and flexibility”
2022 - Our team was presenting at the BioCat22 in Hamburg. Congrats to Daniel Eggerichs for receiving one of the Poster Awards!
2022 - Anna C. Ngo has successfully defended her doctoral thesis
2022 - our iGEM Team 2022 is presented in the trade press
2021 - Approval of the project „CleanWater“ as a BMWi supported project together with IDS Miesbach GmbH and DIMATEC Analysentechnik GmbH; contact: Dirk Tischler
2021 - our first iGEM Team receives a gold medal for their project and is portrayed on TV
2021 - Approval of the project „EnzymPrint“ as a BMWi supported project together with Hirsch Engineering Solutions GmbH & Co. KG; contact: Dirk Tischler
2020 - Antje Kumpf has successfully defended her doctoral thesis
2020 - Dirk Tischler was announced as Counry Ambassador for the American Society for Microbiology to Germany
2020 - Dirk Tischler was elected into the Board of the common specialist group "Biotransformations" of DECHEMA and VAAM
2020 - Group participated at the VAAM meeting in Leipzig, Antje and Marika had poster pitch and short presentation
2020 - Marika presented her work on Siderophores at the VAAM Leipzig
2019 - Approval of MERCUR Starting Grant „Functionalization of bacterial metabolites from the degradation of aromatic compounds: Glutathione S-Transferases“; contact: Dirk Tischler
2018 - Successful approval of the BioCOnversion project; contact: Carolin Mügge
2018 - Annual Conference of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology in Wolfsburg