Reasearch topics

The scientific activity of the Laboratory of Bionanotechnology falls within the circle of research referred to as synthetic biology. This interdisciplinary field combines biological and chemical approaches, using genetic engineering techniques to obtain biotechnologically modified organisms and their products, and to create de novo biological systems by mimicking/modifying naturally occurring mechanisms.

The core of the research are the studies related to the family of bifunctional DNA-modifying enzymes - endonuclease-methyltransferases, belonging to the Thermus family, which was isolated and described by Prof. Piotr Skowron and a team of scientists. These enzymes come from thermophilic organisms inhabiting extreme ecosystems.

Two of the enzymes, belonging to the Thermus family, were discovered in thermal springs and characterized, m.in, as a result of molecular cloning of genes by members of Prof. Piotr Skowron's team. Currently, research focuses on obtaining synthetic variants of the studied proteins and their protein engineering by molecular biotechnology, aimed at determining structure-function relationships.

A cruicial part of the team's activities is the commitment to biodiversity protection, expressed in documenting and describing diverse ecosystems, collecting and analyzing samples of microorganisms from thermal sources (Scandinavian geysers, tropical jungles, deserts).