XTREMOLIFE’s ambition

is to accelerate the bioprospecting and biodiscovery of extremophilic micro-organisms from desert, polar, and volcanic hotspots.

What are extremophiles?

Extremophiles are micro-organisms that thrive under extreme environmental conditions such as high salinity, intense heat or cold, and highly acidic or alkaline pH levels. These remarkable organisms are of great scientific interest across disciplines, from ecology and evolution to studies on the origins of life and the search for life beyond Earth. 
Because their habitats are difficult to access and cultivate, extremophiles remain a largely untapped source of bioactive compounds with significant scientific and industrial potential.

Advancing next-generation sampling technologies for extreme environments

Project Objectives:
Uncovering the Potential of Extremophilic Micro-organisms​

  • Develop and optimize tailor-made sampling methods to explore and better understand extreme environments, ensuring all activities comply with EU regulations on ethics, safety, and responsible research in science and technology.
  • Investigate marine and other aquatic ecosystems characterized by complex and extreme conditions, focusing on extremophilic microorganisms that can survive and thrive in such challenging habitats.
  • Uncover the metabolic, physiological, and adaptive mechanisms that enable extremophiles to withstand harsh ecological conditions, providing new insights into their unique survival strategies.
  • Optimize the cultivation and production of bioactive compounds from extremophilic microorganisms under industrially relevant, safe, and sustainable (SSbD) conditions, advancing the potential for innovative biotechnological applications

Our tools
Advancing next-generation sampling technologies for extreme environments

FerryBox

Improving a deployable, self-rinsing, and self-operating ship-based sensor and sampling system for extremophiles

XTREMOsensor

Designing and deploying a hand-held sensor package for measuring extremophilic

Machine learning–based microscopic imaging systems

Integrated platforms that combine microscopy with trained algorithms to automatically analyze, classify, and quantify cellular or microbial feature

Biodiscovery pipeline

Biodiscovery pipeline process used to identify, characterize, and validate bioactive compounds, functions, or traits from living organisms

Scale-up

Controlled transition from laboratory-scale cultivation to larger bioreactor volumes while maintaining biological performance, productivity, and process stability

Application domains

Pharmaceuticals

Chemistry

Biotechnology

(Feed additives and Biopesticides)

Work Package