Newsletter
The PROHITS project explores heat-loving microorganisms, thermophiles, to develop greener, more efficient biobased production. By combining proteomics, microbiology, and computational biology, PROHITS aims to unlock their biotechnological potential and train future experts in sustainable science.
Dinu
Bionote
Dinu received a master’s degree in Chemical Sciences from the University of Genoa. He completed his thesis in collaboration with the University of Basque Country working on organic synthesis of bio-active compounds via multi-component organocatalysed reactions. After a short experience as Field Service Engineer, he joined the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) as a Research Fellow. There, he was involved in investigating omics profiles, mainly proteomics and lipidomics by mass spectrometry. Dinu has joined the PROHITS project with the aim of conducting collaborative and interconnected research on proteomics studies on thermophiles.
Josephine Boel Andresen
Bionote
Josephine Boel Andresen received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Molecular Biology at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, which included a study abroad at Imperial College London in the UK, a deep-sea expedition to the Sognefjord in Norway to study life in the absence of natural light, and a thesis focusing on photosynthesis-directed optimisation of microalgae as biofactories. She was employed as a Research Assistant at the Technical University of Denmark to develop biohydrogen production from anaerobic and thermophilic bacteria from the subsurface, before joining the EU-funded PROHITS project, which cements her continuous curiosity in extreme life and how to deploy it for climate change mitigation.
Our society is increasingly facing economic and environmental challenges, thus requiring the timely development of innovative approaches enabling more sustainable and eco-friendly industries. To support this ambition, the PROHITS project (Grant Agreement no. 101119980) aims to generate academic knowledge and industrial know-how to contribute to a better future by supporting the greener production of bio-based products.
The PROHITS Consortium focuses on studying a class of extremophilic microorganisms that is still unexplored: thermophiles. The term extremophiles covers microbes that have evolved to survive and thrive in environments where most species on Earth would not. This encompasses hypersaline lakes (halophiles), very acidic or alkaline environments such as mining areas (acido- or alkaliphiles), or hot areas like hot springs or solfatara (i.e. fumaroles emitting sulphurous vapours) where the temperature exceeds 45°C. This is where our microbes of interest, the thermophiles, live.
The ability of these living systems to survive in extreme environmental conditions is of great interest: What traits in their biology allow them to survive in extreme heat? Can we translate those traits into knowledge useful for biotechnological applications? For the next three years, PROHITS will bring crossdisciplinary approaches to uncover and explore the biomolecular key players that enable their heat resistance: proteins.
The PROHITS project brings together experts in mass spectrometry (MS)-driven proteomics, microbiology, and computational biology. This collaboration will drive new discoveries in thermophile biology.
Overview of the different work packages of PROHITS and the connections between the DCs responsibilities and expertise. DCs 1-9 are funded by PROHITS. DC 10 is funded by grant 2020-2.1.1-ED-2023-00269 from the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Fund.
Why focus on thermophiles?
Thermophiles’ unique features enabling them to thrive in high temperatures make them ideal candidates for many applications. In an industrial setting, higher temperatures mean faster biochemical reactions and higher conversion rates. Once optimal conditions are achieved, thermophiles could transform biomass into biofuels and biomaterials sustainably via fermentation. These microorganisms could also produce proteins, enzymes or active compounds with industrial and pharmaceutical potential. Industrial microbe-derived fermentation also produces considerable amounts of heat, as the processes take place in large bioreactors.
In typical mesophilic-driven fermentations, such as those using yeast cells, companies must use energy to cool down the reactor to maximise microbial survival. This is due to fermentation being a heat-generating process, which is lethal to the yeast cells without cooling. Thermophiles, on the other hand, thrive on their own heat generation during fermentation. Thus, utilising their fundamental biology as heat lovers can ensure not only that less energy (heat) is wasted, but fewer resources are needed to ensure thermal control. Furthermore, basing the fermentation on thermophilic growth also removes contamination risks, as external and competing microbes cannot survive in elevated temperatures.
Among innovative approaches in the PROHITS project are:
• Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics to identify and quantify proteins within multiple and single thermophilic microbial cells.
• Computational biology to integrate, interpret and visualise the large amount of generated proteomic data.
• Temperature-specific experiments to understand how the cells and their proteomes adapt to heat variations.
• Biotechnological applications to implement the knowledge from the proteomics data to engineer thermophilic cells as future bioproduction platforms.
PROHITS is more than just a European research project. It is a training and collaborative network, distributed across five countries, designed to shape the next generation of scientists. Ten Doctoral Candidates (DCs) are working across leading universities and research institutes. The DCs have a diverse scientific background, which ensures the challenges targeted by PROHITS can be explored from different angles.
With expertise in proteomics, data analysis and biotechnology, the DCs will be well-equipped to reshape the future by bringing a new wave of cutting-edge sustainable developments. This outlines the doctoral network that is fundamental to the PROHITS project, in which the mentoring and guidance of renowned experts at the project’s respective partner institutions will help them become the future scientific leaders in the EU.
Understanding thermophile proteomes will revolutionise biotechnology. From biofuel production to sustainable materials production, these microorganisms offer immense possibilities. PROHITS will provide the missing knowledge to harness their full potential as future biofactories.
To learn more about the project, visit the project website and social media channels (LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, X).
Dinu Zinovie Ciobanu
Orcid
CNRS, Université de Strasbourg
dinu-zinovie.ciobanu@etu.unistra.fr
Josephine Boel Andresen
Orcid
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
josephine.boel.andresen@vub.be
The ten DCs of PROHITS photographed in the LSMBO laboratory in Strasbourg, one of the academic partners of the project, during their first workshop in October 2024.