Left to right: Maria Agius, Dr Gabrielle Zammit, Andre Brincat
The multidisciplinary research comprised the characterisation of Maltese strains of prokaryotic cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae by cytomorphological, genetic and biochemical techniques. DNA studies showed that the microalgal cells belong to the recently described species Jenufa aeroterrestrica and the Maltese strains exhibit a particular biogeography. The cyanobacteria belong to various newly described genera and species which are currently under review.
The study elucidates the genetic diversity of microalgae growing in the Maltese islands, of which very little is known. Ecophysiology experiments were conducted to study growth profiles and metabolite production by these photoautotrophic microorganisms. These secondary metabolites have huge potential as antimicrobials, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents and antidepressants and various such clinical studies were highlighted during the conference.
The study was undertaken at the Laboratory of Applied Phycology, in collaboration with the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Department of Biology, all within the University of Malta.
The research was supported by the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the ENDEAVOUR Scholarship Scheme (Malta), which is part-financed by the EU’s European Social Fund (ESF) under Operational Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, 'Investing in human capital to create more opportunities and promote the wellbeing of society'.