Biotechnology of halophilic microorganisms isolated from hypersaline microbial mats in Oman

Halophilic microorganisms are known to be of a great potential for biotechnology, due to their ability to withstand extreme environment. Oman is very rich in extremely hypersaline ecosystems, where microorganisms were found to live under a 1-3 cm thick layer of salt. These microbes include different types such as cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria and archaea. Although much is known about the diversity of halophilic microorganisms, little research was performed to explore their potential to biotechnology. In this proposal, we plan to isolate halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms from microbial mats in Mahoot, Oman and to screen them for several bioactivities including antibacterial, antifungal, antialgal, anti-cancer, enzymes, as well as biofuel production. The compounds with high bioactivity will be isolated and their chemical structure will be elucidated using different chemical techniques such as GC, HPLC and NMR. This project will be carried out in close collaboration with different universities with long experience in drug discovery. This project is expected to result in discovery of new bioactivities and drugs and pave the way to biotechnology-based industries. The research outcome will be published in high-impact factor journal.