India is set to take a decisive step in marine biotechnology with the establishment of the country’s first Deep-Sea Marine Microbial Repository by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). 

Designed to preserve and study microorganisms that thrive in extreme marine environments, the repository will form part of the Deep Ocean Mission, providing a national centre for isolating, culturing, and characterising such microbes for diverse applications across industries.

The new repository is being developed at NIOT’s seafront campus in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. According to director Balaji Ramakrishnan, all critical infrastructure required for studying, documenting, and conserving marine microorganisms will soon be operational.

The facility will store microbes isolated from deep-sea habitats such as water columns, seabed sediments, and seamount ecosystems. These organisms will be documented, cultured, and evaluated for their potential in biomedical, industrial, and environmental technologies.

Ramakrishnan emphasised that researchers, industry partners, and start-ups will gain access to the facility to support India’s emerging blue economy. The repository aims to provide both biological resources and laboratory space for start-ups working on bioproducts derived from deep-sea microorganisms. This initiative is expected to strengthen collaborations between scientific institutions and the biotechnology sector.

To ensure adherence to international standards, a team from NIOT’s Marine Biotechnology Group recently visited the historic Roscoff Marine Biological Station in France. Technical discussions there focused on the isolation, molecular characterisation, long-term preservation, and bioprospecting of marine microbes. Insights from the visit have guided the development of protocols and operational procedures for the Indian repository.

Globally, scientists have identified around two million marine microbial species. NIOT researchers have so far catalogued over a thousand promising strains obtained from multiple expeditions in the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

Using specialised deep-sea sampling systems such as rosette water samplers operated by remote-controlled winches aboard the research vessel Sagar Nidhi, samples are collected from depths maintaining the same pressure and temperature as their natural environments.

Several NIOT discoveries have already demonstrated strong commercial and scientific potential. In 2021, scientists identified a new strain of Bacillus clausii from Andaman Sea sediment capable of producing ectoine — a compound known for its UV-protection and anti-ageing qualities. This discovery has led to technology transfer agreements with three companies developing high-end skincare formulations.

In another significant development, a 2023 study reported that Bacillus subtilis EB1, isolated from equatorial oceanic waters, could degrade up to 93 percent of the oil pollutant phenanthrene within three days under high-pressure deep-sea conditions.

This makes it a promising solution for marine oil spill remediation. Similarly, a 2017 study conducted jointly by NIOT and Anna University identified a deep-sea bacterium, Streptomyces sp. NIOT-Ch-40, which produces potent natural antibiotics capable of killing drug-resistant pathogens such as MRSA.

Once completed, the Deep-Sea Marine Microbial Repository will position India among the few nations maintaining a dedicated facility for storing deep-sea microbial collections. By integrating advanced research capabilities with start-up incubation, NIOT aims to unlock the vast potential of marine microbes in healthcare, environmental restoration, and industrial biotechnology.

Based On TOI Report