Antarctica, a source of new microorganisms

The signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1961 was a turning point for the scientific world, which from then onwards started to see the continent as a vast laboratory of international interest. Josefina Castellví, PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Barcelona, was the first Spanish woman to participate in an expedition to Antarctica, and supplied samples from the South Shetland Islands to the laboratory of Dr. Jesús Guinea. This biologist and professor at the University of Barcelona, together with his research group, was in charge of isolating and characterizing the microorganisms present in those samples.

It's been over 30 years since then, but on the basis of such legacy, the Consolidated Research Group in 'Physical Chemistry and vesicular structure of bacterial lipids and biopolymers' of the Faculty of Pharmacy has developed an active ingredient of particular interest to the cosmetics industry. It is a marine biopolymer with protective properties for the skin against extreme conditions such as pollution, temperature changes, sport, or the nutrient and elasticity loss caused by ageing. This active ingredient, which exhibits a totally natural emulsifying activity, comes from Deception Island, a volcanic island in the South Shetland Islands archipielago where microorganisms have adapted to live in extreme conditions, as the water temperature can vary from -10 C ° to 80 C °. The patent for this new marine biopolymer is now held by the research group led by Dr. Elena Mercadé and managed by the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation.

If funding and the effects of Climate Change permit, Antarctica will remain the source of many new organisms with applications yet to be discovered. The conditions there are perfect for the isolation of new species of microorganisms with ability to survive in a hostile environment, which therefore present unique properties and potential biotechnological applications such as those shown by the cosmetic active ingredient created by the research group led by Dr. Mercadé.

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