Group Leader/s
Head of lab
Group PI/s
Ip of lab
intro
Plastics are indispensable materials in our everyday lives, but their massive production and the mismanagement of plastic waste cause severe pollution problems. First, plastic production from fossil feedstocks contributes to the emission of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, whereas their recalcitrance causes the accumulation of plastics in the environment for unknown periods of time. Additionally, their resistance to biodegradation favors the formation of micro- and nanoplastics, which negatively affect ecosystems and organisms, and can threaten human health through the transmission of pathogens and the release of toxic additives.
In recent years, bioplastics have emerged as an alternative to conventional plastics, with the potential to reduce their carbon footprint. These materials can be natural polymers (biopolymers) or synthetic polymers generated from renewable feedstocks. Furthermore, some are biodegradable, which is especially relevant for applications that require their release in open environments or the composting of residues. The Polymer Biotechnology group (POLYBIO) seeks to develop integral solutions that contribute to the circular economy of plastics. To this end, we leverage our fundamental research to understand how natural biopolymers are produced and degraded in the environment in order to apply this knowledge towards the sustainable management of (bio)plastics. With the principles of the circular bioeconomy at its core, we carry out a multidisciplinary research that covers the whole value chain of (bio)plastics and other bio-based products: the use of sustainable and renewable feedstocks, the development of environmentally-friendly production processes, the eco-design of materials for different applications, and end-of-life waste management. This is possible thanks to a multidisciplinary team formed by experts in microbial biotechnology, biochemistry, synthetic and systems biology, as well as process and material engineering. Additionally, at the POLYBIO group we actively participate in dissemination and outreach events, with the goal of making our research visible and raise awareness in society about the responsible use and management of (bio)plastics.
Members
| Cristina Campano Tiedra |
| María Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez |
| Laura Isabel de Eugenio Martínez |
| Oliver Drzyzga |
| Isabel Pardo Mendoza |
| Maria-Tsampika Manoli |
| Natalia Hernandez Herreros |
| Alberto Rodriguez Martin |
| MAria Virginia Rivero Buceta |
| Lara Serrano Aguirre |
| Ana María Hernández Arriaga |
| Santiago Roque de Miguel Sanz |
| José Daniel Jiménez Santos-García |
| Marina Rodríguez Carreiro |
| Susana Capel Navarro |
| Melissa Mendez Gonzalez |
| Alba Calonge Garcia |
| Elena Ramos Serrano |
| Pablo Fiel Berbejal |
Selected Publications
Xu Liu, Helen Park, Yannic Sebastian Ackermann, Luc Avérous, Hendrik Ballerstedt, Werner Besenmatter, Blas Blázquez, Uwe T Bornscheuer, Yannick Branson, William Casey, Víctor de Lorenzo, Weiliang Dong, Tilman Floehr, Manuel S Godoy, Yu Ji, Andreas Jupke, Jürgen Klankermayer, David San León, Luo Liu, Xianrui Liu, Yizhi Liu, Maria T Manoli, Esteban Martínez-García, Tanja Narancic, Juan Nogales, Kevin O'Connor, Ole Osterthun, Rémi Perrin, M Auxiliadora Prieto, Eric Pollet, Alexandru Sarbu, Ulrich Schwaneberg, Haijia Su, Zequn Tang, Till Tiso, Zishuai Wang, Ren Wei, Gina Welsing, Nick Wierckx, Birger Wolter, Gang Xiao, Jianmin Xing, Yilin Zhao, Jie Zhou, Tianwei Tan, Lars M Blank, Min Jiang, Guo-Qiang Chen [2025]. Exploring biotechnology for plastic recycling, degradation and upcycling for a sustainable future
Laura Cabrera-Villamizar, Cristina Campano, Amparo López-Rubio, María José Fabra, M Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Tailoring the structural and physicochemical properties of rice straw cellulose-based cryogels by cell-mediated polyhydroxyalkanoate deposition
Cristina Herencias, Virginia Rivero-Buceta, Sergio Salgado, Natalia Hernández-Herreros, Fernando Baquero, Rosa Del Campo, Juan Nogales, M Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Bdellovibrio’s prey-independent lifestyle is fueled by amino acids as a carbon source
Manuel S Godoy, Irene Verdú, Santiago R De Miguel, José D Jiménez, M Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Exploring Rhodospirillum rubrum response to high doses of carbon monoxide under light and dark conditions
José D Jiménez, Manuel S Godoy, Carlos Del Cerro, M Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Hints from nature for a PHA circular economy: carbon synthesis and sharing by Pseudomonas solani GK13
Sophia Mihalyi, Eva Sykacek, Cristina Campano, Natalia Hernández-Herreros, Alberto Rodríguez, Andreas Mautner, M Auxiliadora Prieto, Felice Quartinello, Georg M Guebitz [2024]. Bio-upcycling of viscose/polyamide textile blends waste to biopolymers and fibers
Francisco G. Blanco, Cristina Campano, Virginia Rivero-Buceta, Ana M. Hernández-Arriaga & M. Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Bacterial cellulose with CHAPK-mediated specific antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus
Elena Marcello, Rinat Nigmatullin, Pooja Basnett, Muhammad Maqbool, M. Auxiliadora Prieto, Jonathan C. Knowles, Aldo R. Boccaccini, Ipsita Roy [2024]. 3D melt-extrusion printing of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates and their application as antibiotic-free antibacterial scaffolds for bone regeneration
Natalia Hernández-Herreros, Alberto Rodríguez, Beatriz Galán, M. Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Boosting hydrogen production in Rhodospirillum rubrum by syngas-driven photoheterotrophic adaptive evolution
Sergio Salgado, Natalia Hernández-Herreros, M. Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Controlling the expression of heterologous genes in Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus using synthetic biology strategies
Maria-Tsampika Manoli, Álvaro Gargantilla-Becerra, Carlos del Cerro Sánchez, Virginia Rivero-Buceta, M Auxiliadora Prieto, Juan Nogales [2024]. A model-driven approach to upcycling recalcitrant feedstocks in Pseudomonas putida by decoupling PHA production from nutrient limitation
Lara Serrano-Aguirre, M. Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Can bioplastics always offer a truly sustainable alternative to fossil-based plastics?
Natalia Hernández-Herreros, Virginia Rivero-Buceta, Isabel Pardo, M Auxiliadora Prieto [2024]. Production of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate)/poly (lactic acid) from industrial wastewater by wild-type Cupriavidus necator H16
Francisco G Blanco, Rainhard Machatschek, Manuela Keller, Ana M Hernández-Arriaga, Manuel S Godoy, Natalia A Tarazona, M Auxiliadora Prieto [2023]. Nature-inspired material binding peptides with versatile polyester affinities and binding strengths
Manuel S Godoy, Santiago R De Miguel, M Auxiliadora Prieto [2023]. A singular PpaA/AerR-like protein in Rhodospirillum rubrum rules beyond the boundaries of photosynthesis in response to the intracellular redox state
Funding
Project: ReBioCycle - A new European blueprint for circular bioplastics upcycling solutions
Funding entity: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-04
Reference: 101156032
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2024 - 2028
Project: deCYPher - Decipher cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) by digital tools to produce
flavonoids and terpenoids
Funding entity: HORIZON-CL6-2022-CIRCBIO-02-two-stage
Reference: 101081782
Principle investigator: Juan Nogales (CNB-CSIC) with Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez (CIB-CSIC)
Duration: 2023 - 2027
Project: AgriLoop - Pushing the frontier of circular agriculture by converting residues into novel economic, social and environmental opportunities
Funding entity: EU HORIZON-CL6-2022-CIRCBIO-01-05
Reference: 101081776
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2022 - 2026
Project: BIOPHUN - Biological phthalate funneling for the valorization of plastic wastes
Funding entity: MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50110001103 / European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR
Reference: TED2021-130850A-I00
Principle investigator: Isabel Pardo Mendoza
Duration: 2022 - 2024
Project: PROMICON - Harnessing the power of nature through productive microbial consortia in biotechnology - Measure, Model, Master
Funding entity: H2020-FNR-2020-2
Reference: 101000733
Principle investigator: Eduardo Díaz (CIB-CSIC) with Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez (CIB-CSIC)
Duration: 2021 - 2025
Project: BIOCIR - Revaluation of waste directed towards the circularity of bioplastics: synthesis, degradation, recycling and diversification of bacterial polyesters
Funding entity: MICINN
Reference: PID2020-112766RB-C21 financed by MCIN / AEI /10.13039/501100011033
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2021 - 2024
Project: FERMENTA - Bioprocess pilot plant for a circular economy
Funding entity: AEI (Adquisición de Equipamiento Científico-Técnico)
Reference: EQC2021-006941-P financed by MCIN / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union´s NextGenerationEU / PRTR
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2021 - 2024
Project: REVOLUZION - Solving plastics sustainability through functional multi-purpose enzymes
Funding entity: AEI (I+D+i en líneas estratégicas)
Reference: PLEC2021-008188 financed by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union´s NextGenerationEU/ PRTR
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2021 - 2024
Project: Applications of biomaterials based on biopolymers: Creation of a spin-off (BioDriven Technologies)
Funding entity: AEI (Proyectos Prueba de Concepto)
Reference: PDC2021-121381-100 financed by MCIN / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union´s NextGenerationEU / PRTR
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2021 - 2024
Project: MIX-UP - MIXed plastics biodegradation and UPcycling using microbial communities
Funding entity: EU H2020-NMBP-TR-IND-2018-2020
Reference: 870294
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2020 - 2024
Project: NANOBIOCARGO-CM - Nanocontenedores y nanovehículos dirigidos al transporte y liberación de agentes bioactivos
Funding entity: CAM
Reference: P2018/NMT4389
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2019 - 2022
Project: SinFonia - Synthetic biology-guided engineering of Pseudomonas putida for biofluorination
Funding entity: EU- H2020-NMBP-BIO-2018
Reference: 814418
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2019 - 2023
Project: ENGICOIN - Engineered microbial factories for CO2 exploitation in an integrated waste treatment platform
Funding entity: EU- H2020-NMBP-BIO-2017
Reference: 760994
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2018 - 2022
Project: AFTERLIFE - Advanced filtration technologies for the recovery and later conversion of relevant fractions from wastewater
Funding entity: EU- H2020-BBI-JTI-2016-R01
Reference: 745737
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2017 - 2022
Project: TECMABIO. Application of cutting edge TEChnologies for the synthesis of biofunctional MAterials based on bacterial BIOpolymers.
Funding entity: MINECO
Reference: BIO2017-83448-R financed by MCIN / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 / and by FEDER (Una manera de hacer Europa)
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2018 - 2020
Project: REFUCOAT - Full recyclable food package with enhanced gas barrier properties and new functionalities by the use of high performance coatings
Funding entity: EU- H2020-BBI-JTI-2016-R05
Reference: 745791
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2017 - 2020
More info
Project: CELBICON - Cost-effective CO2 conversion into chemicals via combination of capture, electrochemical and biochemical conversion technologies
Funding entity: EU- H2020-ISIB-2015-2
Reference: 679050
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2016 - 2019
Project “Explora Ciencia” y “Explora Tecnologia” recientemente concedido: "Antibióticos vivos frente a patógenos intracelulares”.
Reference: MINECO
Funding entity: BIO2014-61515-EXP
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2015 - 2017
Project: P4SB – From plastic waste to plastic value using Pseudomonas putida Synthetic Biology
Funding entity: EU-H2020-LEIT-BIO-2014-1
Reference: 633962
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2015 - 2019
Project Retos-Colaboración: "Producción de bioproductos a través de residuos alimentarios".
Funding entity: MINECO, Cofinanciado UE, FONDOS FEDER
Reference: RTC-2015-3825-5
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto
Coordinator: Biopolis S.L.
Participating entities: Biopolis S.L., DACSA (Maicerías Españolas S.A.), GAIKER Centro Tecnológico, CIB-CSIC
Duration: 2014 - 2017
Acciones de dinamización "Redes de excelencia": Convocatoria 2014.
Bacfitered - Red de excelencia para la explotación de bacterias con fines terapéuticos
Funding entity: MINECO
Reference: SAF2014-56716-REDT
Investigador principal: Esteban Veiga Chacon
Project: nanoBIOSOMA - Diseño, desarrollo y producción de nanocontenedores y nanovehículos
Funding entity: CAM
Reference: P2013/MIT2807
Coordinator: José María Valpuesta
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2014 - 2018
Project: Integración de agentes líticos de origen biológico en el diseño de nuevos métodos de “downstream” para la producción de bioplásticos.
Funding entity: MINECO
Reference: BIO2013-44878-R
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2014 - 2017
Project: Revalgas - Revalorización del gas de síntesis (syngas) mediante fermentación bacteriana
Funding entity: Retos Colaboración
Reference: RTC-2014-1764-3
Coordinador: Abengoa Research
Principle investigator: Elena Puerta-Fernández
Duration: 2014 - 2016
Project: SYNPOL - Biopolymers from syngas fermentation
Funding entity: EU-FP7-KBBE-2012-6
Reference: 311815
Principle investigator: Mª Auxiliadora Prieto Jiménez
Duration: 2012 - 2016