Fermentation is an increasingly important area of the pharma- ceutical industry. Until now, academic research and industry have focused mainly on monocultures. However, it has been observed that many microorganisms only realise their full biochemical potential in tandem with others. As a result, co- cultivation has become a key pharmaceutical research Topic in the field of biotechnology.
Research in this area concentrates on identifying potential co-cultures and establishing a fermentation process that harnesses the products and capabilities of microbial communities for drug discovery and industrial applications.
The project represented an initial feasibility study of whether it is possible to identify conditions under which two selected microorganisms can grow separately from one another, and also of whether a stable co-culture can subsequently be established. The co-cultures were then analysed in terms of their ability to produce new substances.
The project was funded by the Province of Lower Austria and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
