University Of Patras, G. Seferi 2, Agrinio microbiology.upatras@gmail.com +302610969232

Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Department of Environmental Engineering

The main research subject of Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology (LMGM) is the study of microorganisms in extreme environments as well as the symbiotic relationships they develop with other organisms. The staff of the LMGM, using new advanced technologies (molecular technologies), contributes significantly to (a) the understanding and mapping of microbial communities developed in extreme environments, (b) the study of interactions between different microbial communities, (c) the effect of external factors on the development and establishment of microbial communities, (d) the identification of pathogenic microorganisms from environmental samples and (e) the isolation and characterisation of new species of bacteria, archaea and fungi. Finally, using innovative peer-to-peer technologies has launched an effort to decipher genomes and metabolic properties that interesting microbial communities possess. Similarly, with metagenomics, the laboratory staff study the microbial dark matter, which cannot be characterized using the former known cultivation methods in the laboratory. Following this way, not only isolated bacterial strains are studied, but the metabolic profile of microbial communities as well.

Lab head: Georgios Tsiamis

Members

Education

  • Undergraduated Studies: Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Honours degree in Agriculture (1991)
  • Postgraduated Studies: Department of Biology, Wye College, University of London (1997)
  • Ph.D. Thesis: Analysis of an avirulence gene from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola that determines cultivar specificity towards Phaseolus vulgaris L

Research interests

  • Study of the microbial diversity in extreme environments using omic technologies
  • Use of Single Cell Genomics to access the metabolic diversity found in microorganisms
  • Designing and developing new tools for the study of the bacterial diversity
  • Bioenergy
  • Biotechnological applications
  • Detection of GMOs and pathogens
  • Plant – microbe interactions with main focus in the evolution of pathogenicity and virulence factors that lead to the development of disease

Elias Asimakis, studied Biology at the University of Athens, and obtained a master’s degree in bioinformatics from the same University. He completed his Ph.D. on systems microbiology at the University of Patras. His research interests include the study of microbial communities in environmental samples, and more specifically the structure of their communities and the interactions between their components, with the use of -omic technologies.