Quantum theft: extracellular electron transfer in cyanobacteria

Project funded by Carlsberg Foundation (Internationalisation Fellowships), grant CF24-0116. Participating organisations named by the source: University of Cambridge. Runs n/a to 2026-12-30. Source: OpenAIRE Graph, from the funder's project data (collected by OpenAIRE on 2026-07-23); national funding data, not CORDIS. Abstract given by the source: What? All microorganisms generate energy with the help of electric currents running in their cell membrane. Oftentimes, electrons originate from organic matter, which microbes consume. Cyanobacteria produce such electric current taking electrons from water and energy from the Sun. I will investigate whether other microorganisms can 'steal' electrons from cyanobacteria and use them for their own growth. Why? Cyanobacteria make up a significant portion of microbial biomass on Earth, but our knowledge of their role in the environment is still incomplete. Studying electron transfer between cyanobacteria and other microorganisms will help us understand their ecological and geochemical impact on global nutrient cycles. This knowledge will also build foundation for future microbial synthesis technologies. How? I will create microbial co-cultures, which will mimic natural microbial communities. In these co-cultures cyanobacteria will sustain the growth of other bacteria by directly providing them with electrons instead of organic matter. Using structural biology tools, I will determine molecular mechanisms behind these interactions.

Original source.

Source: OpenAIRE Graph: projects of national funders, OpenAIRE, from the project data of Carlsberg Foundation. Retrieved 2026-11-02. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (OpenAIRE Graph). Selected metadata, adapted presentation; the publisher's record is authoritative. No endorsement by the source is implied. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).

AI-assisted summary: The project, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, investigates extracellular electron transfer in cyanobacteria and its ecological impact. It aims to understand how other microorganisms may utilize electrons from cyanobacteria for growth, running until December 30, 2026. Suggested technology pillar: enabling. Generated by AI from the public source text; it may contain errors and the original source is authoritative.