Mimicking the strategy of marine species to develop biomaterials for tackling UVR-induced damages – OCEAN STAR

The resulting higher exposure of the Earth surface to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a threat to living systems owing to the damage caused to biological molecules. Without adapted measures to prevent the decline of ozone layer and changes in populations’ behaviour (overexposure to sun) and without fully efficient materials for cells protection, new strategies to fight UV-induced damages and diseases are timely and necessary. To address this threat I propose to conduct a research driven by the vision of mimicking the functionality of reef fish mucus to develop biomaterials that combine cell protection, repair and regeneration properties.
Continuously exposed to the incident UVR, many marine organisms have evolved a wide range of complex adaptations to avoid UV-induced damages, including the synthesis of UV-absorbing compounds mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). Many reef fishes accumulate such natural sunscreens in their eye tissues and mucus as part of an overall strategy to protect themselves from UVR. Inspired by this strategy, OCEAN STAR aims at exploiting these biomolecules and reproduces their natural occurrence linked to proteins or oligosaccharides to create biomaterials that integrate the biological functions of MAAs with the unique properties of bio-based polymers.
I am an independent research fellow, top-ranking Marie Curie IEF, who recently showed that like in nature, MAAs present UV-absorbing capacity after conjugation with a polysaccharide. This high impact results and proof-of-concept, combined with my established record in biopolymers chemistry and materials science, places me in a unique position to push the development of biomaterials that outperform the current ones to prevent UVR damages. I am also well armed to lead my own independent research team to develop my vision on bio-inspired/bio-mimetic/bio-based materials, having already proven supervision abilities, and with a network of collaborations to complement my activities.