Fighting environmental pollution with microbes
The EU-funded BIOSYSMO(opens in new window) and MIBIREM(opens in new window) projects have a common goal: to sustainably remediate contaminated environments using microbes. On 19 and 20 March 2025, the two projects’ partners held a joint meeting to find ways to work together to advance bioremediation as a stand-alone solution to environmental pollution. During the event, BIOSYSMO and MIBIREM researchers presented case studies, emerging technologies and different integration strategies. The presentations focused on the development and application of advanced microbial consortia – communities of two or more bacterial or microbial groups living symbiotically – as well as multiomics approaches and systems biology as a way to achieve more predictable and robust microbial remediation. Emphasis was also placed on joint efforts to design decision support systems, boost stakeholder engagement and align bioremediation practices with policy frameworks across the EU. “A major takeaway was the importance of advancing digital tool development,” according to the press release(opens in new window) posted on the BIOSYSMO website. “In this regard, BIOSYSMO is focused on computational design and systems-level modelling of microbial solutions, while MIBIREM is oriented toward field implementation and site-specific optimisation. Together, these strengths offer a foundation for the co-development of decision-support systems that integrate biological, chemical, and environmental data.” The possibility of setting up a shared repository for microbial consortia and multiomics data was also explored as a way to support standardisation, ensure reproducibility, and enhance interoperability between datasets and models. In a session dedicated to field studies, researchers discussed the importance of testing microbial strategies under realistic conditions. Updates were given on the status of field trials, technology readiness, and challenges related to scalability, heterogeneity and engineering constraints.
A shared case study
The second day of the event was devoted to the hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) case study on which the two projects are collaborating. “The session showcased a coordinated effort to investigate degradation pathways and evaluate microbial performance across contaminated sites in Spain, Italy, and Germany.” Insights were shared on experimental work under way at Sabiñánigo, an industrial site in Spain with well-documented HCH pollution. The work focuses on microbial selection, community stability and performance evaluation in site-specific conditions. Complimentary work being performed on HCH-affected sites in Italy and Germany was also outlined. Topics discussed included performance losses after cryopreservation, the promise of immobilisation techniques, and the possibility of integrating genomic and culturomics(opens in new window) data to design more effective microbial consortia. The ongoing regulatory challenges faced by both projects were also emphasised, as was the need for standardised qPCR(opens in new window) primer sets, harmonised monitoring protocols and stronger science-policy dialogue. The meeting highlighted the mutual benefits to be gained by both BIOSYSMO (BIOremediation systems exploiting SYnergieS for improved removal of Mixed pOllutants) and MIBIREM (MIBIREM – Toolbox for Microbiome based Remediation) through continued integration. “Both projects expressed commitment to long-term cooperation in data exchange, toolkit development, and regulatory alignment, laying the groundwork for positioning microbiome-based bioremediation as a credible and scalable solution within the European environmental policy framework,” the press release reports. For more information, please see: BIOSYSMO project website(opens in new window) MIBIREM project website(opens in new window)
