Scientists from the Faculty of Biology authored the patent: Method of obtaining a highly purified polymer of homogentisic acid

22 01 2025

The patent concerns a universal method of obtaining a highly purified polymer of homogentisic acid (so-called pyomelanin) from an Antarctic bacterium Pseudomonas sp. and the method of its extraction.

Pyomelanin is a natural polymer of homogentisic acid produced by bacteria, fungi and plants. In nature, organisms use pyomelanin to protect against UV radiation and scavenge free radicals. It has been shown that pyomelanin from the Antarctic strain of Pseudomonas has the ability to iron reduction and bioconcentration, which is important in the case of its deficiency in the environment. Importantly, pyomelanin can also promote plant growth, which creates an opportunity to its use as a biostimulator in agriculture.

The patent was prepared during the doctoral project and is authored by dr. Michał Styczyński and prof. Łukasz Dziewit from the Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology.