Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.2
4.7
Journals
Microorganisms
Special Issues
Advancing Microbial Biotechnology
share announcement

Advancing Microbial Biotechnology

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 3037

Editors

Prof. Dr. Seraphim Papanikolaou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: microbiology; biotechnology; industrial microbiology; food biotechnology; oleaginous yeasts; wine yeasts; biodiesel; biorefinery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dimitris Karayannis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: biochemical engineering; industrial biotechnology; microbiology; biopharmaceuticals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Understanding and implementation of microorganisms has a vital role in the bioeconomy era and the rapid expansion of biotechnology. Microorganisms underpin sustainable production in pharmaceutical, fuel, polymer, food, and many other sectors. Research increasingly targets the rational design of both strains and processes to enhance productivity, robustness, and viability.

“Advancing Microbial Biotechnology” will showcase holistic and innovative strategies for microbial synthesis of high-value and platform products, including but not limited to proteins, mRNA, plasmid DNA, lipids, polysaccharides, and bulk or specialty chemicals. Contributions may span fundamental strain engineering, systems and synthetic biology, bioprocess development and scale‑up, metabolic modeling, and integrated biorefinery concepts.

Researchers are warmly invited to submit original research articles, critical review articles, and short communications that advance microbial biotechnology. Cross-disciplinary approaches linking microbiology with engineering, data science, or materials science are particularly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Seraphim Papanikolaou
Dr. Dimitris Karayannis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioproducts
  • microbial metabolism
  • bioeconomy
  • waste and by-product valorisation
  • bioprocesses
  • life cycle assessment
  • recycling
  • metabolic modeling

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

26 pages, 2116 KB  
Review
Bacterial Membrane Vesicles: Biogenesis, Functions, and Emerging Biotechnological Applications
by Li Zhang, Yueyue He, Guilan Wang, Jiawei Sun, Yanwei Chen and Zhenling Wang
Microorganisms 2026, 14(3), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14030689 - 18 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1205
Abstract
Bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs) are non-replicative, bilayered nanostructures secreted by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Rather than being passive byproducts of cell envelope turnover, BMVs are increasingly recognized as regulated particles that selectively package proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other bioactive molecules. Through [...] Read more.
Bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs) are non-replicative, bilayered nanostructures secreted by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Rather than being passive byproducts of cell envelope turnover, BMVs are increasingly recognized as regulated particles that selectively package proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other bioactive molecules. Through these cargos, BMVs mediate a wide range of biological processes, including bacterial stress adaption, intercellular communication, virulence delivery, and host immune modulation. In this review, we integrate recent advancements in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying BMV biogenesis and composition and discuss how their heterogeneity contributes to their functional diversity. Beyond their biological roles, we critically examine the translational potential of BMVs in vaccine development, targeted drug delivery, cancer therapy, diagnostic tools, and biotechnological applications. However, significant challenges related to their safety, efficacy, and large-scale production must be addressed to realize their full clinical potential. We review recent progress and ongoing obstacles in the use of BMVs across various biomedical applications and propose strategies for their clinical translation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Microbial Biotechnology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 2278 KB  
Review
Artificial Intelligence for Microbial Isolation and Cultivation: Progress and Challenges
by Mingyu Li, Xiangwu Yao, Meng Zhang and Baolan Hu
Microorganisms 2026, 14(3), 654; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14030654 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1450
Abstract
Microbial resources are crucial for biotechnology development and fundamental scientific research. Traditional microbial techniques fail to isolate and cultivate the vast majority of microorganisms in nature, severely limiting the discovery of novel microbial resources. The rise in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies provides new [...] Read more.
Microbial resources are crucial for biotechnology development and fundamental scientific research. Traditional microbial techniques fail to isolate and cultivate the vast majority of microorganisms in nature, severely limiting the discovery of novel microbial resources. The rise in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies provides new computational tools to overcome bottlenecks in microbial resource discovery and utilization. This review comprehensively examines the development of AI technologies in microbial isolation and cultivation over the past three decades from the perspective of microbial resource discovery. We propose a five-stage framework: the germination period (1997–2008), the early exploration period (2008–2015), the rapid development period (2015–2019), the deep learning (DL) explosion period (2020–2022), and the AI integration period (2023–present). We focus on how AI technologies at each stage address core challenges in microbiology—including insufficient knowledge reserves, dynamic phenotypic changes, and complex cultivation conditions—through applications at the genome, individual, and community levels. Our analysis demonstrates that, as AI technologies advance iteratively, microbial isolation and cultivation methods are transitioning from experience-driven to data-driven approaches, from single-objective to systematic integration, and from passive screening to active design. This methodological transition is expanding the scope of microbial resource discovery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Microbial Biotechnology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop