Jimmy Orjala

The research in my laboratory is focused on the discovery of novel anticancer and antibacterial agents from cultured cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are a rich, but understudied source for bioactive metabolites. Cyanobacteria, also termed blue-green algae, occupy a unique phylogenetical position between bacteria and higher plants. Although being prokaryotic organisms they possess the ability of oxygenic photosynthesis. Like many microorganism, cyanobacteria can be grown in culture. Unlike most other microorganisms, cyanobacteria require light to grow. We have developed a combination of LC-MS and micro NMR methods to identify bioactive natural products from cultured cyanobacteria and rapidly identify the active principles.