Our PhD student, Soňa Brestovičová, from the Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology of Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice was awarded at the Interactive Conference of Young Scientists 2025 for her outstanding contribution in the Microbiology section.
In her research, entitled Molecular mechanisms of adaptation to hypersaline environments in potentially new species of Idiomarina genus, she focused on halophilic bacteria with an extraordinary ability to survive in extremely salty environments. These microorganisms serve as an important model for understanding the mechanisms of adaptation and evolution and produce enzymes with high biotechnological and industrial potential.
Soňa conducted comparative genomic analysis of isolates belonging to the genus Idiomarina, originating from Solotvyno salt lakes (Ukraine) and salt brine from Solivar near Prešov (Slovakia). Although, both studied species employ similar mechanisms of adaptation to hypersaline environments, her analyses revealed significant differences, suggesting that the isolates represent new species withing the Idiomarina genus.
