The potential of microbial cells as producers of nanomaterials
has been underestimated and further research is needed to
improve the situation, according to an academic. Nanotechnology,
and its applicability to pharma, is an area of interest to
researchers. However, Antonio Villaverde, from Universitat
Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, writes in the journal Microbial
Cell Factories that research into one area of nanomaterial
production needs to increase. Villaverde, who is also editor-in-
chief of the journal, says the potential of microbial cells in
the production of nanomaterials has been underestimated. He
expects the true potential to emerge in coming years and has
called on researchers to submit more papers in this area to the
journal. Reconsidering the potential of the method “should
prompt a careful revisiting of the microbial cell factories as
the most versatile biological platforms to supply functional
materials for nanotechnological applications”, writes
Villaverde. Belief in the potential of microbial c