The Bluetools Final Conference will be held in Heidelberg, Germany, from 6-8 July 2026 at the EMBL Heidelberg campus.
The event will bring together partners from BlueTools and our sister project BlueRemediomics to celebrate the projects’ achievements and share the knowledge generated.
Over three days, participants will engage in a diverse programme featuring scientific and policy-focused oral and poster presentations. The conference will highlight the key outcomes developed throughout both projects, demonstrating their contributions to advancing sustainable solutions for a healthier Ocean.
The event will also provide a platform for dialogue between the scientific community, policymakers, and industry representatives to foster collaboration and support the translation of research results into real-world impact.
Here’s a sneak peek at the presentations:
Polymer Biodegradation by Marine and Wastewater Microbes – Dr. Sebastian Groß, BASF SE
Polymers are everywhere, from packaging to home and personal care products. If they end up in the Ocean or environment, biodegradable versions can help stop them building up as lasting particles. But testing how well a polymer breaks down is tricky. Marine tests take a long time, and results vary because natural microbial communities differ from place to place, something researchers call the “microbial lottery.” Within the Bluetools project, the team grew marine and wastewater microbial cultures to select ones that break down polymers, then used these to build small microbial groups called mini consortia. These helped create a fast, fluorescence based test that screens biodegradable polyester variants before longer standard tests, and the team confirmed the results using a modified test that tracks the CO2 microbes release as they break down the material. Together, these tools offer a quicker and more reliable way to test polymer biodegradation.
Biocatalytic synthesis of the key intermediate of abrocitinib: an alternative route from enzyme selection to a gram-scale process – Gergő Dargó, Servier
This talk presents early work on a new way to make a key building block for abrocitinib, a medicine used to treat atopic dermatitis. The goal was to help Egis Pharmaceuticals, a generic drug manufacturer, find an alternative production route. The team tested a wide range of marine derived enzymes called imine reductases, supplied by Prozomix, and selected the best one to scale up the process. This enzyme performed well and produced the desired product with strong selectivity. Working with Contactica, the team also assessed the process’s environmental impact and plans to refine it further, aiming to reduce solvent use and cut down extraction steps. This work shows how marine derived enzymes can offer practical, effective solutions for pharmaceutical manufacturing.