Cyanobacteria produce structurally and biochemically diverse bioactive secondary metabolites such as cyanotoxins and cyanopeptides that have been implicated in water contamination, human health problems and animal fatalities. The main aim of this activity is to fill current research gaps in the areas of (a) cyano-metabolites’ analysis in environmental samples,and (b) their presence in freshwater ecosystems.

For this purpose, novel analytical workflows based on mass spectrometric methods (LC/MS-MS and HRMS) in combination with advanced software and databases have been developed to cover a wide range of cyano-metabolites with a focus on cyanotoxins/cyanopeptides beyond those commercially available, to generate their analytical fingerprints (MS reference spectra) and to make them openly available, facilitating compound identification.

Using these comprehensive tools, mapping of cyanotoxins and cyanopeptides has been implemented in Greek Water Bodies. An interactive database has been developed that contains all available information on Cyanobacterial Blooms in Greek surface waters. In parallel, screening of cyanotoxins and other cyanopeptides produced by culture collections of cyanobacterial strains isolated from Greek lakes has been carried out for the first time.