Active research in the field of biology at DISSTE concerns in particular: -The characterisation of the microbiota in different environmental (mainly soil) and human matrices by means of a molecular approach. Isolation and characterisation of growth-promoting bacteria for use as plant biostimulants. Study of the impact of bacterial-based biostimulants on the native soil microbiota. -The use of genetics, molecular biology and genome editing approaches to study plant processes (with particular reference to rice) that govern tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, association with beneficial microorganisms and final product quality; -the identification and characterisation of animal species from biological and environmental samples (eDNA) through a molecular approach (NGS); -The use of enzymes for bioremediation and biomass conversion, in the biochemical-nutritional characterisation of proteins/peptides of food interest (seeds and milk) and in proteomic applications for the definition of Metabolic Processes (energy metabolism, ageing). -Study of protein-peptide interactions: Study of a new method for high-throughput screening of protein-protein and protein-peptide (PPI) interactions. This approach allows the simultaneous analysis of millions of potential PPIs, facilitating the complete mapping of protein interactomes between species and even cross-species interactions. In addition, synthetic peptides can be screened against protein targets, supporting synthetic biology applications.