The book chapter ‘Beyond Restoration: Coral Microbiome Biotechnology’published in the newly released volume Coral Reef Microbiome (eds. Raquel Peixoto & Christian Voolstra) explores coral-associated microorganisms as a rich source of innovative bioactive molecules and enzymes.

Authored by PhD student Joana Couceiro, Rodrigo Costa and Tina Keller-Costa, this chapter provides a comprehensive review of natural products discovered between 2018 and 2022, highlighting their pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications. In just five years, more than 385 novel compounds with diverse chemical structures and bioactivities have been identified from coral-associated microbes.

The chapter also highlights key research gaps and future opportunities, advocating for the exploration of lesser-studied microbial groups—particularly non-actinomycete bacteria—a broader range of coral species and habitats, including deep-sea corals, and the integration of advanced techniques such as metagenomics, synthetic biology, and innovative cultivation strategies. Advancing this incipient field will also require stronger collaboration between laboratories from multiple disciplines, leveraging complementary expertise. See more.