{"id":3360,"date":"2024-07-31T21:25:46","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T21:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smbi-maroc.org\/?page_id=3360"},"modified":"2026-10-11T21:53:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T21:53:39","slug":"bioinformatics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/smbi-maroc.org\/?page_id=3360","title":{"rendered":"Bioinformatics"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"3360\" class=\"elementor elementor-3360\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9a3012a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9a3012a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4befca1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"4befca1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cs-page\">\n\n  <!-- Hero -->\n  <header class=\"cs-hero\">\n    <div class=\"cs-hero-inner\">\n      <p class=\"cs-kicker\">Biotechnology<\/p>\n      <h1>Biotechnology: from the enzyme to the algorithm<\/h1>\n      <p class=\"cs-lead\">Biotechnology at SMBI Tangier follows a research path built over more than twenty years. Students learn the methods as they were developed and applied, from the laboratory bench to the computer. The program is taught by Pr. Amal Maurady.<\/p>\n      <nav class=\"cs-jump\" aria-label=\"Biotechnology topics\">\n        <a href=\"#cs-found\">Enzymes<\/a>\n        <a href=\"#cs-env\">Environment<\/a>\n        <a href=\"#cs-micro\">Microbiomes<\/a>\n        <a href=\"#cs-drug\">Drug discovery<\/a>\n        <a href=\"#cs-plants\">Plants<\/a>\n        <a href=\"#cs-nano\">Nanobiotechnology<\/a>\n      <\/nav>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/header>\n\n  <main class=\"cs-main\">\n\n    <!-- Intro -->\n    <section class=\"cs-section cs-intro\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-intro-h\">\n      <div class=\"cs-col\">\n        <h2 id=\"cs-intro-h\">Twenty years of research, one program<\/h2>\n        <div class=\"cs-line\"><\/div>\n        <p>It began with the study of enzymes. Over the years the work grew to include microbial genomics, bioinformatics, natural products and AI-driven drug discovery, always with a practical aim.<\/p>\n        <p>The program follows that path. Students move between the bench and the computer, from sampling and sequencing to modelling and prediction, and learn from methods that have been published and tested.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <aside class=\"cs-facts\" aria-label=\"Biotechnology at a glance\">\n        <h3>At a glance<\/h3>\n        <dl>\n          <dt>Taught by<\/dt><dd>Pr. Amal Maurady<\/dd>\n          <dt>Research span<\/dt><dd>2002 to 2026, from enzymology to AI<\/dd>\n          <dt>Approach<\/dt><dd>Laboratory work combined with computational tools<\/dd>\n          <dt>Fields<\/dt><dd>Enzymology, microbiology, bioinformatics, natural products, nanobiotechnology and sustainability<\/dd>\n        <\/dl>\n      <\/aside>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <!-- Enzymes -->\n    <section class=\"cs-section cs-field\" id=\"cs-found\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-found-h\">\n      <h2 id=\"cs-found-h\">Enzymes and biosensors<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"cs-line\"><\/div>\n      <ul class=\"cs-courses\">\n        <li>\n          <h3>How enzymes work<\/h3>\n          <p>Work on the catalytic mechanism of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, showed how a single amino acid can drive a reaction.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2002<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>An oxygen biodetector<\/h3>\n          <p>Polyphenol oxidase was used to build a colorimetric oxygen sensor, protected by a patent, and an optical method for detecting oxygen.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2016 to 2018<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Polyphenol oxidase in food<\/h3>\n          <p>The same enzyme was characterized in blackberry and Mediterranean palm heart, including its inhibition by natural and non-toxic compounds.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2022 to 2024<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <!-- Environment -->\n    <section class=\"cs-section cs-field\" id=\"cs-env\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-env-h\">\n      <h2 id=\"cs-env-h\">Environment and sustainability<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"cs-line\"><\/div>\n      <ul class=\"cs-courses\">\n        <li>\n          <h3>Ports and climate<\/h3>\n          <p>A study of the impact of maritime ports on climate change, with the Tangier Mediterranean port as the main case.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2019<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Management systems and indicators<\/h3>\n          <p>Environmental management systems and monitoring indicators for ports, covering water pollution, waste, noise and air quality.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2019 to 2021<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Sustainability maturity and emissions<\/h3>\n          <p>A sustainability maturity scale for port managers and an inventory of air emissions at the Tangier Mediterranean port.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2022 to 2023<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <!-- Microbiomes -->\n    <section class=\"cs-section cs-field\" id=\"cs-micro\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-micro-h\">\n      <h2 id=\"cs-micro-h\">Microbiomes and symbionts of insects<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"cs-line\"><\/div>\n      <ul class=\"cs-courses\">\n        <li>\n          <h3>Flies and their bacteria<\/h3>\n          <p>Studies of Wolbachia and gut bacteria in the Hessian fly, the Mediterranean fruit fly and the tsetse fly, a vector of African trypanosomiasis.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2020 to 2023<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Agricultural pests<\/h3>\n          <p>Bacterial communities of the barley stem gall midge, the olive fruit fly and the prickly pear cochineal across Moroccan regions, using high-throughput sequencing.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2023 to 2025<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>MetaXplore<\/h3>\n          <p>An interactive tool developed by the team for targeted metagenomic analysis of amplicon sequencing data.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2024<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <!-- Drug discovery -->\n    <section class=\"cs-section cs-field\" id=\"cs-drug\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-drug-h\">\n      <h2 id=\"cs-drug-h\">Computational drug discovery<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"cs-line\"><\/div>\n      <ul class=\"cs-courses\">\n        <li>\n          <h3>Neurodegenerative diseases<\/h3>\n          <p>Molecular docking, QSAR, pharmacophore modelling and molecular dynamics to find inhibitors for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, using natural products from plants such as Stachys and Dendrobium.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2020 to 2026<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Infectious diseases<\/h3>\n          <p>Screening for SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors, an AI-guided antibiotic search against Acinetobacter baumannii confirmed in vitro, and anti-quorum-sensing strategies against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2020 to 2026<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Predictive models<\/h3>\n          <p>Machine-learning models that predict blood-brain barrier permeability of drugs and the risk of cervical cancer from clinical features.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2022 to 2023<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <!-- Plants -->\n    <section class=\"cs-section cs-field\" id=\"cs-plants\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-plants-h\">\n      <h2 id=\"cs-plants-h\">Plants, seeds and natural products<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"cs-line\"><\/div>\n      <ul class=\"cs-courses\">\n        <li>\n          <h3>Germination of Moroccan plants<\/h3>\n          <p>Optimal germination conditions for threatened medicinal Stachys species, and for wild and cultivated blackberries of northern Morocco.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2022 to 2024<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Seeds and seed oil<\/h3>\n          <p>The fatty acid composition and antioxidant potential of Stachys germanica seed oil, and a comparison of seed traits across seven Moroccan Stachys species.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2026<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <!-- Nanobiotechnology -->\n    <section class=\"cs-section cs-field\" id=\"cs-nano\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-nano-h\">\n      <h2 id=\"cs-nano-h\">Nanobiotechnology<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"cs-line\"><\/div>\n      <ul class=\"cs-courses\">\n        <li>\n          <h3>Nanoparticles against resistant bacteria<\/h3>\n          <p>Silver, zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles tested against the quorum sensing systems of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2023 to 2024<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n        <li>\n          <h3>Nanocomposites and coatings<\/h3>\n          <p>Graphene oxide and silver nanocomposites stabilized with PDDA, and a patented dip-coating device for depositing thin films.<\/p>\n          <p class=\"cs-meta\">2023 to 2026<\/p>\n        <\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <!-- Join -->\n    <section class=\"cs-join\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-join-h\">\n      <div>\n        <h2 id=\"cs-join-h\">What this means for students<\/h2>\n        <p>You will be trained in enzymology, microbiology, bioinformatics, natural-product research and sustainable practice. This prepares you for careers in research, health, agriculture and the environment. Become a member to register for courses.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <a class=\"cs-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/smbi-maroc.org\/?page_id=1059\">Join or renew<\/a>\n    <\/section>\n\n  <\/main>\n<\/div>\n\n<style>\n.cs-page { --cs-ink: #1c2233; --cs-muted: #5b6478; --cs-blue: #345CC4; --cs-navy: #1f3a8a; --cs-rule: #dde3f0; --cs-tint: #f3f6fc;\n  font: 400 16px\/1.65 Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: var(--cs-ink); }\n.cs-page *, .cs-page *::before, .cs-page *::after { box-sizing: border-box; }\n.cs-page h1, .cs-page h2, .cs-page h3, .cs-page p, .cs-page ul, .cs-page dl, .cs-page dd, .cs-page nav { margin: 0; padding: 0; }\n\n\/* Hero *\/\n.cs-page .cs-hero { background: linear-gradient(135deg, #111111 0%, #1f2a5a 50%, #345CC4 100%); color: #fff; }\n.cs-hero-inner { max-width: 1120px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 72px 24px 64px; }\n.cs-page .cs-kicker { font: 600 14px\/1.2 Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #b9c8f5; margin-bottom: 14px; }\n.cs-page .cs-hero h1 { font: 700 clamp(30px, 4.4vw, 50px)\/1.15 Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; color: #fff !important; max-width: 20ch; margin-bottom: 20px; }\n.cs-page .cs-lead { font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; color: #dbe4fb !important; max-width: 62ch; }\n.cs-jump { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 10px; margin-top: 32px; }\n.cs-page .cs-jump a { padding: 9px 18px; border-radius: 999px; border: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.45); color: #fff !important; text-decoration: none; font: 600 14px\/1 Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; transition: background 0.2s ease, color 0.2s ease; }\n.cs-page .cs-jump a:hover { background: #fff; color: var(--cs-navy) !important; }\n\n\/* Layout *\/\n.cs-main { max-width: 1120px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 0 24px; }\n.cs-section { padding: 64px 0 8px; scroll-margin-top: 24px; }\n.cs-page h2 { font: 700 clamp(24px, 3vw, 32px)\/1.2 Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; color: var(--cs-navy); }\n.cs-line { width: 64px; height: 3px; margin: 14px 0 24px; border-radius: 2px; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #111111, var(--cs-blue)); }\n.cs-page h3 { font: 700 17px\/1.3 Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: var(--cs-ink); }\n.cs-col p { max-width: 62ch; margin-bottom: 16px; }\n\n\/* Facts panel *\/\n.cs-intro { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1.3fr 0.9fr; gap: 56px; align-items: start; }\n.cs-facts { background: var(--cs-tint); border-left: 4px solid var(--cs-blue); padding: 24px 26px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0; margin-top: 4px; }\n.cs-page .cs-facts h3 { margin-bottom: 14px; color: var(--cs-navy); }\n.cs-facts dt { font-weight: 700; font-size: 14px; color: var(--cs-muted); margin-top: 14px; }\n.cs-facts dd { margin-top: 2px; }\n\n\/* Cards *\/\n.cs-courses { list-style: none; display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); gap: 24px; }\n.cs-courses li { padding: 22px 24px; border: 1px solid var(--cs-rule); border-top: 3px solid var(--cs-blue); border-radius: 8px; background: #fff; display: flex; flex-direction: column; }\n.cs-page .cs-courses h3 { color: var(--cs-navy); margin-bottom: 8px; }\n.cs-courses p { color: var(--cs-muted); }\n.cs-page .cs-courses .cs-meta { margin-top: auto; padding-top: 16px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; color: var(--cs-blue); }\n\n\/* Join *\/\n.cs-join { margin: 64px 0 72px; padding: 36px 40px; border-radius: 12px; color: #fff; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between; gap: 32px;\n  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #111111 0%, #1f2a5a 45%, #345CC4 100%); }\n.cs-page .cs-join h2 { color: #fff !important; margin-bottom: 8px; }\n.cs-page .cs-join p { color: #dbe4fb !important; max-width: 52ch; }\n.cs-page .cs-btn { flex: 0 0 auto; display: inline-block; padding: 14px 32px; border-radius: 999px; background: #fff; color: var(--cs-navy) !important; text-decoration: none;\n  font: 700 15px\/1 Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; transition: transform 0.25s ease, box-shadow 0.25s ease; }\n.cs-page .cs-btn:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); box-shadow: 0 8px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.3); }\n\n.cs-page a:focus-visible { outline: 3px solid #8fb0ff; outline-offset: 3px; border-radius: 4px; }\n\n@media (max-width: 960px) {\n  .cs-courses { grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; }\n}\n@media (max-width: 860px) {\n  .cs-hero-inner { padding: 48px 20px 44px; }\n  .cs-main { padding: 0 20px; }\n  .cs-intro, .cs-courses { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }\n  .cs-intro { gap: 32px; }\n  .cs-join { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; padding: 28px 24px; }\n}\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {\n  .cs-btn, .cs-jump a { transition: none; }\n}\n<\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biotechnology Biotechnology: from the enzyme to the algorithm Biotechnology at SMBI Tangier follows a research path built over more than twenty years. 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