Bohdan Ostash
Fellow 2025/2026
Biology
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
Volkswagen Stiftung
bohdan.ostash@lnu.edu.ua
Bio
Bohdan Ostash was born in June 1977 in Hrabovets, near Stryi, Lvivska region, Ukraine. He completed his early education at Markiyan Shashkevych School, earning a gold medal for academic excellence and participating in numerous olympiads in life sciences and English. In 1994, he enrolled at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (IFNUL), where he obtained his undergraduate degree in Genetics with distinction in 1999. He then pursued a PhD studying the biosynthesis of the antitumor antibiotic landomycin E, analyzing gene knockouts in Streptomyces globisporus 1912.
Since 2003, Bohdan has specialized in actinobacterial genetics and genomics. He conducted postdoctoral research in Suzanne Walker’s lab at Harvard Medical School before returning to IFNUL as an independent researcher. In 2011, he joined the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology at IFNUL as a part-time lecturer, teaching genomics and bioinformatics.
Throughout his career, he has received multiple fellowships that enabled him to acquire diverse techniques in bacterial genetics and natural product research. His work bridges fundamental genetic studies and applied research in microbial biotechnology, contributing to the understanding of antibiotic biosynthesis and actinobacterial genomics.
New bacterial phenomena emerging from altered translation accuracy
This project investigates how altered translation accuracy (ATA) in bacteria affects specialized metabolite biosynthesis and antimicrobial resistance. Using Streptomyces albus J1074—a model with extensive natural product genes and relevance to pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis—mutations in ribosomal protein genes (rpsL, rsmG) and tRNA modification genes (miaA, miaB, mnmA, trmL) will generate varying ATA levels, from hyperaccuracy to moderate mistranslation. ATA will be monitored using stop-codon reporter genes.
Physiological consequences of ATA, including antibiotic evasion, tolerance, and overproduction, will be studied through microbiological, analytical (LC-MS), and transcriptomic assays. Comparative studies in E. coli mutants will further elucidate conserved mechanisms.
The project addresses critical healthcare challenges by revealing novel pathways of antibiotic resistance and persistence arising from translation fidelity changes, helping predict and limit their emergence. It also explores new strategies to activate silent gene clusters in actinomycetes, potentially yielding novel antibiotics for drug-resistant pathogens. Ultimately, this research enhances understanding of the ribosome as a regulatory device in bacteria, with implications for infection control and natural product discovery.