Mining Microbial Dark Matter: Advanced Cultivation Techniques for Bioactive Compound Discovery

The vast majority of microorganisms in the environment remain uncultured using conventional laboratory techniques, representing an immense untapped reservoir of genetic and chemical diversity. Recent innovations in cultivation strategies, combined with advances in metagenomics, single-cell genomics, and synthetic biology, have opened new avenues for accessing and harnessing bioactive natural products from these previously inaccessible microorganisms. This review highlights recent methodological and technological advancements in the cultivation and identification of novel microorganisms, and showcases the resulting discoveries of new natural products, demonstrating their potential for drug development.