The College of Science at the University of Basrah organized a seminar entitled (Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles by Environmental Bacteria with Some Medical Applications) by the graduate student Hasan Ghali Abdulhasan. The study aims to investigate the biological activity of silver and copper oxide nanoparticles synthesized by bacteria isolated from oil field reservoirs and included the isolation and molecular identification of bacteria obtained from produced water samples of Al-Halfaya oil field reservoirs in Amarah City, as well as the biosynthesis and characterization of the nanoparticles produced by these bacteria. The study also included the evaluation of the effects of silver and copper oxide nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant bacteria, free radicals, and bacterial DNA cleavage. The cytotoxicity of silver and copper oxide nanoparticles against human lung cancer cells (A-549), human colon cancer cells (HCT-8), and normal rat embryonic fibroblast cells (REF) was also investigated.

and the study was recommended performing extensive studies for bacterial diversity in the produced water of oil fields due to their significance in the production of numerous products with a wide range of applications as well as the biosynthesis of other nanoparticles such as iron, zinc, selenium, gold, etc. by produced water bacteria. The seminar also recommended studying the cytotoxicity of silver and copper oxide nanoparticles in animal models and on other common cancer cell lines, as well as the use of these nanoparticles for environmental applications and wastewater treatment.