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The fast development of genome sequencing technologies and the power of advanced computational analyses of the DNA sequences dramatically increased the potential for natural product discovery. Our knowledge on the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites by bacteria is constantly expanding, thereby adding new information that connects biosynthetic genes with metabolites of particular chemical classes. With the cost-effective and rapid increase in the number of bacterial genomes sequenced, one challenge encountered in current drug discovery efforts is how to effectively prioritize those strains with the greatest ability to produce new compounds and understand the extent of biosynthetic potential that exists in nature.

Genomes mining approaches, which often involve identifying the genes involved in secondary metabolite production, have revealed an unprecedented biosynthetic potential in many microbial species. Associated techniques include molecular biology techniques, chemical analysis, cellular biology techniques, and bioinformatic analysis, etc. The genomes mining approaches can be applied in different ways based upon:

(i) phenotype of the producer (e.g. bioactivity and biosynthesis of specific compounds or enzymes);
(ii) targeted chemical class of natural products (e.g. terpenes, lasso peptides and aromatic polyketides);
(iii) the potential uniqueness of the bacterial isolate that may yield novel compounds (e.g. novel or taxonomically divergent species, and isolates from unique environmental sources).