The Enzyme Engineering and Structural Biology group develops and utilizes enzymology to tackle the biodiversity crisis.
Using structural biology and protein chemistry as our primary tools, we strive to take a modern approach to these well-established disciplines, with multidimensional experimental setup and increased throughput. We are particularly interested in enzymatic glycosylation of natural products, such as aromas, fragrances, dyes, and pharmaceuticals, as a tool to control their solubility, volatility, stability, compartmentalization, and toxicity. For this, we focus on plant enzymes of the glycosyltransferase class. Our primary techniques are X-ray crystallography, rational design, machine learning, and HPLC. We work to elucidate glycosyltransferase structure-function relationships governing specificity, turn-over rate, and stability to ultimately develop low impact and industrially relevant enzymatic processes.
If you are interested in joining us, please don’t hesitate to reach out.