EC ENZYMES: Industrial biocatalysis with new oxygenases in a novel electro-enzyme reactor

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 00.0399

Key words (English)

Monooxygenase; electrochemistry; bioinformatics; directed evolution;
Biotechnology; Environmental Protection; Innovation; Technology Transfer; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Waste Management

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK3-2000-00725

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.3 The 'cell factory'

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: BASF Aktiengesellschaft (D)

Abstract (English)

The objective of this proposal is to obtain novel functional biocatalysts for regio- and enantio-selective oxidation working in a 'reactor plugged to a wall socket'. A central part is the isolation of the responsible part of monooxygenases and the combination with an electrochemical regeneration system. Our aim is to use sophisticated mediator technology to develop biocatalysts which, in an industrial setting, are competitive to chemical catalysis used in hydroxylation.
Together with an integration of mechanistic information of the enzymes and genetic engineering techniques, a large number of mutants prepared by directed evolution will be analysed by novel massive parallel screening methods. Based on the developments a basically new electro-enzymatic reactor will be constructed for chemical bulk synthesis of oxygenated fine chemicals.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0399