IBAAC: An integrated biomimetic approach to asymmetric catalysis

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0255-1

Key words (English)

Catalysis; enantioselectivity; protein design; dendrimers; host-guest systems

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: 505020

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 2.2.1 Marie-Curie Research Training Networks

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Universität Bern
Departement für Chemie und Biochemie

Abstract (English)

The Project outlines complementary strategies to incorporate active catalyst precursors into a chiral host environment and efficiently test with high-throughput screening methodologies the resulting hybrid catalytic systems in asymmetric catalysis. Our group will contribute in two areas. First we provide expertise in general high-throughput enantioselective screening assays for catalysis. In particular we are developing ready-to-use fluorogenic substrates and fingerprinting tools that will be accessible to all project partners. Second we will contribute to the general strategy by exploring the properties of peptide dendrimers as chiral catalytic hosts. Peptide dendrimers are synthetic, protein-like structures that can acquire enzyme-like catalytic properties. peptide dendrimers are readily synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis and purified by HPLC. This chemical approach is cost-competitive and provides great flexibility for structural modifications. For example, and by contrast to natural proteins which are limited to natura1 amino-acids, peptide dendrimers can readily incorporate any number of non-natura1 amino-acids with unusual stereochemistry or side-chain functionalities. We have now established a combinatorial protocol based on split-and-mix techniques which gives access to structural diversity comparable to that accessible with proteins using random mutagenesis methods. The libraries typically contain 50'000 to 500'000 individual dendrimer sequences as on-bead library. Peptide dendrimer libraries will be prepared and investigated as chiral hosts for enantioselective catalysis. with emphasis on asymmetric reactions of interest within the network, such as metal-cofactor mediated enantioselective reduction and oxidation processes.

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: 03.0255-1