BioUPGRADE project develops biocatalysts to convert renewable fibres
BioUPGRADE’s advanced enzymes that tailor the natural structure of biomass to make it suitable for a wider range of uses, such as packaging materials, conductive inks for bioelectronics and hydrogels for health and personal care.
A key research activity was designing biocatalysts that can modify the structure and chemical properties of natural materials such as cellulose, hemicellulose and chitin. To achieve this, researchers analysed both publicly available and in-house genomic datasets. They used advanced techniques such as comparing genomes across species (comparative genomics), reconstructing ancient enzyme sequences, (ancestral sequence resurrection)) and running molecular simulations to understand how these enzymes work.
A key outcome was a computational framework that designs custom multi-functional proteins and helps identify key biophysical features of enzymes that act on material surfaces.
Category: Research
