UCL Discovery

Abstract

Biocatalysts have significant potential for use in synthetic strategies to commercially important compounds due to their ability to perform highly stereoselective conversions. In addition, developments in protein and pathway engineering have led to biocatalyst improvements, enabled applications using non-natural substrates and alternative reaction stereoselectivities have been observed. An integrated multidisciplinary approach has been undertaken at UCL in the Departments of Chemistry, Biochemical Engineering and Structural and Molecular Biology (BiCE programme) focusing on biocatalytic approaches to ketodiols and aminodiols. This has led to the discovery of a new chemical reaction and colorimetric and chiral assays, and incorporated directed evolution strategies, targeted library formation, microwell miniaturization studies and whole process modelling.