EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S02532/01
Title: Substrate walking: Increasing the synthetic repertoire of enzymes using a novel process
Principal Investigator: Dalby, Professor PA
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Biochemical Engineering
Organisation: UCL
Scheme: First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC
Starts: 21 July 2003 Ends: 20 July 2006 Value (£): 98,502
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Biological & Medicinal Chem. Chemical Biology
Drug Formulation & Delivery
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The aim of this proposal is to demonstrate a novel approach for identifying new enzyme variants with desired substrate specificity and preserved high selectivity. This directly addresses a major bottleneck in the development of suitable biosynthetic routes for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and selected fine chemicals. The project will use a novel strategy whereby the powerful approach of forced evolution is applied to a series of substrates with sequential modifications that link the natural substrate through to the desired substrate. This new approach will allow the substrate specificity of enzyme to be evolved beyond currently perceived limitations.Forced evolution can only currently be used to alter the existing enzyme activity when detectable activity on a new substrate can be introduced within the first round of evolution. The new substrates in these cases are typically only slightly modified: more radical changes in substrate specificity are currently not realistically possible. This proposal will test the hypothesis that an enzyme can be sequentially evolved to accept much more substantial altered substrates and hence greatly extend its synthetic repertoire of bioconversions.The project will complement current Departmental studies in microwell bioprocessing and metabolic engineering.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL: http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucbepad/PADframeset.htm
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: