Objective
Directed evolution of functional proteins has arguably emerged as an approach to protein engineering that can complement or better design-led approaches to protein function. However, as a random process, enormous numbers of variants have to be screened and selected to have a chance to identify successful catalysts. This process is costly and cumbersome: Industrial screening facilities require investment of tens to hundred millions of dollars. My group has implemented key steps towards conducting quantitative biological experiments in a much cheaper format. Screening of individual library members in monodisperse oil-in-water compartments ('microdroplets’) that are generated at kHz frequencies in microfluidic devices has been shown to be possible. The droplet compartment constitutes a link between a given phenotype and its encoding genotype, by capturing reaction product, and thus providing a unique system to screen for catalysis.In this way quantitative fitness landscapes for interconversion of members of enzyme superfamilies along the lines of catalytic promiscuity, understanding the factors governing specificity and the mechanistic interpretation of the observed evolutionary pathways can be made. We now apply this screening system of unprecedented capacity for directed evolution and metagenomic screening of enzymes in in vivo and in vitro formats. We plan to apply this system to do experiments that would not be possible with conventional, lower throughput approaches: (i) screening of metagenomic libraries for rare and promiscuous activities that characterise environmental gene collections for their reactivity and potential for applied biocatalysis; (ii) developing a fundamental understanding of and strategic guidelines for enzyme evolution based on fitness landscapes that record data on multiple, promiscuous activities in response to Indel mutations; and (iii) evolution of gene networks to build up signalling networks in vitro.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis biocatalysis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2015-AdG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.