Project description
Biocatalysis: towards greener synthesis of pharmaceuticals
The use of enzymes for the chemical transformation of organic compounds is known as biocatalysis and is widely used in biotechnological applications. Key advantages of biocatalysis over classic catalysis include high specificity and selectivity, and catalysis under ambient conditions, which saves energy and reduces the need for harsh chemicals. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CyBRiOx project aims to broaden the scope of enzyme catalysis. The work will focus on indole alkaloids, core components of many pharmacologically important molecules whose biological activity depends on enzymatic reactions carried out by Rieske oxygenases (RiOx). Researchers will develop novel RiOx biocatalysts for as of yet underdeveloped reactions and pave the way towards cleaner and more cost-effective pharmaceutical synthesis.
Objective
Enzyme catalysis is a key technology at the heart of industrial biotechnology, which is expected to drive economic growth and industrial leadership in the EU, while effectively addressing social, environmental and economic needs. Despite the growing impact of biocatalysis, the full potential of this technology has yet to be realized. Major current limitations are: i) only a limited number of chemical reactions are amenable to biocatalysis, and ii) the unique enzymology encoded in the genome of organisms has been minimally explored. CyBRiOx will address this gap by elucidating the role of Rieske oxygenases (RiOx) in the late diversification pathway of indole alkaloids, a fascinating group of compounds with promising biological activities. In doing so, CyBRiOx will not only decipher the complete biosynthesis of these promising drug targets, but in parallel will develop novel RiOx biocatalysts catalyzing much-underdeveloped reaction classes in biocatalysis, namely CoA-independent desaturations and oxidative C-C bond formation reactions. This will be achieved by integrating knowledge of the natural activity of enzymes with bioinformatics, structural biology, enzyme engineering and organic synthesis to develop novel biocatalysts for highly underdeveloped reaction classes. Expanding the scope of existing RiOx offers tremendous potential for a cleaner, more selective, more efficient and therefore cheaper route to various key structural motifs relevant to the industrial and pharmaceutical industries. CyBRiOx will achieve this through the collaboration of the postdoctoral fellow with two leading experts in the field. The MSCA grant will allow the research fellow to further develop his scientific and transferable skills, expand his network, and enhance his overall career prospects and employability to become one of the next generation of leading scientists.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis biocatalysis
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- 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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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.
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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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.
9712CP Groningen
Netherlands
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.