Objective
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and pervasive environmental contaminants. Long-chain PFAS bioaccumulate in plants, humans, and wildlife, amplifying their toxicity and health risks, leading to increasing governmental regulations. Shorter-chain PFAS are being phased in by industry to replace longer-chain PFAS, but their toxicity is less known and they are harder to detect, highlighting the need for increased monitoring. The overall situation calls for rapid, accessible, and on-site methods to detect, differentiate, and break down diverse chain-length PFAS.
To address this challenge, I propose to investigate ‘fluoro-selectivity’: the capacity of enzymes to differentiate between PFAS of varying chain-lengths and fluorinated versus non-fluorinated compounds. Strikingly, fluoro-selectivity already occurs in enzymes in nature. Here, I propose to use a combination of bioluminescence and machine learning to decipher the fluoro-selectivity code of natural enzymes that undergo conformational changes in response to different PFAS. In tandem, I will establish a new method using a fluoro-selective resistance mechanism to discover environmental enzymes capable of breaking down fluorinated compounds. Finally, I will take advantage of the close structural similarity between firefly luciferases - the enzymes that enable fireflies to glow - and natural PFAS-activating enzymes known as acyl-CoA ligases. Leveraging this evolutionary relationship, I will construct fluoro-selective, bioluminescent enzymes to enable the design of real-time, in situ, and chain length-specific PFAS biosensors.
Mapping the first blueprint of enzymatic fluoro-selectivity will enable precision applications in environmental PFAS monitoring and remediation. More fundamentally, this work aims to reveal the underlying biochemical and evolutionary drivers of fluoro-selectivity from bacteria to fireflies, uncovering paths for the emergence of metabolic traits across the tree of life.
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.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors biosensors
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- 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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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-2025-STG
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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.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
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.