Objective
Halogenation is a key transformation in organic chemistry, widely used to enhance molecular properties and reactivity. Organohalides play critical roles in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials, serving both as bioactive compounds and versatile intermediates in synthetic chemistry. Traditional halogenation methods rely on hazardous reagents and harsh conditions, raising sustainability and selectivity concerns. In contrast, halogenases enable site-selective halogenation under mild, aqueous conditions, evidenced by over 8,000 known halogenated natural products. Despite enormous potential, their application in chemoenzymatic synthesis remains limited due to narrow substrate scopes, a lack of diverse, well-characterized enzymes, and the absence of approachable platforms.
The HALOGEN project (HALOgenase-driven high-throughput experimentation and GENome mining) aims to unlock the potential of halogenases for sustainable synthesis through the development of a high-throughput, microfluidic experimentation platform for compound diversification. RO1 focuses on building a chemoenzymatic workflow that integrates biocatalytic halogenation (RO1a) with downstream abiotic catalysis (RO1b) to diversify small-molecule libraries, including natural products. Using flow-based microfluidic chips coupled with mass spectrometry, we will enable multiplexed screening of enzyme–substrate combinations under precise, scalable conditions. RO2 focuses on expanding the enzymatic toolbox by genome mining marine cyanobacteria to uncover novel halogenases (RO2a) and structurally unique halogenated natural products (RO2b), including those derived from cryptic halogenation pathways.
Together, this work will expand the enzymatic halogenation toolbox, provide fundamental insight into halogenase reactivity, and establish a broadly applicable platform for eco-friendly late-stage functionalization of small molecule libraries for medicinal chemistry.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European 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-2025-PF
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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.
66123 Saarbrucken
Germany
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.