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Biological production of novel organofluorines via terpene biosynthesis and S.cerevisiae engineering

Project description

Engineering enzymes for new bioactive molecules

Fluorine plays a vital role in drug development due to its unique chemical properties. However, it is rarely used by nature in the biosynthesis of complex molecules. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Bio-fluorine project addresses that gap by exploring how biosynthetic enzymes can be used to incorporate fluorine into terpenoids, the largest and most structurally diverse class of natural products. To develop a fully biological method for inserting fluorine from simple precursors into diverse carbon frameworks, researchers will harness enzymatic pathways. A yeast-based production system will facilitate the scalable synthesis of new fluorinated natural products, paving the way towards pharmaceutical innovation.

Objective

Fluorine offers unique properties that are invaluable in molecular design and discovery. Its importance is evidenced by the
overrepresentation of fluorine among synthetic small molecule therapeutics. However, unlike synthetic chemists, nature rarely uses fluorine as part of its design tools to construct bioactive molecules. To introduce fluorine into complex scaffolds such as natural products would offer enormous potential for accessing new structural space that combine beneficial features of biological and synthetic molecules for the discovery of novel functions. This proposal, Bio-fluorine, aims to explore the incorporation of fluorine into terpenoids, which constitute the largest and most diverse class of natural products, using biosynthetic enzymes. The proposed research seeks to develop an entirely enzymatic pathway to incorporate fluorine from a simple precursor into diverse carbon skeletons. The proposed work also aims to develop a Saccharomyces cerevisiae chassis for scalable biological fluorine incorporation and novel organofluorine production.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Net EU contribution
€ 260 347,92
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data