Industrial Biotechnology project to BIO

A new ERA-NET Industrial Biotechnology project entitled "THERMOGENE - Novel thermostable enzymes for industrial biotechnology" has recently been awarded to the General Microbiology research group at BIO. The aim of the project is to identify and evaluate thermostable enzymes through gene mining of genome-sequenced thermophilic microorganisms and from metagenomes obtained from natural hot environments. The focus will be on novel ezymes for synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other high-value chemicals. Enzyme chemistry can make reactions feasible that are currently unavailable using conventional chemical methods. The project is a collaboration with scientists in UK, Germany and Russia.