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| − | {{Sydney_Australia}}
| + | '''THE PROBLEM''' |
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| − | <h2> Project Description </h2>
| + | '''PREVIOUS WORK/RESEARCH''' |
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| + | '''THE SOLUTION/AIMS''' |
| − | This year, the iGEM team from down under will be studying enzymes that are used for biocatalysis (green chemical synthesis) and bioremediation (biological degradation of pollutants). We are trying to develop fast growing strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli that can synthesise epoxides from alkenes. Epoxides are versatile intermediates, and are used in the manufacture of hundreds of products, including bulk chemicals like antifreeze (ethylene glycol) and fine chemicals like antiviral drugs (e.g. indinavir). Current methods of epoxide synthesis involve the use of hazardous and non-renewable reagents and are often characterised with low yields, specificity and purity. Enzymes offer a better alternative.
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| − | The epoxidation reaction is performed by an alkene monooxygenase enzyme that to date has only been found in ''Mycobacterium''. Mycobacterium is difficult to work with on an industrial scale, and thus we aim to express the alkene monooxygenase from Mycobacterium in Escherichia coli using recombinant DNA methods; this will generate a biocatalyst that is easy to work with, has a rapid growth rate, and gives higher levels of monooxygenase expression, and higher epoxide yields.
| + | '''OUR DESIGN''' |
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| − | This importance of this research is that as monooxygenase catalysts are renewable, non-toxic, biodegradable, and their activities can easily be scaled up for large-scale syntheses. A special feature of the alkene monooxygenase enzyme is that it produces highly enantiomerically-enriched epoxides (predominantly one optimal isomer) – this trait is crucial for the manufacture of bioactives such as pharmaceuticals. This project has the potential to re-design the manufacturing methods for many commonly used chemicals, replacing existing processes with more effective and ‘greener’ alternatives.
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| − | </p>
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| − | </html>
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