Protein Technology

• Carbohydrate-active oxidoreductases for bio-based cross linkers
• Biocatalytic cascades for hemicellulose reassembly
• Microbial expansin related proteins for bio-fibre engineering

Forest biomass (lignocellulose) is largely made up of three polymers, cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. Today, cellulose fibers are the main product of pulp mills across Finland and globally, while over 50% of the wood biomass resource remains underutilized. Our research focuses on the discovery and development of new proteins that can be used to sustainably synthesize novel, high-value biomaterials from underutilized and renewable plant resources.

Enzyme catalyzed reactions benefit from four key advantages.

1. Specificity that allows predictable modification of complex substrates.
2. Exquisite tunability through protein discovery and engineering.
3. Operation in mild reaction conditions that can reduce energy costs and undesired transformation of starting materials.
4. Biodegradability, which helps to ensure the sustainability of the synthesis process as well as end product.

The Protein Technology group mines unexplored genomic data from plant biomass degrading microorganisms to discover new enzymes and non-catalytic proteins able to create valuable, bio-based products from plant polysaccharides. To support this objective, our group also designs and develops new enzyme screens to address the increasing limitations of existing assays.