Function-based enzyme development
Depending on the intended application, different (bio)polymers and oligomers as well as labelled model substrates and tailored inhibitors are used for identification of enzymes. A robotic platform for high through-put screenings is available to identify not only novel biocatalysts but also synergistic effects of enzymes and of the producing microorganisms.
In-silico screening for novel biocatalysts
Complementary to functional methods, screening of available genome sequences is used to identify enzymes from non-culturable bacteria and/or to speed up screening procedures. Using this approach, several enzymes were identified and implemented in our enzyme platform.
Novel sources for enzyme screening
Screening of otherwise unexplored sources offers a promising opportunity for discovery of novel enzymes and biocatalytic activities. Hence, aquatic environments, anaerobic habitats and agricultural sources such as rumen are investigated in our labs and succeeded in identification of novel enzymes.
Enzyme activation and improvement
Based on functional and structural data, rational design is applied for improvement of enzymes. In particular, the enhancement of adsorption/desorption properties of enzymes onto insoluble polymers were established including surface engineering, fusion of natural binding modules and activation by truncation for dynamic structural elements.
Enzymatic degradation studies for a prediction of biodegradability
Both standardized and novel rapid enzyme-based procedures are established to investigate the biodegradation of synthetic and biopolymer-based materials and have a prediction of it in the range of different environments including composting, as well as aquatic and animal digestion models. Thereby, structurally different model substrates are synthetized and labelled to elucidate the influence of chemical composition onto biodegradation during the development of novel biodegradable materials.
Analytics
State of the art analytical equipment is used both for enzyme identification (e.g., nano LC MS/MS for proteomics) and analysis of polymers and small molecules (Mass spectrometry/Chromatography: LC-Tof-MS, MALDI-Tof-MS; GPC MALLS, HPLC, GC, GC-MS; Microscopy: SEM, CLSM; Spectroscopy: FT-IR; Wettability: Water Contact Angle).
Fermentation on pilot scale
The facility offers fermentation equipment from lab scale (1 - 60 L) including the required down-stream processing infrastructure. The fermentation pilot plant is configured to produce various cells and the downstream processing is focused on biomass separation and/or concentration (centrifugation and filtration equipment) and drying processes (lyophilization, fluid bed drying).