Elizabeth Jakobsen Neilson

“LiftOFF! Optimising Plant FMOs for Future Production” is an innovative and multi-disciplinary project aiming to characterize novel plant FMO enzymes for downstream use in industrial applications. FMOs (flavin-containing monooxygenases) constitute an important class of enzymes present in all kingdoms of life. FMOs modify bioactive molecules by incorporating molecular oxygen. In humans, this action facilitates the metabolism and detoxification of drugs and xenobiotics. By contrast, the role of plant FMOs is largely enigmatic, with only a handful of members characterized to date. This is highly surprising due to their expected involvement in fundamental processes such as hormone metabolism and plant immunity. LiftOFF! aims to characterize this highly valuable class of plant enzymes and identify novel bioactive molecules formed by the action of FMOs. Furthermore, this project will optimize FMOs as biocatalysts for biotechnology, improving enzyme reconstitution, stability and function.

Silvan Scheller

ETHANOGENESIS is a microbiological process to synthesize ethane sustainably from CO2 and hydrogen. Ethane can be liquefied at room temperature and utilized as a renewable ship fuel, for energy storage, or as a chemical feedstock. My lead research objective is to change the primary metabolism of methanogens to produce ethane instead of methane. Ethane is formed via acetyl-coenzyme A and ethyl-coenzyme M as the intermediates, in a way that allows the microbes sustain life. As a first step, ethane is produced as a secondary metabolite concomitant with methanogenesis. After modifying the way of ATP generation, methanogenesis will be stopped to obtain ethane as the sole product. Fundamental research is carried out to assess the potential of enzymes thought to be exclusive for C1 substrates towards catalyzing multi-carbon substrates. My research accesses the methanogen-specific pathway of CO2-fixation for the biocatalytic production of multi-carbon fuels and chemicals from unwanted CO2.