{"id":5509,"date":"2020-06-12T11:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T10:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=5509"},"modified":"2020-06-12T09:46:06","modified_gmt":"2020-06-12T08:46:06","slug":"scientists-reprogramme-ancient-enzyme-for-sustainable-biotechnology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/scientists-reprogramme-ancient-enzyme-for-sustainable-biotechnology\/5509\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists reprogramme ancient enzyme for sustainable biotechnology"},"content":{"rendered":"
The team suggest that the billion-year-old enzyme can be reprogrammed to help scientists develop a variety of sustainable biotechnologies, such as bioreactors and toxin degrading mechanisms. \u201cWe use software to simulate billions of years of evolution, and we were actually able to develop an effective enzyme that can catalyse a completely new reaction. It\u2019s incredibly exciting,\u201d said Lynn Kamerlin, who is leading the research team at Uppsala University<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most enzymes work as catalysts for specific chemical reactions<\/a>, serving an important function in many biological processes. Within biotechnology, intensive studies are being conducted to develop new enzymes that can catalyse new reactions for green chemistry, sustainable catalysis, and the chemical breakdown of environmentally toxic substances.<\/p>\n Scientists from Uppsala University and Universidad de Granada<\/a>, Spain, have resurrected ancestral enzymes in both the lab and in computer simulations. The team found that these primitive enzymes possess many desirable characteristics that can be used to develop sustainable biotechnologies.<\/p>\nThe power of enzymes<\/h3>\n