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Project acronym:   SYMBIOSIS

Project type:   PROMIS

Unique project identifier:   6066997

Project Web site:   https://symbiosispromis.org/

Project is funded by:   Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia (Belgrade, Serbia)

Instituions where the research is conducted:

  • University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia)
  • Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy (Belgrade, Serbia)
  • Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences (Belgrade, Serbia)

Project realization is scheduled from July 17, 2020 till October 16, 2022.

Project staff

Principal investigator:   Tamara R. Todoroviæ, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Beograd, Serbia)

(click to display the full list of investigators)

Short description of the project

Novel industrial biocatalysts are needed which can offer advantages over traditional chemical processes with respect to sustainability, process efficiency and reduced negative impact on the environment. Implementation of either native or mutated enzymes for various industrial applications is currently limited due to the lack of protein stability in harsh conditions. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), known for their ultra-high porosity and crystallinity, are perfect host materials that can protect guest enzymes from inhospitable external environments. Although essential for the effective encapsulation and stabilization of enzyme biomolecules, deeper insight into host-guest interactions for biomaterials made up of enzymes immobilized on MOF supports (enzyme@MOF composites) is still lacking. The challenge is to find out how to control and finely tune strength of interactions between enzyme and MOF support, since too week interactions will lead to enzyme leaching, and too strong interactions can lead to enzyme denaturation, in both cases lowering reusability and overall catalytic performance. SYMBIOSIS project offers two unprecedented concepts, which unify methodologies used in several different research fields. The first one is coupling immobilization on MOFs as solid supports and site-directed enzyme mutagenesis to unravel both, the nature and strength of dominant host-guest interaction thus enabling their controlled modulation. The second one is glycosylation of protein surface as a general strategy for facilitating biomimetic mineralization. As direct result of the proposed project, efficient enzyme@MOF composites with high reusability, catalytic performance and long shelf-life, potentially applicable in various industrial processes, will be developed.

[Graphical project abstract 1]
SYMBIOSIS project concept