New model for biocatalysts

BASF, the Austrian Research Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB) and the University of Graz in Austria have co-developed a computer-assisted regression model to improve enzyme performance and enable biocatalytic processes to be scaled up faster. With this model, they said, “it becomes easier to determine the optimal combination as only a few preliminary lab tests, such as determining the unfolding curve of the enzyme, are necessary”.

The data are entered into the computer model, which then computes the optimal combination of reaction temperature and solvent concentration for enzyme performance. In the past, this was a complex process involving many laboratory experiments “

This sounds simple, but it considerably improves the efficiency of biocatalytic processes and gives us a new understanding of enzymatic catalysis,” said Dr Stefan Seemayer, global head of computational protein engineering at BASF. The full article has been published in Nature Communications at www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49774-0.