Welcome to Modern Methods of Biocatalysis
We will get together on March 2nd for the first time to talk more about the individual pre-knowledge and learn about your (and my) expectations on the course. I'm looking forward to meeting you.
The principle activation mechanisms in biosynthesis have guided chemists in developing better and more sustainable catalytic production systems for a long time. More recently, however, the growing understanding and in-depth knowledge of biocatalytic principles enabled us to also directly exploit enzymatic catalysts as powerful tool organic synthesis.
This course has a strong emphasis on the fundamental organic reaction mechanisms found in enzymatic activation as the molecular understanding allows us to justify and predict reactivity patterns and selectivities. In addition to the mechanistic perspective, various relevant enzyme classes will be explored with regard to their synthetic potential and applications in preparative organic chemistry. Moreover, the course will also include certain biotechnological aspects of biocatalysis as protein engineering, directed evolution and mutasynthesis represent the key tools to design optimized enzymatic scenarios for the utilization of natural systems in chemical production.
Where to find stuff...
You will find me in a cosy ZOOM room and even though I will record all sessions, don't hesitate to join live to the lectures. Human interaction does come with some benefits, particularly in times of remote learning. We will use the same Zoom link for all sessions: https://aalto.zoom.us/j/64249927253
All slides used in the lectures can be found prior to the sessions on this page: lecture slides. On the same page, I will also upload the video recordings after each session.
What is expected from you...
This course is a pass/fail course without the standard 1-5 marking scheme. All I expect you to do, in addition to your (hopefully active) participation in the lecture session, is
(a) to reflect a bit on the individual sessions in form of a learning diary, and
(b) to prepare a seminar presentation on a modern topic related to biocatalysis.
Learning diary entries are due at the end of every week. More instructions on how to draft them and the form to return your entries can be found here: learning diary (sorry, still needs updating)
The course seminar will be held on April 13 & 14. We seem to be a rather big group so there's gonna be quite a few presentations, and depending how many participants we end up with, I will decide on whether to give individual presentations or do it in pairs. Feel free to propose a topic, but I will also offer a list of my favorite research articles from the last few years. The seminar is plenty of work so we keep the workload down by only a selection of 9 lecture session.
Preliminary outline:
2.3.2021: Introduction (basic principles of catalysis, protein structure and cofactors)
4.3.2021: Oxidoreductases I (carbonyl-, ene- and imine reductases)
9.3.2021: Oxidoreductases II (oxygenating enzymes)
11.3.2021: Transferases (transaminases)
16.3.2021: Lyases I (decarboxylases and transketolases)
18.3.2021: Lyases II (aldolases)
23.3.2021: Hydrolases
25.3.2021: Directed evolution (by Prof. Silvan Scheller)
31.3.2021: Muta- and semisynthesis
13.4.2021: Seminar presentations
14.4.2021: Seminar presentations