Reisenbauer Group

Biocatalysis and Protein Engineering

Enzymes, nature’s catalysts, are remarkable molecular machines that enable the formation and breakdown of complex molecules and materials. Advances in protein engineering have unlocked their potential as highly efficient, robust, and versatile tools for synthetic chemistry. Through experimental techniques such as directed evolution and computational methods such as machine learning, enzymes can be designed to perform non-natural chemical reactions with remarkable precision and selectivity.

Efficient access to biologically active compounds and materials is central to modern society, with applications ranging from medicine and agriculture to the development of novel therapeutics, materials, and sustainable chemical processes. Traditional synthetic methods often rely on resource-intensive processes involving multi-step chemical procedures. Additionally, many useful synthetic compounds used in consumer goods do not degrade naturally, such as persistent organic pollutants, impacting both humans and the environment. To address these issues, new sustainable strategies are needed both for creating essential products, such as new pharmaceuticals, and for enabling innovative solutions in environmental remediation, including the degradation of harmful pollutants.

The Reisenbauer group focuses on repurposing the unique reactivity of enzymes to unlock entirely new chemical pathways. By combining the strengths of enzymes with the deep knowledge of classical organic chemistry, we aim to achieve chemical transformations that were previously inaccessible. Our approach is highly interdisciplinary: we integrate advanced protein engineering, computational modeling, and machine learning to discover and improve novel biocatalysts. Through close collaborations, we aim to develop and design enzymes that are not only powerful tools for synthesis but also contribute to a more sustainable future.