BATS

Date/Time:

Mar 2, 2018 - 12:00 PM

Location:

Hosts:

Bevin Engelward

Speaker:

Title:

Designer RiPPs: Engineering a New Source of Small Molecules

Abstract:

Synthetic compounds used in drug discovery are limited to a small region of structural space. We are engineering natural product pathways, a source of structurally diverse small molecules, to biosynthesize new compounds. Using ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) we have deconstructed pathways, tested enzymes individually, and characterized enzyme substrate tolerance. Future work to discover new enzymes and combine enzymes in new ways will enable biosynthesis of novel compounds for drug discovery.

Speaker:

Title:

Design of Silica Structures Using Post-translationally Modified Peptides From Diatoms

Abstract:

Silicon materials are widely used for medical, optical, and microelectronic applications. As these advance, there is a need for new methods that can control the assembly of silicon into more complex nano- and microscale architectures. In this work, I aim to use post-translational modifications as modular building blocks on a silica-mineralizing peptide from diatoms to control the size, shape, and porosity of silica particles. This bio-inspired approach may enable the synthesis of more complex structures to advance these application spaces.