Protein Design Lab

The overconsumption of sugar is one of the main reasons cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes have reached pandemic proportions. While the obvious solution would be to eat less and make healthier lifestyle choices, the desire for sweetness in our food remains strong. Artificial sweeteners are widely used to lower calorie intake. Several of them, however, are suspected to pose health risks of their own, and many do not taste as well as sucrose, often leaving a lingering off-taste. The development of novel sweeteners is hindered by the scarcity of measurable data on what constitutes an ideal non-caloric sweetener. We aim to develop biochemical assays to determine these metrics, facilitating the discovery of healthy, sustainable, and good-tasting sweeteners.

In traditional food systems, additives derived from petrochemicals and animal products are widely used. While these compounds may possess desired techno-functional properties, they come with environmental, ethical, health, and sustainability issues. The goal of this project is to develop alternative protein-based food additives, such as colorants and sweeteners, that meet the needs of the food industry while addressing the concerns. Rational design, structural biology, and AI methods are utilized for protein development. In collaboration with TFTAK, a precision fermentation platform is developed to produce proteins in microorganisms. Protein samples are tested in model foods. Successful prototypes are commercialized through partnerships with the local food industry and startup accelerators. The gathered experimental data is used to model relationships between protein structure and techno-functional properties, facilitating the design of novel food proteins in the future.

Wood or lignocellulosic biomass more generally, is a readily available renewable resource, offering sustainable solutions for our growing human population. The core wood polymers - cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin - serve as fundamental components, extending beyond paper production to produce valuable wood sugars, textile fibers, thermoplastics, and fine chemicals. In our project, we are developing enzyme technologies utilizing extremophilic microbe-derived enzymes to break down and modify lignin, remove toxic phenolic compounds, convert cellulose into wood sugars, and advance enzyme-catalyzed cellulose technologies. Additionally, the project focuses on advancing technologies for converting kraft, hydrolysis (and organosolv) and synthetic lignins into porous materials, thermoplastics, and cutting-edge catalysts.