Research and Teaching Interests
Our teamwork is based on the vision to create artificial biodiversity with new genetic codes to elucidate life on a molecular level and to develop related technologies.
This requires an interdisciplinary approach at the interface of the chemistry, biology and physics. That is why synthetic chemists work together with molecular biologists, biotechnologists, bioinformatics and biophysicists in our laboratories.
Our core competencies include protein and proteome engineering through directed evolution based on the in vivo incorporation of noncanonical amino acids during ribosomal translation. Of course, that would never work without chemistry.
Therefore, we are performing various organic syntheses, mainly of bioorthogonal amino acids, and investigate their effects on model peptides, proteins, protein-based complex scaffolds and whole cells (populations).
Our past experience combined with unique know-how motivates us to further advance our research into the elucidation, engineering and control of cellular processes in a chemical way. We anticipate this as the most promising path to create synthetic life forms.