Bjørn Olav Brandsdal awarded 20 MNOK Grant

Hylleraas PI Bjørn Olav Brandsdal has been awarded a ToppForsk grant from the Research Council of Norway for a project is entitled "Evolutionary Principles of Biocatalysts From Extreme Environments".

A summary of the project motivation and goals: "Many places on earth are badly suited for life. Nevertheless, organisms can survive at extreme temperatures, unfavourable pH or high pressures due to the adaptation of proteins to these conditions. How this adaptation has occurred remains in many cases still unresolved. At lower temperatures, chemical reaction rates will be reduced. Adaptation to cold temperatures require specialised enzymes that can maintain a working metabolism at these temperatures. Such enzymes have some characteristics and universal properties that reflect this adaption. The project will try to unravel how these adaptations work using theoretical modeling. Understanding the function of enzymes adapted to extreme environments is of great interest, due to their potential use as biocatalysts in industrial and biotechnological applications."

Published Feb. 4, 2018 3:34 PM - Last modified Feb. 4, 2018 3:34 PM