We are currently working with enzymes active on polysaccharides like cellulose, chitin and alginate. Furthermore, we are also applying enzymes for extracting and tailoring polysaccharides from seaweed to produce new biomaterials. Our approach is to characterize an enzyme's biochemistry and biophysics using NMR and a wide range of experimental techniques. Moreover, we aim to apply enzymes to modify the substrates they are active on and thus create new biomaterials with tailored properties.
Some of the enzymes we are working with are lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), and alginate modifying enzymes. Moreover, we're studying algal polysaccharides such as alginate and fucoidan.
lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases
Our goal is to elucidate the structural and functional features of LPMOs. Currently, the focus is on understanding the interplay between LPMOs, their substrates and other oxidoreductases.
We're studying the factors that govern the structure and biochemical activity of alginate modifying enzymes, with the ultimate goal of using rational protein design to tailor-make alginates
Carbohydrate-binding modules are important for the activity of many CAZymes. We're mapping protein-substrate interactions, as well as how CBMs guide the catalytic activity of the CAZymes they are tethered to.
CHARACTERIZATION AND ENGINEERING OF POLYSACCHARIDES
We're characterizing the structure and function of alginate and other algal polysaccharides such as fucoidan. In addition, we're applying chemoenzymatic methods to modify these carbohydrates and make new biomaterials with combined functions.
Below are some of the projects we are currently working on. Feel free to contact us if you would like to know more about our research interests.
Contact usThe Norwegian Seaweed Biorefinery Platform
The Norwegian Seaweed Biorefinery Platform (SBP-N) is a national consortium established to coordinate research efforts toward an increased and sustainable Norwegian seaweed-based industry. The platform aims to serve as a hub for research, knowledge, methodology and stakeholder networks. Furthermore, the platform will aid in the regulation of macroalgae cultivation and harvesting industries. Research in the project will focus on characterization of macroalgae-derived products, development of technology enabling future economically and environmentally sustainable biorefinery processes, and establishment of high-value and bulk product pipelines.
Funded by: Research Council of Norway
Project partners: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, SINTEF Industry, SINTEF Ocean, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Nofima, Møreforsking.
Project website: https://www.sintef.no/projectweb/seaweedplatform
The future bio economy is reliant on increased utilization of marine resources to meet increasing needs for food, feed, materials and products. Seaweed is an underutilized biomass in Europe with a great potential for value creation and industry development. The SNAP project is innovation-focused and aims to develop novel products by upgrading and modifying five different polysaccharides from selected brown and red algae.
Funded by: Research Council of Norway/ERA-NET-BlueBio
Project partners: SINTEF Industry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Seaweed Energy Solutions AS, DuPont, Tallinn University, The Royal Institute of technology, University of Trieste, University of Bremen
Project website: https://www.sintef.no/en/projects/snap-seaweeds-for-novel-applications-and-products
The focus of OXYMOD is redox enzymes. These require co-factors and redox partners, and there is a considerable degree of cooperativity between different enzyme classes. Enzyme systems-scale understanding and eventually engineering the efficient degradation of lignocellulose by these enzyme systems, requires an integrated transdisciplinary approach far beyond 'simple' enzyme discovery. Outputs of the project in the form of optimized biocatalytic systems will have
industrial applications, primarily within the agricultural and forest sectors.
Funded by: Research Council of Norway/Digital Life Norway
Project partners: Norwegian University of Life Sciences, SINTEF Industry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, New University of Lisbon, VECTRON BIOSOLUTIONS AS
Project website: https://digitallifenorway.org/prosjekter/oxymod
3DLife aims to develop novel strategies for microtissue engineering in 3D, to provide model systems of organ function and bridge the gap to in vivo conditions. To understand how the microenvironment affects cells we will synthesize novel and tuneable extracellular scaffold materials, and develop tools for high-throughput screening (HTS) of 3D cell cultures to assess genetic expression patterns in response to defined scaffold properties.
Funded by: Research Council of Norway/Digital Life Norway
Project partners: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, SINTEF Industry
Project website: https://digitallifenorway.org/prosjekter/3dlife
Two major food ingredients are whey proteins, a byproduct from chess production, and alginate, a polysaccharide from seaweed. They used alone also in combination in a large variety of food products. The WPAC project addresses structural background for the interaction between whey proteins and alginates in foods. This type of interactions confers to texture, stability and smooth mouthfeel of foods. In the project we try to understand interaction down to molecular and atomic level, which can open for advance applications with combination of two major food ingredients.
Funded by: Novo Nordisk Foundation
Project partners: Technical University of Denmark, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Copenhagen University, Lund University.
Tailoring of alginate (a polysaccharide from seaweed) for specific application is the ultimate goal of the project. In the project we are engineering alginate epimerases to tailor alginates.
Funded by: Research Council of Norway
Project partners: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, SINTEF Industry.
Congratulation Dr Eva Madland. Dr Madland has now been awarded the doctoral degree at the Norwegian University of Science and […]
Read more