Expansion of the Amino Acid Repertoire in Protein Synthesis

Our mission is to expand the number of the amino acids (AA) for protein biosyntheses. This requires the reprogramming of the protein translation machinery by changing the coding capacities of the standard genetic code.

Our research at the interface of chemistry and biology is aimed towards the generation of novel generic classes of non-canonical amino acids (NAA) by using synthetic chemistry, bio-computing and target-engineered metabolic circuits. These mainly synthetic amino acid building blocks should enable an expansion of the genetic code in the context of a reprogrammed protein translation.

The final goal is to create designer molecules and cells endowed with unique properties and to engineer a genetic code in a way that proteome-wide insertions of synthetic amino acids can provide a solid basis for laboratory evolution of synthetic life forms with new chemical possibilities.