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Research

ETH Zurich brings to CLASSY an award from the 17th International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry

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The 17th International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry (ISMSC 2023) took place during 25-29th June in Reykjavik, Iceland. The conference brought together approximately 500 scientists from all over the world. There was a breadth of topics covered, with a particular emphasis on supramolecular self-assembly, incl. dynamic, out-of-equilibrium and stimuli responsive systems, as well as molecular recognition and sensing.

Dr. Bartosz Lewandowski, Senior Scientist in the Wennemers Group at ETH Zurich, had the opportunity to present the work of the Wennemers Group on catalytic templated length-controlled oligomerization both in the form of a flash presentation and a poster, winning one of the awards for the best posters during the conference:

ISMSC 2023_ETH_Zurich

The results presented raised a lot of interest of the conference attendees. As Dr. Lewandowski's words: “I had many engaging and stimulating discussions during the poster session and afterwards covering both the already obtained data as well as new potential avenues and ideas for the project. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the five days in Reykjavik filled with outstanding science.”

Curious to learn more about the other results of the CLASSY project? Visit our Results page to learn more and follow @CLASSY_H2020 to stay tuned on the upcoming project updates.

Wide representation of CLASSY at the International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations

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Our partners from the University of Graz represented the CLASSY project at the 16th International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations (#Biotrans2023) in La Rochelle, France. Prof. Wolfgang Kroutil, Dr. Christoph K. Winkler, Dr. Mathias Pickl and Mr. Stefan Simic had the opportunity to showcase some of their latest research on the CLASSY project and discuss their enthusiasm for enzymes with fellow researchers.

The in-person event provided an overview of the latest advances in the fields of biocatalysis and biotransformations, gathering innovative and interdisciplinary strategies to overcome scientific and technological hurdles. Various topics had been covered, such as enzyme discovery and design, reaction engineering, enzyme mechanisms, computational methods, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering (chemo)enzymatic cascades, and industrial biocatalysis.

The Biocatalysis Research Group led by Prof. Kroutil had been busy presenting their latest works with two posters and two oral presentations during the conference:

CLASSY_Dissemination_Biotrans2023_Uni_Graz

It was a good opportunity to meet experts from different areas and exchange ideas with actors from the private and public sectors in a stimulating atmosphere. As Dr. Winkler words: “The conference was really informative and our contributions were well received”.

Curious to learn more about the other results of the CLASSY project? Visit our Results page to learn more and follow @CLASSY_H2020 to stay tuned on the upcoming project updates.

Latest CLASSY publications: new results on catalysis and oligomerisation

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Our CLASSY team is making progress towards its aim of emulating living cells in their capacity to self-regulate and catalyse multistep processes. The latest results are out, this time from the CLASSY members in the Wennemers Group at ETH Zurich.

Our results provide basic insights into the principles of catalysis and oligomerization which are key processes for the evolution of life. They are the first step in creating molecular assembly lines for the construction of complex molecules from simple individual components – a goal at the heart of CLASSY.

Dr. Bartosz Lewandowski, Senior Scientist in the Wennemers Group at ETH Zurich

Published in Nature Synthesis, under the lead of Dr. Bartosz Lewandowski, the study titled Catalytic length-controlled oligomerization with synthetic programmable templates provides insights into the principles of catalysis and oligomerization. These represent a first step in creating molecular assembly lines for the construction of complex molecules from simple components, as says Dr. Bartosz Lewandowski.

Molecular templates allow to assemble a precise number of molecules into an oligomeric product of specific length. Nature uses this strategy, for example, to prepare RNA using a DNA strand as a template. Inspired by nature, chemists have also been able to make oligomers with length control in the laboratory using synthetic, man-made templates. However, a common limitation of this approach is that an equivalent amount of the template with respect to the product formed needs to be used. Lewandowski and colleagues created the first example of catalytic templates for length-controlled oligomer synthesis. Only 10 mol% of the template suffices to achieve complete conversion of a small molecule starting material, predominantly to a single product of specific length.

Read all about the study in: Lewandowski, B.M., Schmid, D., Borrmann, R., Zetschok, D., Schnurr, M., Wennemers, H. Catalytic length-controlled oligomerization with synthetic programmable templates. Nat. Synth., 2023, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-022-00228-9

What I really enjoyed during this project is how we build on the detailed knowledge of our peptide catalysts to develop a novel transformation which gives access to versatile building blocks.

Alena Budinská, Doctoral Researcher in the Wennemers Group at ETH Zurich

As part of her Doctoral Research, Alena Budinská has been working on the organocatalytic synthesis of triflones. Published in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition, her work titled Organocatalytic Synthesis of Triflones Bearing Two Non-Adjacent Stereogenic Centers builds on the Wennemers Group’s detailed knowledge of peptide catalysts. The publication was highlighted in the latest issue of Synfacts (a journal that publishes highlights of the most significant current research written by experts in the field) and was among the most accessed in Angewandte Chemie in March 2023.

Trifluoromethylsulfones, also referred to as triflones, are useful compounds for their properties and reactivity. However, there are not many ways to make chiral triflones. This study presents a new organocatalytic method for the stereoselective synthesis of chiral triflones using α-aryl vinyl triflones, building blocks previously unexplored in asymmetric synthesis. Budinská’s work shows that the peptide catalyst gives access to a broad range of products in high yields and stereoselectivities under mild reaction conditions. The products can be easily transformed into various heterocycles, which are common motives in bioactive molecules, thus making these results relevant for the creation of new medicinal products and other substances.

Read the full study in: Alena Budinská and Helma Wennemers. Organocatalytic Synthesis of Triflones Bearing Two Non-Adjacent Stereogenic Centers. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, e202300537, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202300537

Curious to learn more about the other results of the CLASSY project? Visit our Results page to learn more and follow @CLASSY_H2020 to stay tuned on the upcoming project updates.

CLASSY partners meet in Nijmegen

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The 8th General Assembly meeting, hosted by the Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, took place in Nijmegen on the 15th-16th
of November 2022. The meeting brought together 20 participants from all partners to discuss the progress towards the development of a new type
of chemical reactor inspired by the way in which living systems manage to modulate catalytic activity.

Wilhelm Huck and his team from Radboud University Nijmegen (RU) opened the meeting, welcoming all partners. To start with the programme of Day 1, Emily Rose Ciscato from accelCH presented the overall status of the project, leading a discussion between partners on the positive feedback and suggestions for research avenues received from the European Commission and external experts who evaluated the project’s progress following the last project meeting held in June 2022.

The rest of the day was fully dedicated to research updates from all scientific work packages, starting with presentations from Gonen Ashkenasy (BGU) on his group’s progress with nucleic-acid-peptide chimeras and nucleopeptide replication networks, that were also presented in the recent publication ‘The Systems Chemistry of Nucleic-acid-Peptide Networks’ and at the GRC conference on Systems Chemistry earlier this year. Still in the systems chemistry area, Andrés de la Escosura, Marcos Sanz and Alonso Puente (UAM) presented their group’s latest progress including preliminary results in achieving controlled molecular
assembly-disassembly with new techniques. Showcasing their most recent publication with contributions from the RU team ‘Strategies for Transferring Photobiocatalysis to Continuous Flow Exemplified by Photodecarboxylation of Fatty Acids’,  Stefan Simić and Mathias Pickl (UG) discussed their progress in bio- and organo-catalysis, followed by Bartosz Lewandowski and Jonas Rackl (ETH), who presented their progress and new research avenues in chemoenzymatic cascade reactions. Tao Zhou and Miglė Jakštaitė (RU) presented their computational and lab-based approaches to cascade reactions, leading into an update on the latest microfluidic device prototypes by Elwin Vrouwe (MICRONIT).

The consortium closed the first day full of presentations with a brief overview of the project’s innovation management approach and the key exploitable innovations identified so far by the partners.

Before the upcoming sessions of Day 2, all the partners had the chance to tour the Institute of Molecules and Materials laboratory facilities at the Huygens building, guided by Tao Zhou and Miglė Jakštaitė (RU), gathering a better feel and understanding of how the microfluidics research that they lead takes place. An interactive brainstorming and discussion session on the project’s exploitation opportunities then followed, led by Michael Hönger and Emily Rose Ciscato (accelCH). This laid the path for the project’s upcoming exploitation activities, planned for 2023. Several scientific discussion groups were then arranged for more in-depth exchange between partners.

The CLASSY partners pictured at the 8th General Assembly in November 2022 at Radboud University.

For the second block of the day, all partners participated in a quiz led by accelCH while reminding everyone of the dissemination process in place for the project and taking up the ideas for communication and dissemination collected during the previous GA in Madrid.

The productive catch-up finished with a wrap-up on the work plan for the next months and with new ideas for upcoming conference participations, outreach activities and possibilities for the next project-wide meeting.

 

First doctorate within the CLASSY project – Jasper Möhler defended his PhD

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We are delighted to congratulate Jasper Möhler from the Wennemers Group at ETH Zurich on defending his doctorate with great success at the end of June 2022. He is the first doctoral candidate part of the CLASSY project to defend his PhD. Jasper joined the CLASSY consortium from the start, during its kick-off in November 2019, and since then has brought key contributions to the project, with his work on tailored peptide catalysts developed for cascade reactions. In this news piece he shares some insights into his work and his experience as a doctoral researcher working within the CLASSY research and innovation action.

“I defended my PhD thesis in June 2022 under the mentorship of Prof. Helma Wennemers. Over the past years, I have been developing peptide catalysts for stereoselective organocatalyzed transformations. In particular, we focused on catalysts with the general motif H-Pro-Pro-Xaa, where Xaa can be any amino acid, to increase reactivity, stereoselectivity, and chemoselectivity. For those who do not think about catalysts most of the time, a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed. Catalysts make chemical reaction run more efficiently and are therefore key to more sustainable technologies.

My PhD was a great opportunity to develop myself further, to be involved in international collaborations, and to initiate exciting research projects.

A personal highlight during this time was participating in the CLASSY project, in which we are trying to advance conventional synthesis by, for example, combining multiple catalysts in a single chemical reactor and/or using compartmentalization to perform multiple reactions simultaneously. In CLASSY, experts from the fields of (bio)catalysis, in-flow, and supramolecular chemistry teamed up to develop methods that will ultimately reduce the amount of waste in chemical syntheses.

Working with the groups in CLASSY has broadened my knowledge and given me interesting insights into different research fields. I have enjoyed working with motivated and talented researchers at all levels, from experienced PI, post-docs, other fellow doctoral researchers like myself, to master students. I liked that everyone was encouraged to think freely, be creative, and solve different challenges. I have thoroughly enjoyed our regular meetings (virtual and twice in person) where we have advanced the many projects in stimulating discussions and started fruitful collaborations. For example, in the collaboration between our and the Kroutil group, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about enzyme catalysis, and I am especially grateful to Dr. Mathias Pickl-Farnberger and Prof. Wolfgang Kroutil for the great discussions we had and the nice lab visit I was able to make to Graz. Looking back , I am proud of what we have accomplished with joined forces since launching the CLASSY project at the end of 2019, and I’m excited about what more is to come.

Finally, I would like to say thank you: I am very grateful to Prof. Wennemers – Helma – for helping me grow as a scientist and person over the past years. Thank you to everyone involved in CLASSY for the great community, the enjoyable meetings (especially the face-to-face ones), and the valuable feedback I have received over the years. I have benefited from the collaborative and encouraging environment.

I look forward to seeing you again and would like to conclude by saying: stay CLASSY!

Jasper”

Read about the outcomes of Jasper’s work in the following publications:

A busy summer of conferences for the CLASSY partners

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It’s conferences time again for the CLASSY partners, who will be busy presenting their latest work with posters and oral presentations at various international conferences starting already this weekend, 26 June 2022. Where will you find the CLASSY partners?

At the Gordon Research Conference on Systems Chemistry 26 June – 1 July 2022 in Newry, ME, United States:

  • Oral presentation “Signaling Motifs in Synthetic Systems: Data Analysis of Replication Networks Out-of-Equilibrium” by Gonen Ashkenasy on 27 June 2022 at 9:30 am (local time).
  • Lecture “Programming Self- Assembly and Replication Networks with Minimal Nucleobase Sequences” by Andrés de la Escosura on 27 June 2022 at 9:00 pm (local time).
  • Poster “Prebiotic Nucleopeptides as Non-enzymatic Replicators” by Anil Kumar Bandela, Hava Sadihov, Andres de la Escosura, and Gonen Ashkenasy.
  • Poster “Programming self-assembly and replication networks with minimal nucleobase sequences” by Andrés de la Escosura, Noemí Nogal, Santiago Guisán, Gonen Ashkenasy, Sonia Vela.

At the Biocatalysis Gordon Research Seminar 9-10 July 2022 in Manchester, NH, United States:

  • Poster “Decarboxylation of palmitic acid catalyzed by Chlorella variabilis fatty-acid photodecarboxylase (CvFAP) in continuous flow” by Christoph Winkler, Stefan Simić, and Wolfgang Kroutil.

At the Biocatalysis Gordon Research Conference 10-15 July 2022 in Manchester, NH, United States:

  • Poster “A single enzyme catalyzing two reactions – a biocatalytic oxidation Michale addition cascade” by Matthias Pickl, Jasper Möhler, Stefan Simic, Helma Wennemers, Wolfgang Kroutil.
  • Poster “Decarboxylation of palmitic acid catalyzed by Chlorella variabilis fatty-acid photodecarboxylase (CvFAP) in continuous flow” by Stefan Simić, Christoph Winkler, Wolfgang Kroutil.

If you’ve registered to join these events, we invite you to visit the presentations above and learn more about the latest project developments. You can also keep following our updates on Twitter @CLASSY_H2020!

The CLASSY consortium meets in Madrid

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On the 16th and 17th June 2022, the CLASSY team finally had the opportunity to meet in person again, in sunny Madrid. It was the first in person meeting since the 2019 Kick-off Meeting in Zürich. Fifteen participants, including PIs and early-career researchers from the CLASSY consortium, met at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) to exchange on and discuss the project’s ongoing outputs and to plan the next steps.

The General Assembly (GA), on 16th June, provided the opportunity for updates from all scientific work packages, with presentations on research progress in systems chemistry from Andrés de la Escosura (UAM) and Gonen Ashkenasy (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; BGU), in bio- and organo-catalysis from Stefan Simic, Mathias Pickl (Universität Graz; UG) and Bartosz Lewandowski (ETH Zürich; ETH), and in microfluidics from Miglė Jakštaitė, Wilhelm Huck (Radboud University Nijmegen; RU) and Elwin Vrouwe (Micronit B.V.; MICRONIT).

Prof. Germán Rivas (Centro de Investigationes Biologicas; CSIC), member of the project’s Scientific Advisory Board, joined the GA bringing inspiring insights on his research group’s latest results of implementing cell-like processes to mimic cell division.

Throughout the day, all participants were able to take part in scientific discussions and to consider how to bring them to the next level during a session on exploitation and funding opportunities for future projects organized by Jeanette Müller and Emily Rose Ciscato from the accelopment Schweiz AG (accelCH) team. Many ideas for future communication, dissemination and exploitation were also generated during an interactive brainstorming session organised by Yulianna Shalenyk (accelCH), to close the day.

The project’s Review Meeting took place on the following day, during which the consortium was joined remotely by the EC Project Officer and external experts, who provided insightful guidance and recommendations for progress in all work packages.

With new inspiration from the General Assembly and Review Meeting, the CLASSY team is now even more motivated for the next steps in bringing forward life-inspired replication in the lab. Watch this space and follow @CLASSY_H2020 on Twitter for the latest project updates!

CLASSY consortium and SAB member Prof. German Rivas at the CLASSY General Assembly on 16 June 2022 at UAM, Madrid.

“Who are the chemists of nature?”

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Lange Nacht der Forschung (the Long Night of Research) is a science fair that takes place every two years in numerous locations across Austria. Entry is free and open for all, and visitors can get a flavour of all areas of science and technology through versatile activities such as experiments, exhibitions and presentations.

As in previous years, this May, the Elk Crew (Biocatalysis Research Group) from the University of Graz (UG) took part in the Long Night of Research with a set of experiments titled “Who are the Chemists of Nature?” organised by one of the CLASSY PhD students – Stefan Simic. This year, the exhibition showcased the universal presence of enzymes (“The Chemists of Nature”) in all living things, be it common microorganisms like mould and yeast, fruit and vegetables, or even exotic creatures such as luminescent bacteria from the deep sea.

The UG team entertained the visitors demonstrating through their experiments how an important enzyme, catalase, which is found in the human body and protects it from oxidative damage, can also be found in yeast and potatoes; and they could observe the enzyme in action experimentally. Stefan and colleagues also demonstrated the process of preparation of lactose-free milk from regular milk, allowing the visitors to experience the impact of enzymes and biotechnology in their daily life.

The event lasted six hours, attracting visitors from all walks of life and demonstrating the marvel of enzymes and their role in providing efficient and sustainable solutions for society. Reflecting on the event, Stefan Simic says “It’s personally a great pleasure to bring fascinating scientific phenomena closer to the public, and to see the excitement on people’s faces as they take part in the joy of discovery.”

We are glad to know that people of all ages can be closer to the world of science with the help of such fairs and we are looking forward to the next event with the CLASSY team participation.

Pictures from UG’s participation at the Long Night of Research in Graz. Top left: various microorganisms (yeast and bacteria) on Petri dishes (grown in the lab on a nutritious surface) and flasks showing how enzymes are extracted from a microorganism. Top right: tubes containing red cabbage juice at different pH values to demonstrate the use of red cabbage as an acid-base indicator. The water used to cook cabbage was combined with different acids and bases, resulting in the different colours depending on acidity. Bottom: Stefan Simic and colleagues explaining the experiments to the visitors during the event. The set-up for the demonstration of the preparation of lactose-free milk from regular milk can be seen on the table on the right of the picture.

Latest CLASSY publications to kick-off 2022

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Did you miss the last publications from the CLASSY consortium? Find an overview of all 2021 publications below, including the latest contribution from the group of Prof. Wolfgang Kroutil at UG now included in the January 2022 issue of Chemical Reviews.

Anil Kumar Bandela, Nathaniel Wagner, Hava Sadihov, Sara Morales-Reina, Agata Chotera-Ouda, Kingshuk Basu, Rivka Cohen-Luria, Andrés de la Escosura, Gonen Ashkenasy. Primitive selection of the fittest emerging through functional synergy in nucleopeptide networks. PNAS. 2021, 118 (9) e2015285118; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015285118

Michael Teders, Aleksandr A. Pogodaev, Glenn Bojanov, Wilhelm T. S. Huck. Reversible Photoswitchable Inhibitors Generate Ultrasensitivity in Out-Of-Equilibrium Enzymatic Reactions. JACS. 2021, 143 (15), 5709–5716; DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c12956

Christoph Winkler, Stefan Simić, Valentina Jurkaš, Sarah Bierbaumer, Luca Schmermund, Silvan Poschenrieder, Sarah A. Berger, Elisa Kulterer, Robert Kourist, and Wolfgang Kroutil. Accelerated Reaction Engineering of Photo(bio)catalytic Reactions through Parallelization with an Open-Source Photoreactor. ChemPhotoChem 2021, 05, DOI: 10.1002/cptc.202100109

Helma Wennemers, Leo D. M. Nicholls. Synergistic Peptide and Gold Catalysis: Enantioselective Addition of Branched Aldehydes to Allenamides. Chem. Eur. J. 2021, 03, DOI: 10.1002/chem.202103197

Stefan Simić, Erna Zukić, Luca Schmermund, Kurt Faber, Christoph K. Winkler, and Wolfgang Kroutil. Shortening Synthetic Routes to Small Molecule Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Employing Biocatalytic Methods. Chem. Rev. 2022, 122, 1, 1052-1126, DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00574

 

CLASSY featured in the EU GrantsAccess Science Stories

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CLASSY was featured in the EU GrantsAccess Science Stories issue last July, 2021. Prof. Helma Wennemers and PhD candidate Jasper Möhler (ETH), explain the role of their team within the CLASSY project and their contribution in terms of peptide expertise.

If you’re curious to hear about their progress in the lab, how they’re collaborating with the other CLASSY partners and what the next steps are in the project, read the full interview “Increased sustainability through combinational chemistry” (in English) and watch the accompanying video (in German).

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862081.​

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