A fully funded 3-year PhD studentship is available from October 2010 to develop unnatural cofactors which retain the binding motif(s) of the natural co-enzyme but have the reactive portion replaced by novel functionality. These products will be evaluated in unnatural reactions in known enzyme active sites. Enzymes use the side-chain functional groups of the 20 coded amino acids to provide both 3-D recognition of substrates and (for example) acid/base catalysis of their reactions. Where the enzyme needs specialised functional groups, these are introduced by Nature into the enzyme active site as a separate molecule, as part of a “co-enzyme” (“cofactor) which binds specific recognition features in the active site. The project will involve the synthesis of a selection of unnatural cofactors inspired by bioinformatics which will introduce new (unnatural) reactivity properties into each enzyme-substrate complex. The goal is to identify novel unnatural biotransformations, and establish the stereochemistry and enantiopurity of the products. This project is funded by an EU Anglo-Norman Interreg scheme and the student will have the opportunity of an international research placement in France (Caen, Le Havre or Rouen).
Funding Notes
Funding is available for UK/EU students. Funding awarded for this project will cover tuition fees and stipend for UK students. EU students may be eligible for full funding, or tuition fees only, depending on the funding source. International students will not be eligible for this funding however they are still welcome to apply for the project but would have to find alternative funding.
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