ESR15 – Diletta Arceri

ESR15 will construct artificial enzymes by starting from a natural catalytic or non-catalytic protein scaffold with an active site to accommodate an artificial cofactor. The researcher that embarks in this project will design and produce these artificial enzymes and will screen for different relevant C-C bond forming reactions. Subsequent tasks will be the engineering for optimal activity and selectivity and identification of relevant applications for industry.

I got my BSc in Biotechnology at the University of Brescia and my MSc in Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Milano Bicocca, Italy. I then moved to Marseille (France) for my master´s thesis, where I joined the CNRS Laboratoire de Bioenergetique et d’Ingenierie des Protéines (BIP). During this period abroad, I studied the copper binding protein of a novel periplasmic protein, involved in copper resistance, by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Moreover, before starting my PhD, I worked in the R&D team of a chemical company in Italy. My curiosity towards science started already during primary school, when I was fascinated by the study of space and the earth. Over the years, this interest has been directed towards the potential of biotechnology in its many fields. Therefore, protein engineering and biocatalysis are the fields that I like, and that I have chosen to investigate. If I imagine my ideal day off, that would definitely be reading a good book of classical literature on a sunny beach during the summer, the sound of the waves in the background and new places to discover and photograph. My goal for the future is to explore new areas of knowledge, acquire new skills and continue with enthusiasm on this stimulating path undertaken, whilst  improving myself and the world around us.

Project information

Workpackage: WP3

Project title: Construction of artificial enzyme catalysts for C-C bond forming reactions

Host institution: Catalonia Institute for Advanced Chemistry

Secondments: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and Prozomix Ltd

Supervisor: Pere Clapés