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The Electrochemical Leaf:Rapid, Reversible Cycling of Nicotinamide Cofactors for Enzyme-based Organic Synthesis

Reference	BB/P023797/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Fraser Armstrong
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	University of Oxford
Department	Mathematical, Physical&Life Sciences Div
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	197,917
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/07/2017
End date	31/12/2018
Duration	18 months

Abstract

unavailable

Summary

A new invention, the 'Electrochemical Leaf' integrates a universal component of green leaves with a conducting metal oxide to produce a unique bio-hydrid material to drive enzyme-based organic synthesis. The 'Leaf is a platform technology with numerous applications. The first bond-forming stage of photosynthetic CO2 uptake in plants involves a simple enzyme called ferredoxin-NADP-reductase (FNR) which uses photo-excited electrons to recycle the 'nicotinamide' cofactor NADPH that is consumed (yielding NADP+) in the primary CO2-fixing process (Calvin cycle). In the 'Leaf, FNR is embedded in mesoporous indium tin oxide (ITO) deposited on a support, resulting in an electrode (FNR@ITO/support) that recycles NADPH/NADP+ rapidly and reversibly, using electricity. More than 1000 enzymes use nicotinamides in selective organic reactions, but industry cannot exploit this chemistry. The 'Leaf' is a platform technology that represents a step change.

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Industrial Biotechnology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Follow-On Fund Super (SuperFOF) [2012-2015]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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