Evolving enzymes to harness the clean energy reserves of nature

我们希望改进自然界用来利用大量能量的酶--葡萄糖中存在的能量，葡萄糖是生物圈中最丰富的物质之一。这些酶将被进化为以实际可用的形式有效地产生生物能量，而不是用于它们所起源的生物体的生长。我们将利用这些能源来驱动具有实用价值的化学品的合成，真正实现绿色化学。我们还试图回答一些问题，如：蛋白质如何进化，酶如何工作，以及如何为工业过程优化生化途径？这些信息将对酶在绿色化学中的应用具有根本性的益处，为生产重要的化学品提供更清洁的方法。

We want to improve enzymes that are used by nature to harness huge amounts of energy - the energy present in glucose, one of the most abundant materials in the biosphere. The enzymes will be evolved to efficiently produce biological power in a practically useable form rather than for the growth of the organisms from which they originated. We will use this energy to drive the synthesis of chemicals of practical value, truly green chemistry. We also seek to answer questions such as: how do proteins evolve, how do enzymes work and how can biochemical pathways be optimised for industrial processes? This information will be of fundamental benefit for the use of enzymes in green chemistry, providing cleaner ways to produce important chemicals.