Resurrecting Ancient Proteins to Unlock New Catalytic Activity

这个项目旨在研究大自然用来制造青霉素和相关抗生素的蛋白质，以及它们的史前祖先。通过这样做，该项目希望加深对这些重要过程的理解，开辟制造新抗生素的方法，并产生关于蛋白质进化的新知识。预期的成果包括以古代生物催化剂为基础的新生物催化剂，对耐药细菌具有活性的新抗生素化合物，以及对这些蛋白质在过去40亿年中是如何进化的更丰富的理解。这有望以新方法的形式带来重大好处，以应对抗生素抗药性带来的挑战，这是对当前抗生素持续有效性的严重威胁。

This project aims to study the proteins that nature uses to make penicillin and related antibiotics, and their prehistoric ancestors. By doing so, the project expects to deepen understanding of these important processes, open up ways to make new antibiotics, and generate new knowledge about protein evolution. Intended outcomes include new biocatalysts based on the ancient ones, new antibiotic compounds active against resistant bacteria, and a richer understanding of how these proteins have evolved over the last 4 billion years. This promises significant benefits in the form of new ways to address the challenge posed by antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics, which is a serious threat to the continued effectiveness of current antibiotics.