Biocatalysis & Biotransformation: A 5th Theme for the National Catalysis Hub

拟议的研究旨在在英国催化中心建立生物催化和生物转化研究。催化剂是添加到反应中的非常少量的东西，它会使反应更快，它们在现代化学和生物学中起着非常重要的作用。高达90%的化学生产材料在生产过程中使用了催化剂-例如，洗衣粉中的酶是一种生物催化剂，有助于分解衣服上的有机污渍。汽车中的催化转化器含有贵金属催化剂，可将有害的一氧化氮烟雾转化为无害的氮气。催化剂通常是发现和制造构成我们社会的新材料（如药物、农用化学品、聚合物、香料和香精）的必要组成部分。催化剂可以显著加速化学反应，在催化条件下，一些不可能缓慢的过程变得非常高效。挑战在于将正确的催化剂与正确的化学反应相匹配。我们的研究将集中在生物催化，寻找将酶和全细胞生物催化整合到新的制造工艺中的方法。例如，将金属和生物催化剂整合到单一的化学反应中是可能的，这样新分子的合成将大大加速。为了使这成为可能，我们需要在理解酶如何工作以及金属催化剂如何在温和条件下发挥作用方面取得根本性进展。催化中心为实现这一研究目标提供了一个独特的焦点，这将以新的和意想不到的方式推动每个催化分支的发展。它汇集了来自英国大学（及其他）和工业界的科学家，以解决催化领域的重大问题。来自不同学科和部门的科学家的网络将允许跨学科的催化方法，如果我们要在最广泛的背景下推动生物催化研究，这将是必不可少的。

The proposed research looks to establish biocatalysis & biotransformation research at the UK Catalysis Hub. A catalyst is something added in very small amounts to a reaction that will make it faster, and they play a very important role in modern chemistry and biology. Up to 90% of chemically produced materials have used a catalyst in their production - the enzymes in washing powder are a type of biological catalyst that helps break down organic stains on clothes, for example. The catalytic converter in a car contains precious metal catalysts that convert harmful nitrogen monoxide fumes into harmless nitrogen gas. Catalysis in general is integral to the discovery and manufacture of new materials that structure our society - e.g. medicines, agrochemicals, polymers, flavours and fragrances.Catalysts can dramatically accelerate chemical reactions, to the extent where some impossibly slow processes become highly efficient when performed under catalytic conditions. The challenge is matching up the right catalyst with the right chemical reaction. Our research will concentrate on biological catalysis, looking at ways to integrate enzyme and whole cell biocatalysis into new manufacturing processes. It is possible, for example, to integrate metals and biocatalysts into single chemical reactions, such that the synthesis of new molecules would be dramatically accelerated. For this to be possible we need fundamental advances in our understanding of how enzymes work and how metal catalysts can be made to function under mild conditions. The Catalysis Hub offers a unique focal point to realise this research goal, which will drive the development of each arm of catalysis in new and unexpected ways. It brings scientists together from UK universities (and beyond) and industry to tackle major problems in catalysis. The networking of scientists from different disciplines and sectors will permit a cross-disciplinary approach to catalysis that will be essential if we are to drive biocatalysis research forward in its widest context.