“We design efficient enzymes for very different applications”

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EvoEnzyme , a spin-off of the CSIC, is the first Spanish biotechnology company expert in the design of enzymes through a disruptive tool called Directed Evolution. This technology allows the genetic modification of the selected enzyme for use in different applications. With a world-class suite of technologies, EvoEnzyme offers a variety of methods for creating and selecting mutants to design custom biocatalysts. María Urbano  is CEO at EvoEnzyme: GD Empresa: How did EvoEnzyme come about? Answer: EvoEnzyme was created with the objective of transferring the main discoveries made in the laboratory to the market. After years of research by Professor Alcalde at the CSIC, the possibility arose of patenting a great product that was the seed that would give rise to the project and later to the current spin-off. Q: What does your tool consist of when designing enzymes? A: At EvoEnzyme we can design more efficient enzymes, with functions improved or completely different from those shown in nature.

For very different applications, from the synthesis/degradation and recovery of plastics to the synthesis of drugs or chemical compounds. To do this, they use a range of cutting-edge tools in protein engineering that include everything from directed evolution (random mutation, recombination and artificial selection) to ancestral resurrection (prediction and design of ancestral enzymes - which C Level Contact List functioned in already extinct organisms - with properties unexpected in our current world). All of this is supported by artificial intelligence tools that accelerate the process of discovery, design and improvement of new biocatalysts. How can genetic modification be applied and what are its uses in this regard? A: Genetic modification is the main tool of protein engineers. By modifying the genetic coding, the structure and function of the enzyme can be modeled . Through this modification , more efficient biocatalysts can be obtained for industrial use in fields such as chemistry, the environment or pharmacology.



Companies like EvoEnzyme that work in this field are evolving alongside genetic modification techniques and are currently developing mutation and modification methodologies supported by computational tools. “Enzyme technology helps provide sustainable and profitable solutions to the industry You provide the industry with sustainable and profitable solutions to current polluting processes. How does science help with this important task? A: Enzyme technology helps provide sustainable and cost-effective solutions to polluting industry processes. Enzymes are key in circular designs: they can transform contaminants into safer and more environmentally friendly products, provide revaluation of waste and reduce the amount of waste generated. Science has contributed to the development of this technology by laying the foundations for the enzyme design processes in which EvoEnzyme specializes. Thanks to this, the industry can count on increasingly effective and profitable solutions.