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Enzyme beauty

Nature Biotechnology volume 17, pages 1161–1162 (1999)Cite this article

Enzyme technology is undergoing the most profound and exciting transformation in its history, as was made clear at the Enzyme Engineering Conference held last month in Hawaii*. Fifteenth in the venerable biennial series, the conference was organized by Frances H. Arnold (California Insitute of Technology, Pasadena CA), Robert Kelly (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC), and David Anton (Dupont, Wilmington, DE). In view of the recent emergence of directed evolution and a host of other tools for biocatalyst discovery, it came as no surprise that development of enzymes with remarkable physical and catalytic properties was a major theme. However, as we contemplated the successes of the past few years—namely, the unprecedented expansion in the scope and applications of new enzymes—two questions emerged that are likely to guide research in the coming years: How far can we push enzyme discovery, and what technologies must we develop to do so?

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Figure 1: For enzyme engineers who wished to meditate on the hidden riches of biodiversity, inspiration was as close as the coral reef surrounding the Kona Surf Resort.

Notes

  1. *Fifteenth Enyme Engineering Conference of the United Engineering Foundation, October 10–15, 1999, Kona, Hawaii.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. professor at the University of Texas , 78712-1062, Austin, TX

    George Georgiou

  2. research editor at Nature Biotechnology,

    Natalie DeWitt

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  1. George Georgiou
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  2. Natalie DeWitt
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Georgiou, G., DeWitt, N. Enzyme beauty. Nat Biotechnol 17, 1161–1162 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/70701

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