What do biological washing powders, beer and stone-washed denim have in common? The answer is protein molecules called enzymes, which speed up chemical processes and enable us to do everyday chores more efficiently.
Dr Jens E Nielsen, a biochemist at University College Dublin's Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology and Conway Institute investigator, is developing computer models that will predict how scientists should change enzymes in order to make them more cost-effective and energy efficient.
Enzymes are an "environmentally friendly additive", he explains. For instance, enzyme action in washing powders makes stain removal faster and more effective, enabling users to wash clothes at lower temperatures and for shorter amounts of time.
However enzymes in their natural state are not always up to the job modern lifestyles dictate. "Enzymes are not optimised in nature to work in washing machines," Nielsen explains. "Therefore, we mutate the enzyme to increase its effectiveness. For example, washing powders have a high pH-value, whereas enzymes in nature have a neutral value. Therefore we need to change the enzyme to make it more effective at high pH levels."
Biotechnology has enabled scientists to design new enzymes and mass produce them for a range of industrial applications using a technique called "site-directed mutagenesis".
This entails making selective changes to the amino acid sequences of the enzymes, Nielsen explains.
However, Nielsen suggests this is a time-consuming and costly process. "It takes many steps and many enzymes to produce the final product, and a certain amount of waste occurs at every step."
To fast-track enzyme development, Nielsen has developed an online tool, the pKD web server that predicts the performance of new enzymes. He then tests that model in the laboratory. "This technology will make it possible to study the biology of different proteins without investing time and money running complicated experiments," Nielsen says.
The pKD server determines the pH-dependence, or the acidity, of the enzymes, which helps researchers to understand how the enzyme will function in different environments. "The computer model will allow scientists to predict the changes they need to make in advance, reducing the number of steps involved and resulting in higher conversion efficiency," Nielsen reports.
Nielsen is testing the computer model in the lab using the Hen Egg White Lysozome. Found in eggs, it serves to protect the egg from infection.
"In the very long term, this technology may enable us to completely engineer a new enzyme from scratch."
Nielsen was awarded a prestigious President of Ireland Young Researcher Awards from Science Foundation Ireland in 2004. This award provides funding support of €1.2 million over five years.