Who is University of Groningen (RUG)?
Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen (RUG) is one of the Netherlands’ oldest and most prestigious universities, consistently ranked among the top 100 worldwide. Its Faculty of Science and Engineering brings together leading experts across biology, chemistry, and physics, fostering groundbreaking interdisciplinary research at the crossroads of the natural sciences.
Within this faculty, the Fürst Group, part of the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB), is at the forefront of innovation in synthetic biology, molecular enzymology, biophysics, and computational biology.
Established in 2022 by Assistant Professor Dr. Maximilian J.L.J. Fürst, the group includes PhD researchers and student interns working in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Marco W. Fraaije’s Molecular Enzymology group, sharing access to its advanced research facilities. While the Fraaije group focuses on understanding natural enzyme mechanisms and their biocatalytic potential, the Fürst lab is pushing the boundaries of computational enzyme (re)design and high-throughput screening strategies, aiming to accelerate the discovery and optimisation of new biocatalysts.
RUG’s Role in FLEXIZYME
Within the FLEXIZYME project, Dr. Fürst leads Work Package 4: Computational Platform Design for Accelerating Enzyme Improvement. Together with PhD candidate Klara Blaschitz, the team is spearheading the development of advanced computational enzyme engineering approaches, a key pillar in FLEXIZYME’s mission to create a flexible, adaptable biotechnological platform for bio-based fatty amine production.
By combining computational tools, molecular modelling, and experimental validation, the RUG team aims to predict and design enzyme variants with enhanced performance and sustainability, significantly speeding up the optimisation process compared to traditional laboratory methods.
The University of Groningen also collaborates closely with Work Package 5, ensuring that computational findings directly inform and enhance biotechnological process development from sustainable feedstocks.
Through its expertise in computational enzyme design, the University of Groningen contributes to bridging the gap between molecular innovation and industrial application, a vital step toward FLEXIZYME’s goal of developing green, efficient, and scalable bioprocesses for the bio-based economy.
Learn more about RUG’s expertise by checking out their website: https://www.rug.nl/