Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Building biological bridges: Chemist discovers an ecological tool for the pharmaceutical industry

Lilla Gal holds a model of the enzyme she discovered

A natural tool for sustainable production: Lilla Gal has discovered a new enzyme for the production of medicines or disinfectants and has deciphered its structure. Photo: University of Graz/Eklaude

Building a relationship on a solid foundation is also important in chemistry. To produce medicines, disinfectants or plant protection products, stable bonds between carbon atoms must be formed. Conventional chemical methods rely on environmentally harmful reagents and solvents to carry out the desired reaction. This process also produces unusable by-products. Chemist Lilla Gal has discovered an enzyme that enables the same process to take place efficiently and sustainably. The results of her research were recently published in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie.

“The enzyme we have discovered and are using in our research is produced by a bacterium,” explains Lilla Gal. The reaction requires nothing more than an aqueous solution and temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius – so no chemicals or large amounts of energy are needed. The newly discovered tool can, for example, produce a substance for a malaria drug in a single step, and without any by-products whatsoever. “Conventional methods generate around 60 per cent waste. This perfect result surprised even us,” reports Gal’s PhD supervisor, Wolfgang Kroutil.
The enzyme can also be used for the production of antifeedants or antibacterial compounds. In the next step, Gal is now attempting to enable the production of further chemical compounds by manipulating the tool.

Gal’s project is part of the European Marie Curie Training Network “BioDeCCodiNNg”, which focuses on finding new and more environmentally friendly ways to create bonds between atoms. The focus is on bonds between carbon or nitrogen atoms. Enzymes, nature’s tools, can usually facilitate such reactions in a particularly environmentally friendly and efficient manner.

Publication:
Lilla Gal, Suresh Rohan, Anna Zadlo-Dobrowolska, Bianca Hilweg, Judith Müller, Kai Tittmann, Wolfgang Kroutil: Biocatalytic Regioselective C-Formylation of Resorcinol Derivatives, Angewandte Chemie Volume 65, Issue 10

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