Dr. Shuke Wu is performing research into new enzyme cascades for producing terpenoids in microorganisms. Terpenoids are highly complex compounds that are found in natural products. Menthol, taxol or artemisinin are examples of well-known terpenoid natural products. Menthol is frequently used as a component in fragrances and flavouring, for example deodorants. Taxol is used to treat various kinds of cancer and artemisinin for treating malaria. To be able to produce the terpenoids in a precise an environmentally-friendly manner, several enzymes must be merged into synthetic metabolic pathways in microorganisms. During his stay in Greifswald, Dr. Wu plans to create new metabolic pathways in the bacterium Escherichia Coli, which would enable, for example, the production of important intermediate products based on terpenoids for chemical synthesis in microorganisms.
Dr. Wu began his academic career at Peking University in 2010, where he studied a B. Sc. in Biotechnology. He gained his doctorate in Chemical Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2015. Wu’s thesis work examined the application of enzymes in organic chemistry synthesis. Following the bestowal of his doctorate, he completed a two-year postdoc position at NUS, before moving to the University of Basel in 2017 to take up a position as research fellow, where he conducted work on artificial metalloenzymes.
Inspired by the internationally recognised research of Professor Bornscheuer on enzymes and biocatalysis, Dr. Wu decided to apply for a research fellowship at the University of Greifswald. He likes the freedom of research in the group and is very appreciative of the support provided by Professor Bornscheuer and his colleagues at the Institute of Biochemistry. ‘Dr. Wu was able to establish himself in our research group very quickly. His excellent experience in the creation of enzyme cascades is a huge bonus for our research,’ enthuses Uwe Bornscheuer. ‘In return, I profit from the expertise of Professor Bornscheuer’s group regarding enzyme engineering, and from the research group’s outstanding equipment,’ adds Shuke Wu.
Further Information
Prof. Dr. Uwe Bornscheuer’s Research Group
Institute of Biochemistry
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Contacts at the University of Greifswald
Prof. Dr. Uwe Bornscheuer
Biotechnology and Enzyme Catalysis
Institute of Biochemistry
Felix-Hausdorff-Straße 4, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 4367
uwe.bornscheueruni-greifswaldde
Dr. Shuke Wu
Tel.: +49 3834 420 4408
shuke.wuuni-greifswaldde