Designed proteins are anticipated to have groundbreaking impact on a range of issues from treating disease to tackling environmental problems.
Designed proteins are anticipated to have groundbreaking impact on a range of issues from treating disease to tackling environmental problems. With a DKK 700 million grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and headed by Professor Dek Woolfson, a new Center for Protein Design (CPD) at the University of Copenhagen has ambitions to match this potential. The CPD will spearhead developments in protein design and its applications through strong interdisciplinary collaborations across the university and partnerships in Denmark and internationally.
Proteins are the workhorses of biology. They perform virtually every important function in living organisms. They store, copy and protect our DNA, digest food to give us energy, and harness this energy to make our cells and muscles work.
But imagine if proteins could be specifically designed to provide even more versatile molecular toolboxes for science, technology and healthcare. In essence, this is what protein design is all about. It is a growing field that allows scientists to create entirely new proteins - including those that nature itself has not explored - and to tailor them to solve specific challenges.
Read More: University of Copenhagen
