Impact

Non-Canonical Amino Acids (ncAAs)

Development of tailored amino acids for diverse biochemical and material functions
Application in creating proteins with properties unachievable with natural amino acids

Tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence is a powerful way to study protein structure, dynamics, and function, thanks to its strong emission and sensitivity to its surroundings. However, Trp’s photophysics can be challenging. By substituting Trp with fluorinated aromatic amino acids, we can suppress natural fluorescence (4-fluorotryptophan) or greatly enhance it (5-fluorotryptophan). These same substitutions also fine-tune protein stability - either reducing or strengthening it - providing precise control over a protein’s behavior.

Protein Translation Systems

Pioneering orthogonal translation systems to synthesize entirely novel biopolymers

Reprogrammed protein translation is a method that lets us interpret the original genetic message differently, effectively altering the universal “genetic code”—the fundamental language of life on Earth!

Environmental and Medical Biotechnology

Designing enzymes for plastic degradation and waste management
Creating synthetic materials and adhesives for wound healing and tissue regeneration (see “Safe, Sticky Solutions”)

Safe, Sticky Solutions: Mussel-Inspired Bio-Glues from Genetically Engineered Cells

Watch a YouTube video about our research (in German): bioadhesives from mussels

Artificial life can be seen as a technology ideal for the development and production of wet adhesion biomaterials that could revolutionize in vivo tissue or wound healing and bone regeneration technologies. In this way, genetically isolated synthetic cells, safely confined to labs, serve as platforms for developing wet-adhesion biomaterials that could transform in vivo tissue repair and bone regeneration. Inspired by mussel adhesive proteins using L-Dopa for wet adhesion, we introduced a light-activatable oNB-Dopa revealing catechol groups upon irradiation. To add antimicrobial properties, we engineered Nisin A with clickable side chains, enabling conjugation via click chemistry. Our elastin-like peptide (ELP) fused to GFP also incorporates L-Dopa or oNB-Dopa co-translationally through orthogonal pairs and can be further modified by metabolic engineering and click chemistry.

Philosophical and Cultural Engagement

Bridging scientific innovation with ethical and cultural dialogue
Advocating for responsible and inclusive synthetic biology practices

Why should that be exciting at all?

Life on earth is a unity thanks to the existence of the universal genetic code shared by all living things on our planet Earth. Life-coding events and the basic chemistry of life are considered invariant due to horizontal gene transfer in all known biological taxa, making the universal genetic code the "lingua franca" of life on earth. For at least 4 billion years, the genetic code for all living cells (with a few exceptions found mainly in various endosymbionts) is basically the same, so that all living beings use ('speak') the same "genetic language". Now, we want to change it. In this context, we are convinced that our experiments and ideas represent the best approaches to answer a rather simple question:
Is it possible to fundamentally change the genetic code experimentally?

If not: Why?

If yes: How far we can go?

What are the societal, ethical and technological consequences of these achievements?

Got interested? Just contact us!