Gregory A Weiss
University of California, USA
Title: Multi-step enzymatic and organic synthesis with continuous fl ow, thin fi lm fluidics
Biography
Biography: Gregory A Weiss
Abstract
Inspired by the multi-step pathways used by organisms to synthesize complex natural products, we have developed thin film microfluidics for iterative chemical transformations generated by a vortex fluidic device; in these micron-scales thin films can drive protein folding and also accelerate catalysis by enzymes. To demonstrate the protein folding capabilities, we rapidly folded recombinant and naturally occurring proteins, including lysozyme from hard-boiled egg whites. Similarly, applying a vortex fluidic device can drive biocatalysis in different soluble enzymes with accelerations up to 15-fold. The thin films avoid clogging, and allow continuous feeding of simple starting materials. Flow chemistry can enable multi-step transformations with compartmentalization of each reaction before the increasingly complex intermediate flows to the next reaction site. Such control is typically not possible using conventional flasks. Assembly line synthesis can allow unprecedented reaction flexibility and processing efficiency. Examples of thin film-based continuous flow synthesis to be presented include both conventional and biosynthesis.