10 international PhD fellowships in the European Doctoral Network BiocatCodeExpander for a training on innovative biotechnological applications of non-canonical amino acids for biocatalysis, synthetic biology, organic chemistry and computational biology.
PhD FELLOW # 4
Lauren María Quintero Moreno
WP2: NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR COUPLING & IMMOBILIZATION
Metal-free site-selective hydrosilylation of protein
Biography
I received my Bachelor´s degree in Chemistry (2014-2019) and my Master´s degree (2022) in Chemistry in the University of Havana, Cuba. Then, I was a researcher at the Glycoconjugation Laboratory in the Finlay Vaccine Institute, Cuba. I was working in the design, development and characterization of protein-protein conjugates, which constitute the active ingredient of the Cuban conjugate subunit vaccine used in the prevention of COVID-19 disease. Also, I had been working in the design, obtaining and characterization of glycoproteins that constitute the active ingredient of conjugate vaccines used in the prevention of diseases caused by Neisseira meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. My research expertise is on the fields of polysaccharide and protein modification, bioconjugation chemistry and conjugate vaccines.
Tell us a bit about your PhD project
The main goal of this project is to development metal-free hydrosilylation methods for the site-selective chemical modification of proteins as a robust bioorthogonal reaction to obtain homogeneous protein “biocatalyst” conjugates. For that, we are enrollment in the establishment of optimal conditions for the chemical incorporation of Si-reactive groups intro proteins and to synthesis novel Si-amino acids. In addition, we expected to establish optimal conditions and bioorthogonal pairs for the metal-free site-selective hydrosilylation of proteins and systems for the genetic incorporation of Si-amino acids intro proteins. Also, we expected to obtain biocatalysts with improved catalytic/stability properties including their oriented covalent attachment on glass supports. This proposed research provides new tools and applications, and the newly designed catalysts are expected to be important biotechnological processes for greener and more environmentally friendly production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Tell us about your research interests – what do you expect from the consortium
I would like to contribute significantly to the advancement of knowledge and innovation regarding genetic code expansion. In addition, I hope to collaborate with institutions and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to broaden my perspective and expertise. Also, to collaborate with industry partners and to attend networking events to explore potential applications of research in real-world scenarios. Moreover, contribute to research that addresses societal challenges and promotes responsible innovation. Continuously invest in my professional development and to improve my scientific skills.
Hobbies
I love to explore the nature, walking and seeing the landscape and, I really enjoy going to the beach. My favorite season is summer. I like to dance a lot, latin rhythms are my preferred. Moreover, I enjoy knowing new countries and cultures, but my favorite city is La Habana. My favorite meal is the typical Cuban food. I like some series but my preferred is The Games of Thrones.
at what Harry Potter house do you belong?
PyMOL or Chimera?
Organization
University of Rovira i Virgili, Spain
Doctoral Supervisor
Dr. Omar Boutureira
Enrolment in Doctoral degree
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Secondments
At ACIB (Vienna, Austria) with Dr. Birgit Wiltschi & AstraZeneca UK (Cambridge, United Kingdom) with Dr. Hanna Bolt
Objectives
● Synthesis of new Si-containing non-canonical amino acids (NCAA)
● Reaction development using radical and strain-promoted systems
● Chemical and genetic incorporation of Si-NCAA into proteins
● Evaluation of Si-NCAA as catalytic residues and for protein immobilization
● Exploring the system for in vivo probing
Fields related to the project
(1) Synthetic chemistry
(2) Biochemistry
(3) Synthetic biology
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions / Doctoral Networks
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101072686.