Kazlauskas Research Group

 

Kazlauskas Group St. Croix River canoe trip, August 2015

Back: Yu Xin, Romas Kazlauskas, Paul Shafer, Nate Mylrea, Titu Devamani
Front: Jonas Kazlauskas, Gloria Wang, Avi Mylrea, Aleli Balagtas, Tania Titu Devamani

Kazlauskas Lab Contact Information:

Laboratory: 174 Gortner Lab
Phone: (612) 624-5960

Research Examples:

Current Students and Postdocs

 

Zsofia Bata
Fullbright Fellow

Hometown: Budapest, Hungary

Research: I am using computer modeling to find why hydroxynitrilases with similar structure have different enantioselectivity.

Titu Devamani
Postdoctoral Fellow

Hometown: Chennai, India

Research: My goal is to discover enzymes that catalyze reactions for bio-based synthesis and to enhance these reactions. Since these reactions are non-natural reactions, we are searching for this activity in ancestral enzymes where it can occur accidentally since ancestral enzymes can be catalytically promiscuous.

Bryan Jones
Graduate Student in BioChem, Mol Biol & Biophys

Hometown: Anacortes, WA

Research: To develop novel biocatalysts, it is best to start with an enzyme that already has some desirable activity and one that is very stable. My work focuses on stabilizing enzymes and using recreated ancestral enzymes to identify promiscuous reactions.

Huey Yee Lim
Graduate Student in Microbial Engineering

Hometown: Penang Island, Malaysia

Research: Natural biocatalysts are often not good enough for industrial use due to low enantioselectivity, stability or catalytic performance. I’m making better, more stable enzymes by error prone PCR and high throughout screening.

 

Nate Mylrea
Graduate Student in Biol. Science

Hometown: tba

Research: tba

 

Paul Shafer
Undergraduate Student

Hometown:  Grand Forks, ND

Research: How did some esterases evolve into hydroxynitrile lyases?

 

David Sundaram
Undergraduate Student

Hometown: La Crosse, WI

Research: I am engineering enzymes to accept water-insoluble substrates.

 

Jerry (Qingbao) Qing
Visiting Professor

 

Xiao Yi
Postdoctoral Fellow

Hometown: Changsha, China

Research interest:
To construct more stable microoganims for synthetic biology, I am hindering their ability to evolve. 

Former Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Name, Years

Degree

Title of Project

Present Position

Tyler Yin

2005-2011

Ph.D.

Engineering Better Perhydrolases

postdoctoral fellow, University of British Columbia

Jonathan Gorke

2005-2010

Ph.D.

Recovery of renewable materials using ionic liquids

engineer, ConocoPhillips, Bartlesville OK

Yun Jiang
2003-2009

Ph.D.

How acyltransferases differ from lipases postdoctoral fellow

postdoctoral fellow, University of Minnesota

Paul Mugford
2000-2006

Ph.D.

Subtilisin-catalyzed hydrolysis of sulfinamides

research scientist, Ocean Nutrition, Halifax, Canada

Christopher Savile
2001-05

Ph.D.

Structure-based design of protease reactions

Director of Commercial Operations, Intrexon, South San Francisco, CA

Krista Morley
2000-2005

Ph.D.

Molecular basis for improved enantioselectivity

Scientist, Merck Process Research, Rahway, NJ

Jeremy Cheeseman
2000-04

Ph.D.

Pseudo-dynamic combinatorial chemistry for drug discovery

high school science teacher, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Alessandra Mezzetti
1998-2003

Ph.D.

Enantioselectivity of lipases toward primary alcohols

patent examiner, Canadian Patent Office, Ottawa, Canada

Seongsoon Park
2000-2003

Ph.D.

Improving the enantioselectivity of lipases

assistant professor, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Korea

Alexandra Weissfloch
1990-99

Ph.D.

Predictive models for hydrolase enantioselectivity

assistant professor, Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Lana Janes
1993-99

Ph.D.

Screening methods to identify stereoselective hydrolases

patent agent, QLT Inc., Vancouver, Canada

Ian Colton
1990-95

Ph.D.

Models of ion pumps & resolutions with lipases

patent agent, Gowlings, Ottawa, Canada

Joanne Krupa
1991-95

Ph.D.

Coenzyme analogs in dehydrogenase-catalyzed reactions

scientist, Targanta Therapeutics, Montréal, Canada

Alessio N. Serreqi
1988-94

Ph.D.

Resolution of phosphines and sulfoxides with hydrolases

director of manufacturing, Biosyntech, Laval, (Québec) Canada

Gaetan Caron
1988-93

Ph.D.

Optimized sequential kinetic resolution

vice president of R&D and regulatory affairs, Bioxel Pharma, Sainte-Foy (Québec) Canada

Joanna Mooney 2012-2014

M.S.

Resurrecting ancestral a/b-hydrolases

scientist BDW Tech

Max Tan

2011-2013

M.S.

Catalytic promiscuity of hydroxynitrile lyase

tba

Graig Legatt

M.S.

Creating new catalytic activities

Lab technician, SMC Ltd, Somerset, WI USA

Jiun-Guo (Jason) Yu
2006-2009

M.S.

Introduce epoxide hydrolase activity ino an esterase

exectutive assistant for VP of Sales in Shinih Enterprise Co., Ltd.
Taipei, Taiwan

Amina Clarisse Lobban
2005-06

M.S.

Increasing the enantioselectivity of lipases

bioengineer, Shire Human Genetic Therapies, Cambridge, MA

Harjap Grewal
2000-2002

M.Sc.

Molecular basis for the regioselectivity of lipases

graduate student, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada

Vladimir Magloire
1999-2001

M.Sc.

Enzyme-catalyzed resolution of sulfinamides

clinical research associate, Icon Research, Montreal, Canada

Geoff Horsman
1999-2001

M.Sc.

Directed evolution of more enatioselective hydrolases

Assistant Professor, Wilfrid Laurier U., Waterloo, ON, Canada

Andrew Man Fai Liu
1997-99

M.Sc.

Novel lipases by directed evolution

scientist, Hong Kong Institute of Technology, China
e-mail: liumanfai@yahoo.com

Neil Somers
1997-99

M.Sc.

Mapping the substrate selectivity of new hydrolases

researcher
CTS, Tel Aviv, Israel
e-mail: somersneil@yahoo.com

W. Victor Tuomi
1996-97

M.Sc.

Molecular modeling of lipase-substrate interactions

patent agent, Ballard Power Systems, Vancouver, Canada
e-mail: vtuomi@mac.com

Sharmin Ahmed
1991-93

M.Sc.

Kinetic resolution of carboxylic acids by lipase

MBA student, Concordia U., Montréal

Christine Ng-Youn-Chen
1989-91

M.Sc.

Kinetic resolution of pipecolinic acid with hydrolases

Dentist, Ottawa, ON

Hui Lin 2011-2014

 

Experimental evolution of Trichoderma

Post Doctoral Student, UC Davis

Alissa Goble

postdoc

Ancestral enzymes and the evolution of new catalytic activities

Scientist, MPI Research, Mattawan MI

Alexis Powell

postdoc

Experimental evolution of Trichoderma

Assistant Professor, Emporia State U

Jan van Langermann

2012

postdoc

Protein engineering of hydroxynitrile lyase

Group Leader, University of Rostock, Germany

Santosh Kumar Padhi
2007-2009

postdoc

Engineering hydroxyhitrile lyase activity

Assistant Professor, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India

Qing Jing
2006-2009

postdoc.

Metal substituted carbonic anhydrases

scientist, Microconsult Dallas, TX

Ryota Fujii
2005-2007

postdoc.

Directed evolution of lipases

scientist, Mitsui Chemicals Inc. Japan

Adrian Katona
2006-07

postdoc

Enzyme-catalyzed perhydrolysis

postdoctoral fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Krzysztof Okrasa
2004-05

postdoc

Redox reactions in bioorganic chemistry

scientist, Heptares Therapeutics, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK

Enikö Forró
2001

postdoc

Enzymatic resolution of b-amino acid precursors

researcher, University of Szeged
e-mail: forro@pharma.szote.u-szeged.hu

Ronghua Shu
1999-2000

postdoc

Directed evolution of pharmaceuticals

programmer/analyst, Milgram Group, Montréal
e-mail: r_shu88@hotmail.com

Christine Guerard
1999-2000

postdoc

Directed evolution of lipases

assistant professor, Universite Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand, France

Christina Löwendahl
1997-98

postdoc

Enantioselective screening of lipases

scientist, AstraZeneca R&D Mölndal , Sweden

Hedda Weber
1997-98

postdoc

Enantioselective screening of lipases in organic solvents

Lenzing R&D
e-mail: h.weber@lenzing.com

Chan-Seong Cheong
1996-97

postdoc

Synthesis of transition state analogs

scientist, drug synthesis laboratory, KIST, Seoul, Korea
e-mail: c2496@kistmail.kist.re.kr

Xiaoming (Michael) Zhang
1995-98

postdoc

Chiral materials for nonlinear optical applications

San Diego, CA

Ajay Gupta
1991-92

postdoc

Increasing the enantioselectivity of lipases by substrate modification

Chairman & CEO, Osta Biopharma, Montreal, Canada