Dr Anthony Green

Winner: Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prize

University of Manchester

For the design and evolution of enzymes using an expanded genetic code.

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International collaboration allows me to continue my own scientific education by exploring new research areas.
Dr Anthony Green

Biocatalysis involves the use of natural or engineered enzymes to carry out chemical transformations, and is now widely employed within pharmaceutical and chemical companies as they strive to reduce their carbon footprint. This is evidenced by a number of high-profile examples where biocatalytic manufacturing processes have been developed to replace traditional chemical processes. Despite the impressive repertoire of highly selective reactions that are catalysed by enzymes, many important transformations are simply not accessible using biocatalytic approaches.

Dr Green’s research group develop disruptive enzyme engineering methods to create enzymes with new catalytic functions, opening the door to a new world of sustainable biocatalytic transformations that were previously unachievable. They work in close collaboration with partners from across the chemical industry to translate fundamental discoveries into real world applications, with the aim of contributing to the development of a greener and more sustainable chemical industry.

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Following his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry (total synthesis) under the supervision of Professor E. J. Thomas, Dr Anthony Green began postdoctoral research with Professor Nicholas Turner and Professor Sabine Flitsch based in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) working in the field of industrial biocatalysis. 

Following a postdoctoral research position in the group of Professor Donald Hilvert at ETH (Zurich), Dr Green started his independent research career in 2016 based in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (Department of Chemistry) at the University of Manchester where he is a BBSRC David Phillips research fellow, a lecturer in organic & biological chemistry and holder of an ERC starter grant.

Dr Green currently leads a multidisciplinary research team with broad ranging interests at the interface of chemistry and biology, with a particular focus on designing and evolving de novo enzymes with an expanded alphabet of amino acid building blocks.

Q+A

Who or what has inspired you?

During my time as a PhD student and PDRA, I was fortunate to work with brilliant mentors, who each taught me different aspects of chemical & biological sciences and the importance of scientific communication. Luckily I have several collaborative projects with my former mentors and so still have the opportunity to interact with them – it hasn’t happened yet but maybe one day I will be able to return the favour and teach them something in return.     

Why do you think international collaboration is important in science? / Why do you think interdisciplinary research and collaboration is important in science?

My research area is multidisciplinary by nature, and draws on broad expertise from organic chemists, enzyme engineers, computational and structural biologists and beyond. As a result we are able to work closely with local, national and international collaborators to tackle challenging multidisciplinary projects that wouldn’t be accessible as an isolated research group. On a personal note, these interactions allow me to continue my own scientific education by exploring new research areas. 

What is your favourite element?

I’m still an organic chemist at heart – and so I’d have to say carbon.

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