Dr Sarah Lovelock
A highlight of my career was receiving a prestigious UKRI Future Leader Fellowship, which allowed me to establish my own independent research group and start working on my own research ideas.
Therapeutic oligonucleotides are a new class of RNA-based molecules that have the potential to treat a wide range of diseases. However, the rapidly growing number of therapies approved and in advanced clinical trials is placing unprecedented demands on our capacity to manufacture oligonucleotides at scale. Biocatalysis is an exciting technology that is widely used across the chemical industry: this is where enzymes are used to convert starting materials into high-value products.
Dr Lovelock’s group is developing biocatalytic approaches to produce therapeutic oligonucleotides in a more sustainable and scalable way. One strategy they have developed produces complex oligonucleotide sequences in a single operation using polymerases and endonucleases (nature’s enzymes). These enzymes work together to amplify complementary sequences embedded within a catalytic template. The group is working in partnership with industry to translate their approaches into manufacturing processes.
Read winner biographyQ&A
Leave congratulations on this page
Please use this space to congratulate the winner, but note that the UUÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ of Chemistry will not respond to any comments or questions left on this page.
If you have a question or would like to get in touch with us, please contact us via this page.
Your comment will appear on this page after it is approved by moderators.
Fields marked with a '*' are mandatory.