Enzymes are Nature’s chemists, making and breaking chemical bonds critical to all life. The incredible thing is that they can do these exquisite chemical steps at modest temperatures and ambient pressures. They are not made of rare earth materials but can be grown in bulk using simple living cell factories. For centuries we have harnessed the power of enzymes to make products we love including fermented beverages, foods, and cheeses. In our modern world we have prospected new, natural enzymes to make fuels, materials, and animal feed. With the advent of modern biotechnical techniques, we then began to adapt natural enzymes and engineer optimized versions for specific applications, such as stain-fighting enzymes in detergents that can work at cold temperatures. Cutting edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques now enable de novo enzyme design with no natural sequence input or starting point. This new frontier of enzyme design will unlock catalysts never before created and applications yet unimagined. Foundational to all this work is the need to rapidly test new sequence candidates and feed high-quality, machine-learning ready data to AI models. We created the Nanoassay™ product line to provide such data. It is the simplest and most robust tool for enzyme characterization – simply dilute, add, and scan. After years of struggling with multi-step kits that provide data on non-representative substrates, we decided to invent this better tool. Our team is excited to help your organization make new enzyme discoveries. As we journey on this path, we will frequently highlight incredible enzymes both old and new, so we can all recognize the impact they have in our daily lives.
-Nigel
Dr. Nigel Reuel, Ph.D.