Courtade Lab
We are a lab within the Biopolymer and Biomaterials research group at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science. Our main research interest is the study of the structures and mechanisms of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). In particular, protein dynamics and interactions between proteins and carbohydrates.
Current activities
Protein-(bio)polymer interactions
Persons involved: Susanne Hansen Troøyen, Karine H. Teller, Ingrid M. Bolstad
- Characterization of enzymatic reactions on insoluble substrates (cellulose, chitin, PET).
- Time course analysis by NMR.
- Methodology for measuring kinetics and affinity of protein binding to insoluble substrates.
- Chemical modification of carbohydrates.
Xanthan glycosyltransferases
Project: PolyMod - Novo Nordisk Foundation
Persons involved: Davide Luciano, Tova Alenfalk
- Molecular dynamics simulations of xanthan GTs.
- Computational modelling of substrate-enzyme interactions.
- Designing and engineering substrate specificities.
- Characterizing physical properties of xanthan variants.
Master projects
Contact us if you are interested in doing your master's in our group. Available projects are listed below, but also feel free to suggest your own project.
- Biomaterial Breakthroughs: Streamlined polysaccharide engineering without cells
- Plastic-degrading enzymes
- Extracellular ATP: The secret language of plants?
- Exploring Substrate Binding Conformations in Xanthan Gum Glycosyltransferases: A Computational Comparative Study
- Computational Investigation of the Interaction between a Membrane-Anchored Oligosaccharide and an Integral Protein Domain
- Exploring the synergistic activity of cellulose- and plastic-degrading enzymes on composite cellulose/PET materials
Master students
- Amalie Rosfjord Eggesbø
- Christina Kanter
- Elijas Schüz
- Silje Sneve
Former lab members
News
September 2024 — BMMW2024 was a success! Despite stormy weather at Sola Strand, we had 3 days of insightful presentations, lively discussions, and practical exercises on MD simulations and NMR spectroscopy. Huge thanks to all participants, organizers, and BioCat for their support! Read more
February 2024 — We are hiring! Join our team for a fully funded (and salaried) 3-year PhD position. Be part of the PolyMod project, engineering glycosyltransferases to produce new polysaccharides. DL: 1st March. Apply here
April 2023 — Now also on Gemini, Forskning.no, and Teknisk Ukeblad.
January 2023 — A popular scientific article about our plastic-degradation work has been published on Norwegian SciTech News
October 2022 — Davide and Susanne have started their PhD projects in our group. Welcome!