On December 18, Chemistry & Engineering News (C&EN) published their 2017 Year in Chemistry, a synopsis of "the science that shone brightest in 2017." Emily Balskus, the Morris Kahn Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, earned a place among their stars.
Under the "most thrilling research findings," the magazine touts the power of enzymes to open new frontiers in chemistry. “I believe we are entering a new era of enzyme discovery," said Balskus. "Expanding the types of molecules we can access using biocatalysis and synthetic biology requires that we identify enzymes that perform new chemical transformations, either through discovery or engineering.”
C&EN mined their 2017 articles and discovered that a lofty 200 of them featured innovations in enzyme research. Of these, the magazine highlighted three that indicate exceptional promise. Their list includes the Balskus Group's Friedel-Crafty Bacteria.
