Skip to ContentSkip to Navigation
About us Practical matters How to find us S. (Sandy) Schmidt, Dr

Research interests

The research of Asst. Prof. Dr. S. Schmidt exploits the powerful reactivity and selectivity of enzymes from secondary metabolite pathways for the production of natural products and their analogs for pharmaceutical applications. One of the main areas of interest is the identification, characterization and the engineering of Rieske non-heme iron oxygenases for their application in biocatalytic reactions towards pharmaceuticals and/or precursors thereof. Along this line, the outstanding reactivities of these biocatalysts are exploited in synthetic metabolic pathways and (chemo)enzymatic cascade reactions for the production of complex compounds from simple precursors. The Schmidt group is thereby using state-of-the-art synthetic biology tools for the design and assembly of artificial metabolic pathways, and is developing new methodologies for the genetic engineering of several chassis strains. Finally, the Schmidt group aims at the development of new concepts for electron transfer pathways in microorganisms, and is developing concepts to optimize electron transfer chains in multi-component oxidoreductases. By expanding our knowledge on the parameters determining efficient electron transfer and thus catalysis, it is expected that this will increase the broad applicability of multi-component oxidoreductases relying on complex electron transfer mechanisms.

Publications

An Optimized System for the Study of Rieske Oxygenase-catalyzed Hydroxylation Reactions In vitro

Cover Feature: Rieske Oxygenases and Other Ferredoxin-Dependent Enzymes: Electron Transfer Principles and Catalytic Capabilities

Enzymatic Oxy- and Amino-Functionalization in Biocatalytic Cascade Synthesis: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Exciting Enzymes: Current State and Future Perspective of Photobiocatalysis

Light-driven bioprocesses

Rieske Oxygenases and other Ferredoxin‐dependent Enzymes: Electron Transfer Principles and Catalytic Capabilities

Tapping into abiological reaction chemistries in biocatalysis

Cover Feature: The Synthesis of Chiral γ-Lactones by Merging Decatungstate Photocatalysis with Biocatalysis (ChemCatChem 19/2022)

Expanding the repertoire of Rieske oxygenases for O-demethylations

Photoexcited enzymes for asymmetric Csp3-Csp3 cross-electrophile couplings

Read more

Press/media

Bodembacterie maakt eiwitten en geneesmiddelen uit kooldioxide

Herausgeber des RÖMPP - Thieme Chemistry - Georg Thieme Verlag

RUG onderzoeker ontdekt ‘superbacterie’ die schadelijk CO2 omzet in geneesmiddelen

In Groningen gemanipuleerde bacterie ‘maakt kaas en medicijnen van CO2’

Soil bacteria produce proteins from carbon dioxide

Sandy Schmidt awarded ERC Starting Grant

Sandy Schmidt awarded NWO Vidi grant

Read more