BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Memento EPFL//
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:ChemBio seminar by Prof. Paola Laurino - Okinawa Institute of Scie
 nce and Technology  - CH 637
DTSTART:20250620T161500
DTEND:20250620T171500
DTSTAMP:20260507T084612Z
UID:fd2c502f8cc8350624f1931d1bf2b11916f9f032eb8a47328b483619
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Paola Laurino\nTitle: \nHow do proteins expand functiona
 lity?\n\nAbstract:\nMinimal mutations can dramatically reshape protein fun
 ction\, driving evolution in unexpected ways. In this talk\, we explore th
 ree natural examples where a few mutations—in the core\, on the surface\
 , or within a linker between subdomains—enable proteins to acquire or sw
 itch functions. Using biochemical\, biophysical\, and evolutionary analyse
 s\, we uncover the mechanisms behind these shifts. We examine how insertio
 ns and deletions (InDels) in Rossmann Fold enzymes switch cofactor specifi
 city\, how a short\, remote loop insertion in chitinase enables dual funct
 ionality\, and how a single linker mutation increases affinity by 200-fold
  in soluble binding proteins. These findings reveal how structural and env
 ironmental constraints shape protein evolution\, offering insights into pr
 otein adaptability and diversification. These findings not only deepen our
  understanding of protein evolution but also provide strategic insights fo
 r protein engineering and functional design.\n\nBiography: \nProf. Laurin
 o earned her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from ETH Zurich (2011)\, followed 
 by prestigious EMBO and FEBS postdoctoral fellowships at the Weizmann Inst
 itute of Science under the mentorship of Professor Dan Tawfik\, a pioneer 
 in protein evolution. During her postdoctoral research\, she developed fun
 damental insights into the emergence of protein folds and metabolic pathwa
 ys.\n\nSince joining OIST as Assistant Professor in 2017 and being promote
 d to Associate Professor in 2022\, Prof. Laurino has established an intern
 ationally recognized research program at the interface of protein evolutio
 n and engineering. In 2023\, she was appointed Visiting Professor at Osaka
  University's Institute for Protein Research. In 2025\, she was awarded th
 e Frontiers Planet Prize as Japan's National Champion for her work on mari
 ne bacterial transporters in SAR11.\n\nWebsite: \nhttps://www.oist.jp/rese
 arch/research-units/protein
LOCATION:BS 260 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==BS%20260
STATUS:CONFIRMED
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR