ORNL process improves catalytic rate of enzymes by 3,000 percent

Light of specific wavelengths can be used to boost an enzyme's function by as much as 30 fold, potentially establishing a path to less expensive biofuels, detergents and a host of other products. In a paper published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, a team led by Pratul Agarwal of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory described a process that aims to improve upon nature. Agarwal's team theorized that it should be possible to improve the catalytic efficiency of enzyme reactions by attaching chemical elements on the surface of an enzyme and manipulating them with the use of tuned light. The researchers introduced a light-activated molecular switch across two regions of the enzyme Candida antarctica lipase B, or CALB -- which breaks down fat molecules -- identified through modeling performed on DOE's Jaguar supercomputer.