Artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) have attracted increasing attention in the past two decades as attractive alternatives to either homogeneous catalysts or enzymes. ArMs result from anchoring a catalytically-competent abiotic metal cofactor within a host protein. The resulting ArMs combine attractive features of both homogeneous- and bio-catalysts. Within the group, we have chemo-genetically optimized the performance of ArMs for twenty different reactions, many of which have no equivalent among enzymes.
Following a general introduction on the underlying principles of ArMs, this talk will highlight our recent progress towards engineering and evolving hybrid catalysts with an emphasis on new-to-nature transformations for in vivo catalysis, including metal-catalyzed hydrogen atom transfer chemistry and olefin metathesis.