New rules
For more than seven years, Ting Xu, professor of materials science and engineering and of chemistry, has been trying to figure out how to design synthetic polymers with protein-like behaviors. Now, she and a multi-institutional team of researchers have unlocked “design rules” that upend long-held views on polymers and could pave the way for eco-friendly plastics and other materials.
The researchers, including MIT professor Alfredo Alexander-Katz, discovered something “wild” when they set out to design polymers as synthetic enzymes: Though their synthetic enzyme couldn’t fold like a natural protein, and its underlying molecular structure was slightly different, it could still mimic the behavior of a natural enzyme.
According to Xu, the key lies in the polymer’s ability to bend, twist and easily change the shape of its carbon “backbone.” This flexibility not only compensated for any structural differences between the lab-created and natural versions, but it also enabled the synthetic enzyme to surpass the functional capabilities of a natural enzyme.
Using this mechanism, researchers hope to “re-imagine the plastics industry” and reduce its environmental impact, as well as design new materials that can do things that natural enzymes can’t — like safely break down antibiotics that pollute our waterways.
“This foundational knowledge will enable us to produce functional polymers that meet technological needs in a range of areas, from the life sciences and energy to the environment,” said Xu.
Learn more: Researchers uncover new rules for designing protein-like polymers; Random heteropolymers as enzyme mimics (Nature)