Our collaboration with Prof. Timothy Noël’s group at the University of Amsterdam is published in ChemSystemsChem. In this work, we address the question of how protometabolic networks that contain both oxidative and reductive transformations might occur in the same environment. We show a proof-of-concept for the idea that in a natural electrochemical system, anode and cathode are physically separated and so will not annihilate each other, allowing both oxidative and reductive transformations to occur in a small region of space. Congrats to Clara, Morgan, and Grace from the Noël group and to Shunjiro from our group!
Publications
New publication
New publication
Marcus’ News and Views article on a recent paper from Zare, Dai and coworkers on how bimolecular condensates promote nonenzymatic reductive amination reactions has appeared in Nature Chemical Biology. Congrats, Marcus!
New publication
Cyprien’s paper on the kinetics of a Diels-Alder reaction under Vibrational Strong Coupling has appeared in Angewandte Chemie Internal Edition. The Diels-Alder reaction is proposed as a useful framework for future studies on how intramolecular vibrational redistribution can influence outcomes. Congrats to Cyprien, Maciej and Sinan!

New publication
The first paper from our collaboration with Thijs Stuyver’s group at Chimie ParisTech is published in Chemistry Europe. This computational work shows that electric field effects are likely responsible for the reported nonenzymatic reactions between ribose and phosphate or uracil within aqueous microdroplets. Interestingly, the electric fields also are found to have a large effect on the conformational preferences of small molecules, which will need to be taken into account in future calculations within electric fields. Congrats to Maciej and Javier!
New publication
The fourth paper from our collaboration with William F. Martin’s group on a protometabolic nitrogen shuttle using pyridoxal has been accepted in the Journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS Journal). Congrats to all!
New publication
Joris and Bora’s paper on the nonenzymatic hydration of phosphoenolpyruvate to 2-phosphoglycerate is accepted for publication in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. It is our lab’s fifth paper in that journal in 2024. The work describes an alternative strategy to search for the conditions conducive to the emergence of a protometabolism. Congrats!
New publication
New publication
New publication
Quentin and Robert’s mini-review of our lab’s recent work showing that essential coenzymes (ADP, NADH, PLP) exhibit nonenzymatic reactivity in the presence of metal ions is published in Science Advances. Collectively, the work gives insight into the role coenzymes might have played in a pre-enzymatic metabolism. Congrats to all!






