Dept. of Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry

Cellulases as chiral selectors

In the 1990s it was found, surprisingly, that cellulases coupled to a chromatographic support were capable to separate the enantiomeric, mirror image, forms of certain drugs. This phenomenon has since been studied in great detail and also forms the basis for a more general development of methods for enantiomer separation and ligand binding studies. As a kind of feedback, these non-natural ligands may serve as structural probes for the future studies of cellulases.(Mikael Nilsson, Anu Nutt)
Cooperation with Roland Isaksson, Kalmar and Jerry Ståhlberg, Uppsala

The interaction between lignin-related substances and liposomes

Wood can be regarded as a composite material where polysaccharides, mainly cellulose, serve as the fiber component and lignin has the role of the resin. The building blocks/degradation products of lignin are regarded as far more hydrophobic than e.g. the glucose units in cellulose. This fact has encouraged us to study the interaction between such components and membrane vesicles, liposomes, coupled to a chromatographic support (Elisabet Boija)
New project, Cooperation with Gunnar Henriksson, KTH