Bio

Harnessing Enzyme Catalysis for Sustainable Pharmaceuticals and Fuels

The Makris Group studies the chemical biology of enzymes that drive the biosynthesis of natural products, pharmaceuticals, and bioenergy-relevant molecules. By integrating genomics, pathway engineering, biochemistry, and bioinorganic and biophysical chemistry, the group seeks to uncover how complex enzymes activate oxygen, control reactivity, and evolve diverse catalytic functions. A major focus is understanding and engineering enzymatic pathways that convert fatty acids into hydrocarbons, enabling sustainable routes to “drop-in” fuels. Complementary efforts investigate diiron and heme-dependent enzymes that catalyze chemically distinct reactions despite shared structural features, as well as tailoring enzymes involved in non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis. Using advanced spectroscopic and kinetic techniques, this work reveals fundamental principles of enzyme function while enabling the development of scalable, biology-based approaches for producing chemicals of industrial and therapeutic value.