Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEMotivation and problem definition
Functional proteins are key components of numerous industrial processes and products, thus making a significant contribution to value creation in the bioeconomy. They enable sustainable and resource-efficient solutions in diverse fields of application. These include food production (e.g., cheese making, fermentation, juice clarification, and tissue maceration), crop protection, medical applications, and biohybrid systems, such as those used in sensor technology, artificial photosynthesis, and synthetic chemistry.
While naturally occurring protein sequences have predominantly been used to date, advances in structural elucidation, the understanding of structure-function relationships, and targeted protein engineering—increasingly supported by AI-based methods—are opening up new possibilities for the rational development of functional proteins.
With the availability of such in silico design methods, the need for suitable screening strategies is also increasing. Although the number of generated candidates is often lower than with classical evolutionary approaches, these candidates still need to be experimentally verified. Regardless of the design method used, the protein variants are produced in the laboratory and functionally characterized before being transferred to further product development steps, such as formulation and scale-up.
