Abstract

“Proteins are both awesome and frustratingly complex. Directed evolution circumvents deep ignorance.” - Prof. Frances H. ARNOLD, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Directed evolution has become the most powerful method in the field of protein engineering since its conceptualization by Prof. Frances H. Arnold at Caltech in early 1990s. A typical directed evolution project consists of iterative rounds of mutagenesis, selection, and amplification - the same algorithm that has been used and perfected by nature for billions of years. The beauty of evolution is that it is the only way to create things we do not understand. Because of its profound impact on the way we think about protein engineering and the biotechnology industry, the development of directed evolution methods was honored in 2018 with the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Prof. Frances H. Arnold for evolution of enzymes, Prof. George P. SMITH of the University of Missouri, USA and Sir Gregory P. WINTER of MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, United Kingdom for phage display. These methods and the principle of directed evolution will continue to provide us with a new way of thinking as well as a source of inspiration for designing new chemistry, materials, therapies and even new forms of life.

About the speaker

Prof. Sun Fei is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Before joining HKUST in 2014, Prof. Sun worked as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Frances H. Arnold at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Caltech. He obtained his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Chicago in 2012 following a BSc at Peking University in 2007. Prof. Sun’s work has been recognized by several awards, including the Chicago Biomedical Consortium Scholar Award and the Everett E. Gilbert Memorial Prize in Organic Chemistry.

For attendees’ attention

		The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
		Light refreshments will be served from 4:00 to 4:30 pm.

HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study
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