The Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) is taking part in the European Researchers’ Night with two public talks.:
- Searching for plastic-eating enzymes in the ocean (Francesco Colizzi) – 21 September, Biblioteca Montbau Albert Pérez Baró
The sea contains vast amounts of plastic, even in deep waters. In this talk, we will explore how biotechnology can help tackle this problem through enzymes capable of breaking down these materials. Using plastic collected with the help of fishing vessels in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, we study the microorganisms living on this plastic to identify bacteria and enzymes with the potential to break it down. These are then characterised and modelled in 3D using computer-based approaches to predict their behaviour, before being experimentally tested in the laboratory to assess their ability to degrade plastic. This marine-science and interdisciplinary approach could help transform waste into resources as part of a more circular economy. This work is part of the OCEANZYME project.
More information at this link. - Sweet Dreams are Light-Controlled (Juliette Bedrossiantz) – 28 September, Vil·la Urània
Sleep is one of the brain’s most complex processes and is closely linked to heart health. Yet the drugs we use to treat these disorders act without distinguishing between time or place. Can we do better? In this talk, I will introduce a new generation of light-responsive medicines that make it possible to control brain and heart functions with unprecedented precision. It is a story of sleep, biology and science that sounds like science fiction, but isn’t.
More information at this link.
