The goal of this project is to use the principles of synthetic biology for the creation of novelbr functionalities in the interplay of DNA and proteins. We will devise high-throughput methods tobr expand the chemical repertoire of DNA-binding protein scaffolds and develop screening techniquesbr to search for target functions in massive parallel fashion. We hope to discover novel, geneticallybr encodable DNA receptors that overcome limitations of natural protein scaffolds. Specifically, we willbr introduce chemical functions that feature new or improved modes to recognize the information storedbr in the sequence, chemical modification or conformation of DNA. Such receptors would representbr highly versatile tools to reengineer key biological processes that are based on DNA recognitionbr events. This could be achieved not only by binding to key DNA elements but also by using thebr developed receptors as anchor entities to guide additional functionality - such as catalytic activity,br affinity tags or biophysical probes - to the locus of interest. Given the paramount role of DNAbr recognition, this approach could lead to improved strategies in cancer drug development,br bioanalytics, genome engineering and gene therapy.
