Job Boekhoven

Professor in supramolecular chemistry at the TU Munich figuring out the chemical principles of life.

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

Look at our new fuel-dependent droplets!

They emerge, grow, eat their neighbors, produce some offspring, and decay. All in 15 minutes!

Why?
Our goal is to build life.
Life from the bottom up, to better understand, what is life?

Paper here:
https://t.co/PfgEY8zrbD

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

@ayusmansen Excited!

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

Look at our new fuel-dependent droplets!

They emerge, grow, eat their neighbors, produce some offspring, and decay. All in 15 minutes!

Why?
Our goal is to build life.
Life from the bottom up, to better understand, what is life?

Paper here:
https://t.co/PfgEY8zrbD

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

In biology, this coupling allows chemical energy to be rectified into directional processes like transport and pumping

By engineering similar kinetic asymmetries into simple synthetic systems, we hope to move toward chemically fueled molecular machinery!

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

Life continuously consumes energy to keep structure and function.

But can similar behavior emerge in simpler chemical systems, w/o enzymes?

In our work in @J_A_C_S, we test enzyme-free phosphorylation cycle that dynamically regulates peptide assembly

https://t.co/6V6P2FW2dr

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

5/ Our long-term goal is not simply to create dynamic assemblies.

We want to develop synthetic systems that can perform work

For molecular motors and pumps, energy consumption alone is not enough:
the reaction kinetics must be coupled to the supramolecular state of the system.

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

I’m happy to share Hector Soria Carrera and Leonie Kauling’s recent work in @Chem_CP!

A thread below.
https://t.co/DbsMJiGUmY

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

Such fundamental studies help us elucidate the complexities of peptide assembly, which are central to neurodegenerative diseases.

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

We found that fuel-driven droplets can prevent such autocatalytic fibers forming-when the peptide is turned over into phase-separate into droplets, we did not observe any plaques. This suggests that transiently capturing the peptides inside droplets prevents fiber formation.

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

Our droplets are a model for the biomolecular condensates in our cells. Does turning over such condensates prevent aging of peptides in our cells too? It is too early to tell.
Besides, others have shown the opposite: droplets accelerate fibrillation.
https://t.co/yCClUFwWmm

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

We found a peptide that forms amyloid fibers—the types associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Although the exact pathway is unknown, a complication is that these fibers grow autocatalytically—once a fiber is formed, it helps form new ones.
https://t.co/fKPDORCSyl

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

@zaidalpi @IBECBarcelona @ERC_Research @PCB_UB @_BIST Congratulations 🥂!

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

@DorianaVinci Please share the results🥰

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

@davinci_thyself @Chem_CP Gotcha. Division is here: https://t.co/y5HJOsTJnY

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

I’m happy to share Hector Soria Carrera and Leonie Kauling’s recent work in @Chem_CP!

A thread below.
https://t.co/DbsMJiGUmY

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

Eternally grateful to the team, funding agencies (@ERC_Research, @mattertolife, @AvHStiftung), and the @TU_Muenchen for continuous support.

[Job Boekhoven @BoekhovenLab]

We also have to show that genes compete (through the synthetic cells). For that, we need multiple (hundreds?) replicators combined to form a real genotype.
So, plenty of work to do.