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The Ennist Lab

Protein design for solar energy conversion and biotechnology

We use AI-guided protein design and experimental biophysics to develop light- and redox-active proteins with new functions.

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Crystal structure of designed Chl dimer protein shows accurate reproduction of Chl special pair from native photosystem.

De novo proteins assemble chlorophyll “special pairs”

Crystal structure of designed chlorophyll dimer protein shows accurate reproduction of special pair from native photosystem.

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Design of a photochemical reaction center protein

A designed 4-helix bundle protein assembles and electron-transport chain that uses photon energy to transfer electrons from a low-energy cofactor to a high-energy cofactor.

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Modeling suggests significant increases in photosynthetic efficiency are attainable through protein design

The proposed redox pentad is predicted to be thermodynamically capable of driving both half reactions of photosynthesis with half as many photons as PSI and PSII.

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