Protabit scoops award to advance biofuels research

US-based Protabit, an off-shoot from the California Institute of Technology, has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research grant (phase one) for engineering cellulose enzymes.

The computational protein software platform designers will use the award from the National Science Foundation to engineer cellulose enzymes,  which are used in the production of biofuels from non-edible corn stover biomass, via its Triad programme.

‘We are pleased to receive this grant, which will enable us to accelerate our development of novel cellulases for second generation biofuels,’ says Protabit CEO and co-founder Barry Olafson. ‘Triad’s computational capabilities will provide a rich source of high-performance enzyme sequences for evaluation and testing. Our research seeks to help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil without impacting the global food supply.’

Triad is the result of input by many leaders in the field of enzyme research including chair of the Division of Biology at Caltech Stephen Mayo, who also co-founded Protabit.