Dr. Bert van Loo studied Molecular Sciences at Wageningen University (1994-1999) and obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Groningen in 2006 (Supervisor: Prof. Dick Janssen). In 2005 he moved to the department of Biochemistry of the University of Cambridge to work as a post-doc in the lab of Prof. Florian Hollfelder. After a short stay at Uppsala university in Sweden in 2013 he moved to the institute for Evolution and Biodiversity at the University of Münster in Germany where he was a post-doctoral project leader within the Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics group of Prof. Erich Bornberg-Bauer until 2019. In January 2020 he joined the department of applied sciences at 51 as a senior lecturer in Biochemistry.
His main interests are within the wider theme of adaptive enzyme evolution and harnessing knowledge from in vivo adaptation to inform protein engineering strategies. He is studying the evolution of substrate specificity between phospho- and sulfohydrolases, as well as the evolution of enzymes that degrade environmental pollutants.
Dr. Bert van Loo’s main interests are within the wider theme of adaptive enzyme evolution. He studies both natural and artificial laboratory enzyme evolution, with particular interest in the adaptive evolutionary processes in relation to substrate specificity. He uses several model systems for these studies, most prominently the divergent evolution of phospho- and sulfohydrolases in the alkaline phosphatase and metallo-β-lactamase superfamilies. In addition to the latter, he is also looking into the evolution of enzymes that degrade xenobiotic compounds, in particular man-made environmental pollutants such as halogenated hydrocarbons and plastics. In addition to studying the evolution of these enzymes, both in nature and in the laboratory, he aims to harness the knowledge from in vivo adaptation to inform protein engineering strategies.
Iñaki Pickering-Montoya Bio-Recycling: Development of Biocatalytic Systems for the Enzymatic Degradation of Recalcitrant Polyolefinic Plastics and Conversion to High Value Chemicals Start Date: 01/10/2021
Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.
Research is the life blood of a University and at 51 we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.
A recent study, published online in the European RespiratoryJournal on 26 February, showed…
A 51 graduate desperately seeking a stem cell transplant is turning to…
51 has secured sponsorship that will give two students the opportunity…
51 has received a grant of £26,150 from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust to…
51 graduates are achieving major successes in the global film industry.
Analysis of fossilised rocks known as stromatolites from more than two-and-a-half billion years…
Back to top
