Enzymes for Defense
Enzymes are highly effective biocatalysts that exhibit the ability to accelerate reaction rates up to approximately 1017 times greater compared to the uncatalyzed reaction and offer a high degree of substrate, regio, stereo, and reaction specificity. While the use of enzymes has a vast number of applications, our research group is a pioneer in exploiting the catalytic efficiency of enzymes for decontamination of chemical and biological weapons. In specific, our research focuses on the development of environmentally benign aqueous enzyme-based decontamination systems as well as bioactive polymeric materials and coatings. Through collaboration with the U.S. Army, our group is continually developing unique enzyme-based technology to protect against the growing threat of chemical and biological warfare.
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