SBIR Phase I: Chemoenzymatic Production of Innovative Sesquiterpene-Based Fragrance Libraries

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project aims to develop a yeast-based platform for the generation of novel sesquiterpene compounds, as well as commercially unavailable sesquiterpene scaffolds. The technique combines metabolic, protein and biochemical approaches to produce defined sesquiterpene scaffolds, which are in turn, used to produce libraries of interesting compounds using combinatorial chemistry. The generated compounds are commercially valuable to the fragrance industry, but could also be screened for medically relevant properties. The mevalonate and non-mevalonate pathways are currently the only ones known to be used for the synthesis of isopentenyl pyrophosphate, one of the precursors to isoprenoids (terpenes), the most structurally diverse class of biological compounds. These precursors are converted to the terpenes through a series of enzymatic reactions. The proposed technology aims to leverage the understanding of the biochemistry and enzymology of the terpenes to develop a process that enables the production of thousands of new sesqueterpenes with interesting properties and great commercial value.