OUR RESEARCH
We are interested in using evolution to engineer proteins to make useful tools for medicine and biotechnology. We study two proteins, Taq DNA polymerase and Luciferase, both of which have broad-ranging applications including, but not limited to, enabling basic science discoveries and medical diagnostics (see below for a bit more info). Students in the Leconte lab learn a broad skill set for the creation and characterization of new proteins such as molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, screen development and application, computational data analysis, and quantitative kinetics.
To learn more about our general approach to science, here is a video on it.
If you are interested in research opportunities, please see 'Apply' to learn about how to pursue opportunities with our group
Taq DNA Polymerase: Chemically modified forms of DNA (known as "XNA") have wide-ranging applications from medical diagnostics to therapeutics; however, their application is limited by the synthesis of these molecules by DNA polymerases, which is not possible with natural enzymes. We, and others, have recently discovered enzymes that can synthesize long XNAs. However, the accuracy of these enzymes is well below that of natural processes. We are developing more accurate enzymes that could enable a range of biotechnological applications that are not possible with current enzymes.
You can learn more about our work on Taq DNA polymerase, by clicking here.
Firefly Luciferase: Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) couples in vitro and in vivo biological events to the output of the enzyme luciferase, which catalyzes a chemical reaction that emits light. BLI has exciting applications in whole animal and longitudinal imaging studies, and has potential for numerous medical imaging applications. While BLI holds great promise, there are a number of properties of luciferase that limit the application of luciferase in imaging. We are using evolution and high-throughput biochemical approaches to identify novel mutants with improved properties.
You can learn more about our work on Firefly Luciferase, by clicking here.