The perfect host
Could artificial enzymes finally be about to shake up catalysis? James Mitchell Crow investigates
Back in 1978, a young George Whitesides made the first artificial enzyme that relied on a metal complex wedged inside a protein host. His proof-of-principle experiment suggested a way to improve on nature’s own catalysts with some tailor-made metal chemistry - potentially offering the best of both worlds.
But despite this early promise, wind forward to 2007 and artificial metalloenzyme catalysts still aren’t routinely used in the lab.