Jie Zhang Følg Jie
Senior Researcher
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby
Biografi
We make molecules.
‘Natural product’ is a blanket term used for a large and diverse group of molecules made by living organisms, they use them to adapt to their surroundings.
Natural products are important because:
They have great physicochemical properties (e g. they can scavenge scarce elements or store large amounts of energy).
They often feature complex chemical motifs that allow them to have sophisticated biological functions (e. g.interruption, regulation, or alteration of the physiological functions of other species).
Most medicines are Natural Products or are derived from them.
Our Scientific research
We learn chemistry from nature and use these lessons to make sustainable chemicals.
Our research starts by diving into the genomes of native producers to search for the genes that encode biosynthetic pathways for natural products. We look for compounds that may be useful to make medicines, fuels, materials, or any chemical.