Publication: Timed batch inputs unlock substantially higher yields for enzymatic cascades

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Cell-free enzymatic reaction networks (ERNs) enable the production of value-added compounds in a single cascade. However, various interactions, such as allosteric interactions, product inhibition, reversibility or competition for shared substrates become apparent only when all components of the ERN are assembled and lead to a reduced product yield.

In our newly published Nature Chemistry paper, we demonstrate a model-guided optimal design method to generate time-dependent ‘recipes’ for batch reactions. In this recipe, ERN components – enzymes, substrates and cofactors, are added at specified times and volumes repeatedly. We applied this approach to two ERNs in vitro, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and a branched nucleotide salvage pathway (NSP), and achieved improved yields of more than 5- to 21-fold, respectively, in comparison to control reactions, where all reaction components were added at t=0.

Congratulations to Miglė Jakštaitė, Tao Zhou, Frank Nelissen, Wilhelm Huck and Bob van Sluijs! 🎊

Nishu was elected as a CAS Future Leader!

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It is with great pleasure that we congratulate one of our postdoctoral researchers, Dr. Nishu Kanwa, with being named as one of the 2026 CAS Future Leaders. CAS which is part of the American Chemical Society, selects early career researchers based not only on academic merit but also on their activities beyond the lab. Despite […]

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Dr. Souvik Ghosh

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On 11 February 2022, Souvik Ghosh successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “An Enzymatic Competition Network for Molecular Information Processing” and became the 33rd Dr. in the Huck group.

Congratulations, Souvik!! We are exceptionally proud of you! 👏🎉

Dr. Mathieu Baltussen

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On 22 September 2025, Mathieu Baltussen successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Thinking in Molecules” and became the 32nd Dr. in the Huck group. Not only did he obtain his PhD but he did so in style by being awarded the PhD cum laude!

Congratulations, Mathieu!! We are exceptionally proud of your wonderful achievement! 👏🎉

Dr. Melde Witmond

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On 16 September 2025, Melde Witmond successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled “To signal or not to signal” and became the 31st Dr. in the Huck group.

Congratulations, Melde!! We wish you all the best with your future career! 🥂🎉

Huck Group Outing

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On the 21st of August, we had a Huck group outing! The afternoon began with a Titanic-themed escape room on a boat, where teamwork, timing, and tenacity were put to the test. Afterwards, we shifted from puzzles to play while we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in Kronenburger park, before closing the day with conversation and cuisine at Werf. It was a delightful blend of challenge, camaraderie, and community. Make sure to have a look at our X (Twitter) and Instagram profiles (@Huckgroup) to see the new monthly record we set at the escape room! ✨

Dr. Mart Bartelds

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On 2 July, 2025, Mart Bartelds successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Cell-free characterization of post-transcriptional regulators for the development of dynamic gene circuits” and became the 30th Dr. in the Huck group.

Congratulations, Mart!! We wish you all the best with your future career! 🥂🎉

Dr. Nikita M. Ivanov

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Our esteemed enzymologist, Nikita Ivanov has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Emergent phenomena in artificial enzymatic reaction networks” on Friday 2 May, 2025. Nikita became 29th Dr. in the Huck group!

Big congratulations, Nikita!! You deserved it! All the best to your future career! 🥳🎉

Dr. Peer van Duppen

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On 17th December, 2024, Peer van Duppen successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “The Formose Reaction Prebiotic Soup or Recipe for Life?”. Peer became #28 Dr. in the Huck group!

Big congratulations, Peer!! You deserved it! All the best to your future career! 🥳🎉

Secret Sock Santa

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Secret Sock Santa once again visited POC department! Our annual tradition means we became Secret Santa and gifted beautiful socks and created poems for each other! There were no limits in creativity and everyone was happy to receive warm words and guess who was their Secret Santa!