BIO-ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Protein structure & function

• Allergen proteins, diagnostic and therapeutic antibodies, enzymes (e.g., hydrolyses, polyphenol oxidases), metalloproteins.
• Protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions, binding thermodynamics and kinetics.

Thermochemical waste conversion

• Slow and fast pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction and carbonization, biofuel upgrading (hydrodeoxygenation, catalytic pyrolysis).
• Lignocellulosic and agricultural side streams, plastic and rubbery waste; lignin valorization.

Mass spectrometry & bioanalytical chemistry

• High-resolution mass spectrometry for complex mixture analysis in metabolomics, proteomics and petroleomics (e.g., bio-oils, waste plastics, dissolved organic matter, natural extracts, alcohol beverage chemistry, etc).
• Native mass spectrometry-based structural biology and proteomics (intact protein characterization, protein-protein/ligand interactions, folding & dynamics). Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS)

KEY TECHNOLGIES & INFRASTRUCTURE:

• High-resolution mass spectrometry laboratory (more info available here)
  • Bruker 12-T Solarix XR FT-ICR instrument
  • Bruker timsTOF trapped ion mobility QTOF instrument
  • Thermo Q Exactive Orbitrap UHMR instrument
  • Dionex Ultimate 3000 RSLCnano HPLC system
  • Bruker 456GC gas chromatography system (both FID and MS detection)
  • CDS 6200 pyrolysis-GC system (with autosampler) for analytical pyrolysis
  • Direct insertion probe (DIP) device for Bruker APCI and APPI sources
• Protein crystallography laboratory (Marresearch Mar345 imaging plate, Nonius/Bruker FR591 rotating anode, confocal optics)
• Thermochemical conversion laboratory
  • Lab-scale fast pyrolysis reactor (up to 700 °C)
  • Bench-scale high-pressure HTL/HTC reactor (5.5 L, max. 500 °C/250 bar)
  • Automated vacuum distillation facility (available fall 2024)
• Protein production and characterization facilities (HPLC, DLS, SDS-PAGE, light microscopy, crystallization robot)
• Complex organic mixture analysis (CHNOS, pH, TAN titration, KF titration, UV-Vis, ATR/FT-IR, 500 MHz NMR)

In the field of structural biology, the group is a core facility and technology service provider in several national and European infrastructure networks, including Biocenter Kuopio, FINStruct, EU-FTICR-MS, and Instruct-ERIC.

For requesting Instruct-ERIC access for native mass spectrometry, please see Instruct Center FI/Joensuu for details.

For general enquiries, contact Janne Jänis.