Monika Tõlgo

Monika’s research is about discovery and characterisation of novel carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) which various microorganisms use to degrade biomass in nature. Efficient degradation and modification of biomass is also crucial in a bio-based economy which is a major goal in Sweden. The carbohydrate products resulting from biomass degradation can be used either to compose new complex biomaterials or to simply ferment them to biofuels or biochemicals. Currently, I study lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) which are a type of CAZymes that act on lignocellulose via oxidative reactions. Even though recently discovered, these enzymes have been shown to significantly boost biomass depolymerisation in enzyme ’cocktails’ used in the industry. The goal of my research is to deepen the knowledge on LPMOs and their biotechnological uses.