Ideas worth spreading

How designing brand-new enzymes could change the world

345,841 views | Adam Garske • TED@DuPont

"If DNA is the blueprint of life, enzymes are the laborers that carry out its instructions," says chemical biologist Adam Garske. In this fun talk and demo, he shows how scientists can now edit and design enzymes for specific functions -- to help treat diseases like diabetes, create energy-efficient laundry detergent and even capture greenhouse gases -- and performs his own enzyme experiment onstage.

"If DNA is the blueprint of life, enzymes are the laborers that carry out its instructions," says chemical biologist Adam Garske. In this fun talk and demo, he shows how scientists can now edit and design enzymes for specific functions -- to help treat diseases like diabetes, create energy-efficient laundry detergent and even capture greenhouse gases -- and performs his own enzyme experiment onstage.

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with DuPont. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.

About the speaker

Adam Garske

Enzyme engineer

See speaker profile

Adam Garske loves enzymes and thinks you should, too. He engineers enzymes for use in industrial applications, ranging from laundry detergents to animal nutrition.

Arthur Kornberg | Harvard University Press, 1991 | Book

For the Love of Enzymes: The Odyssey of a Biochemist

This book captures the excitement and challenges of a career dedicated to trying to understand how enzymes work. Written by the Nobel Laureate Arthur Kornberg, the book not only provides a history of enzyme research, but is also a personal account of Kornberg's life. It's good for general audiences and helps to explain why enzymes are so important — and the fun that can be had working with them.

Frances Arnold | Microbe, 2011 | Article

"The Library of Maynard-Smith: My Search for Meaning in the Protein Universe"

This short article, written by protein engineer and Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold, is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges's short story "The Library of Babel". It's a fun read on the incredible complexity of possible protein sequences and the miniscule fraction of them that are actually functional. The job of the protein/enzyme engineer is to sift through the protein universe and discover sequences that increase functionality for a given application.

Adam L. Garske, Gregory Kapp and Joseph C. McAuliffe | Springer International Publishing, 2016 | Article

"Industrial Enzymes and Biocatalysis"

This chapter, from the book Handbook of Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology, is more technical. It's a detailed review of how enzymes work and how they can be applied to real-world challenges.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with DuPont. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.