The Enzyme Technology Group of the UoC Department of Chemistry, partner in the WIDEnzymes project, welcomed more than 15 students to the second WIDEnzymes workshop on Directed Enzyme Evolution, held from June 2 to 6, 2025. Set against the scenic backdrop of Crete, the week-long residential workshop offered a rich blend of hands-on lab experience, expert lectures, and valuable networking opportunities.

The workshop opened with a welcome address by Prof. Ioannis Pavlidis, followed by an introduction to the lab facilities. Days 2 and 3 featured a dynamic mix of hands-on lab sessions, presentations from participants and inspiring talks from guest speakers Ivana Drienovská (Vrije University Amsterdam) who spoke on on Beyond Nature’s Blueprint: Artificial Enzymes and Unnatural Building Blocks and Aurelio Hidalgo (Autonomous University of Madrid) who presented on on Functional screening for enzyme discovery and evolution.

Participants gained hands-on experience in essential techniques such as epPCR, DNA electrophoresis, agar assays, cell cultivation and harvest, SDS-PAGE, plasmid isolation, and sequencing. The academic program was balanced with social events, including a group visit to the Archaeological Museum of Crete,

The workshop concluded with the completion of the wet lab experiments and participant presentations of the data collected throughout the week. Beyond technical skills, students also built meaningful connections with peers from across Europe and networked with leading enzyme researchers from diverse EU institutions.

Overall, participants had a positive, successful experience both within and outside the lab, and organizers left the event invigorated and motivated to plan the next training event for young researchers, fostering cross-border relationships for enzyme research across Europe.

Stay tuned as registrations will soon open for the third practical workshop on Bioreactor production of recombinant enzymes at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava in Early 2026.

To learn more about the WIDEnzymes project, read their press release and stay up to date with the latest developments on LinkedIn, X and Facebook.

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