John McGeehan

{{short description|British research scientist}}

{{about||the lawyer, district attorney, and judge in New York City|John E. McGeehan}}

File:McGeehan Diamond.jpg

John McGeehan is a Scottish research scientist and professor of structural biology. He was director of the Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI) at the University of Portsmouth until 2022 and is now a principal scientist and group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado, US.

In 2018, McGeehan co-led an international team of scientists who characterized and engineered an enzyme with the ability to breakdown polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the primary material used in the manufacture of single-use plastic bottles and synthetic textiles.{{Cite journal|last1=Austin|first1=Harry P.|last2=Allen|first2=Mark D.|last3=Donohoe|first3=Bryon S.|last4=Rorrer|first4=Nicholas A.|last5=Kearns|first5=Fiona L.|last6=Silveira|first6=Rodrigo L.|last7=Pollard|first7=Benjamin C.|last8=Dominick|first8=Graham|last9=Duman|first9=Ramona|date=2018-05-08|title=Characterization and engineering of a plastic-degrading aromatic polyesterase|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=115|issue=19|pages=E4350–E4357|doi=10.1073/pnas.1718804115|pmc=5948967|pmid=29666242|doi-access=free}} The bacteria that produces this enzyme, Ideonella sakaiensis, was originally discovered and isolated in a recycling plant by a Japanese research group in 2016.{{Cite journal|last1=Yoshida|first1=Shosuke|last2=Hiraga|first2=Kazumi|last3=Takehana|first3=Toshihiko|last4=Taniguchi|first4=Ikuo|last5=Yamaji|first5=Hironao|last6=Maeda|first6=Yasuhito|last7=Toyohara|first7=Kiyotsuna|last8=Miyamoto|first8=Kenji|last9=Kimura|first9=Yoshiharu|date=2016-03-11|title=A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate)|journal=Science|language=en|volume=351|issue=6278|pages=1196–1199|doi=10.1126/science.aad6359|issn=0036-8075|pmid=26965627|bibcode=2016Sci...351.1196Y|s2cid=31146235}}

The team at Portsmouth University, together with researchers at NREL and the University of South Florida, solved the high-resolution structure of the PETase enzyme using X-ray crystallography at the Diamond Light Source{{Cite journal|url=http://www.rcsb.org/structure/6EQE|title=High resolution crystal structure of a polyethylene terephthalate degrading hydrolase from Ideonella sakaiensis|last1=Austin|first1=H.P.|last2=Allen|first2=M.D.|date=2018-04-25|website=www.rcsb.org|language=en|doi=10.2210/pdb6eqe/pdb|access-date=2018-08-17|last3=Johnson|first3=C.W.|last4=Beckham|first4=G.T.|last5=McGeehan|first5=J.E.}} and used the structure to design improved versions of the enzyme. The initial research story was covered widely in the press (The Times,{{Cite news |last1=Whipple |first1=Tom |last2=Webster |first2=Ben |date=2018-04-17 |title=Plastic-eating enzyme hailed as breakthrough in recycling |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/plastic-eating-enzyme-hailed-as-breakthrough-in-recycling-83696tg97 |access-date=2018-08-17 |work=The Times |language=en |issn=0140-0460}} The Guardian,{{Cite web |last=Carrington |first=Damian |date=2018-04-16 |title=Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/16/scientists-accidentally-create-mutant-enzyme-that-eats-plastic-bottles |access-date=2018-08-17 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} and The Economist{{Cite news |title=An enzyme that digests plastic could boost recycling |url=https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2018/04/16/an-enzyme-that-digests-plastic-could-boost-recycling |access-date=2018-08-17 |newspaper=The Economist |language=en}}) and television media (BBC,{{Cite news |title=Recycling hope for plastic-hungry enzyme |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-43792040/recycling-hope-for-plastic-hungry-enzyme |access-date=2018-08-17 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} ITV,{{Cite news |title=An accidental global warming solution? Enzymes that could break down plastic |url=http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2018-04-17/an-accidental-global-warming-solution-enzymes-that-could-break-down-plastic/ |access-date=2018-08-17 |work=ITV News |language=en}} CNN,{{Cite news |last=Wilkinson |first=Bard |title=Scientists hope new enzyme will 'eat' plastic pollution |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/16/world/plastic-pollution-science-environment-enzyme-intl/index.html |access-date=2018-08-17 |work=CNN}} CBS,{{Cite news |title=Could a tiny enzyme eradicate plastic garbage plaguing the world's oceans? |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/could-an-enzyme-eradicate-plastic-pollution-in-the-worlds-oceans/ |access-date=2018-08-17 |language=en}} Al Jazeera,{{Cite web |title=Scientists test plastic-eating enzyme in bid to fight pollution |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/scientists-test-plastic-eating-enzyme-bid-fight-pollution-180417121422866.html |access-date=2018-08-17 |website=www.aljazeera.com}} and HBO{{Cite news |title=Scientists accidentally discovered a plastic-eating enzyme that could revolutionize recycling |url=https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/vbq4ma/scientists-accidentally-discovered-a-plastic-eating-enzyme-that-could-revolutionize-recycling |access-date=2018-08-17 |work=VICE News |language=en}}), reaching a global audience of over 2 billion people. The published research was highlighted in the Altmetric Top 100 of all published papers in 2018{{Cite web|url=https://pnas.altmetric.com/details/37859055|title=Altmetric – Characterization and engineering of a plastic-degrading aromatic polyesterase|website=pnas.altmetric.com}} and 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://pnas.altmetric.com/details/91362881|title=Altmetric – Characterization and engineering of a two-enzyme system for plastics depolymerization|website=pnas.altmetric.com}}

Plastics, including PET, while incredibly versatile, are resistant to natural breakdown and represent an increasing source of pollution.{{Cite journal|last1=Jambeck|first1=Jenna R.|last2=Geyer|first2=Roland|last3=Wilcox|first3=Chris|last4=Siegler|first4=Theodore R.|last5=Perryman|first5=Miriam|last6=Andrady|first6=Anthony|last7=Narayan|first7=Ramani|last8=Law|first8=Kara Lavender|date=2015-02-13|title=Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean|journal=Science|language=en|volume=347|issue=6223|pages=768–771|doi=10.1126/science.1260352|issn=0036-8075|pmid=25678662|bibcode=2015Sci...347..768J|s2cid=206562155}} Enzymes offer potential routes to breakdown plastics into their original building blocks for reuse, and for the manufacture of advanced materials.{{Cite journal |last=Ellis |first=Lucas D. |last2=Rorrer |first2=Nicholas A. |last3=Sullivan |first3=Kevin P. |last4=Otto |first4=Maike |last5=McGeehan |first5=John E. |last6=Román-Leshkov |first6=Yuriy |last7=Wierckx |first7=Nick |last8=Beckham |first8=Gregg T. |date=July 2021 |title=Chemical and biological catalysis for plastics recycling and upcycling |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-021-00648-4 |journal=Nature Catalysis |language=en |volume=4 |issue=7 |pages=539–556 |doi=10.1038/s41929-021-00648-4 |issn=2520-1158}} The team continues to make further improvements to these enzymes through the characterisation of natural bacterial systems followed by protein engineering in the laboratory.{{Cite journal|last1=Knott|first1=Brandon C.|last2=Erickson|first2=Erika|last3=Allen|first3=Mark D.|last4=Gado|first4=Japheth E.|last5=Graham|first5=Rosie|last6=Kearns|first6=Fiona L.|last7=Pardo|first7=Isabel|last8=Topuzlu|first8=Ece|last9=Anderson|first9=Jared J.|last10=Austin|first10=Harry P.|last11=Dominick|first11=Graham|date=2020-09-24|title=Characterization and engineering of a two-enzyme system for plastics depolymerization|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=117|issue=41|pages=25476–25485|language=en|doi=10.1073/pnas.2006753117|issn=0027-8424|pmid=32989159|pmc=7568301|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal |last=Erickson |first=Erika |last2=Gado |first2=Japheth E. |last3=Avilán |first3=Luisana |last4=Bratti |first4=Felicia |last5=Brizendine |first5=Richard K. |last6=Cox |first6=Paul A. |last7=Gill |first7=Raj |last8=Graham |first8=Rosie |last9=Kim |first9=Dong-Jin |last10=König |first10=Gerhard |last11=Michener |first11=William E. |last12=Poudel |first12=Saroj |last13=Ramirez |first13=Kelsey J. |last14=Shakespeare |first14=Thomas J. |last15=Zahn |first15=Michael |date=2022-12-21 |title=Sourcing thermotolerant poly(ethylene terephthalate) hydrolase scaffolds from natural diversity |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35237-x |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=7850 |doi=10.1038/s41467-022-35237-x |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=9772341 |pmid=36543766}} Their latest work employs the use of AlphaFold from DeepMind ([https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/creating-plastic-eating-enzymes-that-could-save-us-from-pollution/ video]) to uncover the 3D structures of alternative PETases, and other enzymes.{{Cite news |last=Metz |first=Cade |date=2021-07-22 |title=A.I. Predicts the Shapes of Molecules to Come |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/22/technology/deepmind-ai-proteins-folding.html |access-date=2024-07-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} A driving force for the team is the use of technoeconomic analysis and life-cycle assessment to guide their research direction, and help understand the economic and environmental impacts of new recycling technologies.{{Cite journal |last=Singh |first=Avantika |last2=Rorrer |first2=Nicholas A. |last3=Nicholson |first3=Scott R. |last4=Erickson |first4=Erika |last5=DesVeaux |first5=Jason S. |last6=Avelino |first6=Andre F.T. |last7=Lamers |first7=Patrick |last8=Bhatt |first8=Arpit |last9=Zhang |first9=Yimin |last10=Avery |first10=Greg |last11=Tao |first11=Ling |last12=Pickford |first12=Andrew R. |last13=Carpenter |first13=Alberta C. |last14=McGeehan |first14=John E. |last15=Beckham |first15=Gregg T. |date=September 2021 |title=Techno-economic, life-cycle, and socioeconomic impact analysis of enzymatic recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.015 |journal=Joule |volume=5 |issue=9 |pages=2479–2503 |doi=10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.015 |issn=2542-4351|doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |last=Uekert |first=Taylor |last2=DesVeaux |first2=Jason S. |last3=Singh |first3=Avantika |last4=Nicholson |first4=Scott R. |last5=Lamers |first5=Patrick |last6=Ghosh |first6=Tapajyoti |last7=McGeehan |first7=John E. |last8=Carpenter |first8=Alberta C. |last9=Beckham |first9=Gregg T. |date=2022-08-30 |title=Life cycle assessment of enzymatic poly(ethylene terephthalate) recycling |url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/gc/d2gc02162e |journal=Green Chemistry |language=en |volume=24 |issue=17 |pages=6531–6543 |doi=10.1039/D2GC02162E |issn=1463-9270|doi-access=free }} Their current focus is on the development of industrially efficient and scalable processes that increase supply chain resilience.