About
Prof. Peter Andreas Kast is a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich. His research focuses on enzymology, protein engineering, and directed evolution, particularly investigating enzymes from pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He holds an honorary professorship at ETH Zurich (2011) and has received ETH medals for his diploma (1986) and doctoral theses (1991).
Kast earned his Diploma in Natural Sciences (Dipl. Natw. ETH) from ETH Zurich in 1986, followed by a PhD in Microbiology. After postdoctoral work at ETH Zurich and the Scripps Research Institute, he joined ETH Zurich in 1997. His lab employs directed evolution to engineer enzymes and studies inter-enzyme allostery in metabolic pathways.
Key research projects include optimizing chorismate mutase activity and elucidating structural mechanisms. His work spans enzyme kinetics, X-ray crystallography, and computational modeling. Awards include ETH medals and grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Teaching includes courses in Biological Chemistry. Collaborations involve structural biologists like Ute Krengel and Donald Hilvert. The Kast Lab is part of the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry at ETH Zurich, addressing challenges in biocatalysis and microbial metabolism.
