Biosulfur Recyclers have been named winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Horizon Prize, which celebrates discoveries and innovations that push the boundaries of science.
Biosulfur Recyclers is a multinational, multidisciplinary collaboration with team members from Australia, the UK and Japan, including Professor David Ascher and his team from UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.
The prize was awarded for developing an understanding of sulfosugar metabolism and the discovery of new enzymes and pathways of sulfur recycling. The team receive a trophy and a video showcasing their work, and each team member receives a certificate.
The team's goal is to understand how tiny organisms break down sulfur-containing sugars called sulfosugars. In doing so, they are shedding light on a crucial but poorly understood ‘recycling’ process in nature.
