On 27 April 2024, the DRESDEN EXCELENCE AWARD was presented to four graduates of Dresden universities by Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert who honoured their outstanding scientific theses.
Among the awardees is Lukas Theo Schmitt, who conducted his PhD research in Prof. Frank Buchholz’s research group, for which he was honoured.
In his thesis, Lukas developed an algorithm to predict the activity for a class of enzymes that are used in precision genome editing. Using a generative deep learning approach called RecGen, he was able to generate new recombinases for specific genomic DNA target sites. Experimental studies confirmed the effectiveness of RecGen. A new method for precise sequencing of recombinases and counting of DNA editing events was also established to support the further development of RecGen.