Exploring the Workhorses of Biotechnology: Using RCSB.org to analyze plastic-degrading enzymes
Webinar hosted by RCSB PDB and the Rutgers Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine | November 6, 2025
Globally, plastic production has surpassed 8 billion tons, however, less than 10% has been recycled. Plastic has replaced other materials such as wood, metal, and glass due to low production costs, with production continuing at a rapid rate of over 400 million tons per year. However, recycling costs for plastic remain high necessitating the development of new recycling technologies. Over the last decade, plastic-degrading enzymes have become a rich area of biotechnology discovery. In this webinar, we will demonstrate how to use RCSB PDB tools to explore structures of plastic-degrading enzymes. These tools and the underlying PDB data are critical for advancing the biotechnologies of plastic recycling.
Course Objectives and Intended Audiences
After watching the videos in this course, you will be able to:
- Understand biotechnological approaches for plastic recycling
- Harness the power of Advanced Search to identify plastic-degrading PDB structures
- Explore sequence-structure relationships using the Sequence Annotations viewer and Mol*
- Gain scientific insights from Pairwise Structure Alignment
This course is intended for:
- Researchers and professionals interested in how structural biology can benefit biotechnology
- Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in biological sciences
- Anyone interested in learning more about RCSB.org
Course Videos
Click on the image below to play the video.
Introduction to PDB Archive and RCSB.org
Alison Biester, Ph.D.
RCSB PDB Scientific Researcher, RCSB PDB, Rutgers University
Introduction to Plastic Degrading Enzymes
Alison Biester, Ph.D.
Using RCSB.org to Explore Plastic Degrading Enzymes
Alison Biester, Ph.D.
