The Impact of Recent Developments in Technologies which Enable the Increased Use of Biocatalysts

Abstract

While biocatalytic transformations are very powerful in enantioselective synthesis, frequently occurring under mild conditions, and proceed with extraordinary selectivity, there are practical challenges associated with the use of biocatalysis, such as limited substrate scope, stability, and reusability. Recent technological developments, for example immobilization, continuous flow, and molecular biology, all contribute towards enhancing the use of enzymes in synthesis.

The Hitchhiker's guide to biocatalysis: recent advances in the use of enzymes in organic synthesis

“…43 In short, largely as a result of in silico metagenome mining and directed evolution, biocatalysis has evolved into a costeffective and broadly applicable technology that has been successfully integrated into mainstream organic synthesis. 7,44 Indeed, the rapidly expanding biocatalysis toolbox 45 has created a situation where it is eminently feasible to apply a biocatalytic retrosynthetic approach to identify enzymatic routes by 'deconstructing' target molecules. [46][47][48][49]…”

“…With a rapidly expanding toolbox of biocatalytic conversions, which proceed under approximately the same conditionsin water at roughly ambient temperature and pressurethe construction of enzymatic cascade reactions has become increasingly popular. 44,[189][190][191][192][193][194] It provides tremendous advantages to chemists as the effort and yield losses associated with workup aer each step are eliminated, increasing the overall yield. Moreover, it can be used to drive equilibria towards product formation.…”

Dextran Aldehyde in Biocatalysis: More Than a Mere Immobilization System

“…Enzymes are undoubtedly the most efficient catalysts ever known, as they can proficiently perform their catalytic function under mild conditions, in a very specific (modifying only the target physiological substrate) and selective (producing only the target product) manner [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. As a result, they are extremely useful in very diverse areas of application.…”

“…On the other hand, some of these features that are necessary for microorganisms to respond to changes in the environment do not fit the requirements for large-scale industrial applications [16]. Nevertheless, enzymes have found application in many industrial processes, from fine chemistry [1,12,13] to energy production [17][18][19][20][21] or food technology [22][23][24][25]. When employed as industrial biocatalysts, the desired enzymatic capability may not be always the same; for instance, chemo-and regio-selectivity will be always necessary, while enzyme stereoselectivity would be demanded in the resolution of racemic mixtures or in the desymmetrization of prochiral compounds.…”

Biocatalysis and Pharmaceuticals: A Smart Tool for Sustainable Development

“…The use of biotransformations has increased considerably in recent decades, complementing classical chemical synthesis in multiple industries, mainly for the preparation of pharmaceuticals [1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], fine chemicals [19][20][21] or food products [22][23][24]. Additionally, and based on the principles and metrics of green chemistry [25][26][27][28][29] and sustainable chemistry [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37], biocatalysis fits perfectly into this framework; in fact, biocatalyzed procedures are highly efficient, economical, and generate less waste than conventional organic syntheses [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. As such, the interest in the application of biocatalysis within the pharma industry is not surprising, as this industry is by far the biggest waste producer…”