Selection strategies for improved biocatalysts

Abstract

Enzymes have become an attractive alternative to conventional catalysts in numerous industrial processes. However, their properties do not always meet the criteria of the application of interest. Directed evolution is a powerful tool for adopting the characteristics of an enzyme. However, selection of the evolved variants is a critical step, and therefore new strategies to enable selection of the desired enzymatic activity have been developed. This review focuses on these novel strategies for selecting enzymes from large libraries, in particular those that are used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates and pharmaceuticals.