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. 2017 Apr 18;8(5):476-480.
doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.7b00114. eCollection 2017 May 11.

Biocatalysis in the Pharmaceutical Industry: The Need for Speed

Matthew D Truppo  1
Affiliations

Biocatalysis in the Pharmaceutical Industry: The Need for Speed

Matthew D Truppo. ACS Med Chem Lett. .

Abstract

The use of biocatalysis in the pharmaceutical industry continues to expand as a result of increased access to enzymes and the ability to engineer those enzymes to meet the demands of industrial processes. However, we are still just scratching the surface of potential biocatalytic applications. The time pressures present in pharmaceutical process development are incompatible with the long lead times required for engineering a suitable biocatalyst. Dramatic increases in the speed of protein engineering are needed to deliver on the ever increasing opportunities for industrial biocatalytic processes.

Keywords: Biocatalysis; enzymes; protein engineering; sustainability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representation of enzyme structure making multiple points of contact with a substrate for excellent selectivity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Rhodium price fluctuations over time. Data from publicly available Johnson Matthey price tables.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of publications and patents discussing “pharmaceutical biocatalysis” for each 5 year period of the last 50 years. Metrics from Google Scholar.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Design–make–test cycle for engineering biocatalysts.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Acceleration of both time and level of improvement in each round of protein engineering.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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