Enzyme engineering toolbox – a ‘catalyst’ for change

Abstract

Catalyst engineering and process optimisation are critical to improve the efficiency, chiral purity and cost effectiveness of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals manufacture. There is an increasing reliance on the use of enzymes in chemical syntheses, which requires ‘fine-tuning’ of biocatalyst properties to optimise use under industrial conditions. Biocatalyst engineering using random, semi-random and computational-based enzyme redesign is beginning to impact significantly on industrial biocatalysis, enabling new and more efficient bio-based manufacturing. Here, approaches used and examples of biocatalyst design for industrial application are discussed alongside their relative merits, with particular emphasis on optimising the Old Yellow Enzyme family of enzymes.