Adhesion Molecules-28

Advances and Experimental-3

Aging-9

Agricultural Biotechnology-37

Angiogenesis-29

Antisense-4

Apoptosis-49

Atherosclerosis-12

Autoimmunity-69

Bacterial Virulence-18

Bioinformatics-13

BioMaterials-18

Biosurfactants-1

Biotechnology-99

Cancer Genetics-25

Cancer Metastasis-19

Cell Biology-16

Cell Cycle-34

Cell Metabolism-327

Channels and Transporters-79

Chaperones-11

Circadian Rhythms-13

Coagulation-14

Cytokines/Growth Factors-52

Development-223

DNA-56

DNA Surveillance and Repair-42

Drug Design-17

Endocrine-66

Evolution-33

Extracellular Matrix-30

Gastroenterology-52

Gene Expression-178

Gene Therapy-53

Heart-61

Heat Shock Proteins-19

Hematology-11

Immunology-93

Infectious Disease-71

Ischemia-Reperfusion-33

Leptin and Leptin Antagonists-1

Medical-20

MHC-17

Mitochondria-17

Molecular Biology-15

Molecular Complexes and Signaling-1

Nanomedicine-30

Neurodegenerative Disease-72

Neuropharmacology-112

Neuroscience-38

Nucleus-15

Oncogenes-8

Oncology-87

Parasitic Disease-12

Pharmacogenomics-14

Prebiotic Evolution-2

Protein-12

Reproductive Biology-59

RNA-152

Signal Transduction-186

Stem Cells-80

Surgery-37

T-Cell Activation-12

Tissue Engineering-116

Transplant-51

Vaccines-82

Viruses-85

Chapter category: Biotechnology

Enzyme Catalysis in Fine Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries

Chapter authors:
Ganapati D. Yadav, Ashwini D. Sajgure and Shrikant B. Dhoot

Biotechnology is being increasingly adopted by several chemical companies to improve manufacturing sustainability and profitability as regards energy consumption and feed stock access as well as the production of high-value chemicals.1,2 Industrial biotranformations generally center around natural compounds such as carbohydrates and fats in food sector (Fig. 1).3 However, the pharmaceuticals sector has started dominance in this area (Fig. 2).4 Chemical and pharmaceutical industries need eco-friendly and benign technologies and thus waste minimization of both material and energy and catalysis are at the hub of all green processes. A practical alternative to the traditional organic synthesis is biotechnology and in particular enzymatic catalysis is weighed against chemical catalysis in fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Enzymes are exquisitely selective in catalyzing reactions with unparalleled chiral and regio selectivities. Enzymes typically operate at room temperature and ambient pressure and lead to a few waste products; neither do they need the tedious blocking and deblocking steps that are common in enantio and regio selective organic synthesis. Chirality is of utmost importance in drug synthesis. Chiral nature of the enzymes is responsible for their chemo, regio? and stereospecificity. A typical enzyme with a mass of 50,000 daltons possesses 450 amino acid residues: 19 chiral L-aminoacids and glycine and further if glycine makes up 10% of the residues, then there are at least 400 residues with chiral centers to provide an asymmetric environment for substrate binding and subsequent chemical transformation. There is a requirement to develop processes for the production of enantiomerically pure drugs. The market for single isomers of chiral drugs is more than 100 billion US dollars and continue to expand rapidly.5

Ganapati D. Yadav
Department of Chemical Engineering, University Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai

Ashwini D. Sajgure
Department of Chemical Engineering, University Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai

Shrikant B. Dhoot
Department of Chemical Engineering, University Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai

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