Application of engineered biocatalysts for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

Abstract

Genetic engineering of enzymes has played a significant role in multiple pharmaceutical synthetic processes. The need for selective, robust catalysts that can operate under process chemistry conditions has driven the need for mutagenesis approaches, which have successfully delivered a variety of process-optimized biocatalysts. In this chapter we give an overview of different directed evolution methods that have been applied to pharmaceutical intermediates during the last decade. The exciting progress that has been made since the landmark sitagliptin study in 2010 demonstrates the role that engineered biocatalysts can play in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).