From nature to industry: Harnessing enzymes for biocatalysis

R. Buller, S. Lutz, R. J. Kazlauskas, R. Snajdrova, J. C. Moore, U. T. Bornscheuer

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

113 Scopus citations

Abstract

Biocatalysis harnesses enzymes to make valuable products. This green technology is used in countless applications from bench scale to industrial production and allows practitioners to access complex organic molecules, often with fewer synthetic steps and reduced waste. The last decade has seen an explosion in the development of experimental and computational tools to tailor enzymatic properties, equipping enzyme engineers with the ability to create biocatalysts that perform reactions not present in nature. By using (chemo)-enzymatic synthesis routes or orchestrating intricate enzyme cascades, scientists can synthesize elaborate targets ranging from DNA and complex pharmaceuticals to starch made in vitro from CO2-derived methanol. In addition, new chemistries have emerged through the combination of biocatalysis with transition metal catalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis. This review highlights recent key developments, identifies current limitations, and provides a future prospect for this rapidly developing technology.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbereadh8615
JournalScience
Volume382
Issue number6673
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 25 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Review

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