The work on the enzymatic synthesis of metaraminol, a compound with significant pharmaceutical relevance, has been a fascinating journey. Under the leadership of colleagues at IBG-1, great progress has been made in developing a fully biocatalytic process. This process does not require conventional metal catalysts, toxic solvents or fossil raw materials.
The two-step process, which first uses a pyruvate decarboxylase and then an amine transaminase, is proving to be a promising basis for sustainable production. However, a number of challenges, such as substrate inhibition, side reactions and cofactor limitations, had to be overcome in order to improve yield and efficiency.
Through systematic optimisation of the enzyme formulation, reaction technology and continuous extraction strategies, metaraminol production was significantly increased. The results show that biocatalysis can compete with conventional chemical synthesis in terms of sustainability and productivity.
Special thanks go to Berit for her insightful contributions and constructive collaboration, which were crucial to the progress of this project. Thank you, Berit!
Although there is still room for optimisation, these results bring us closer to industrial-scale biocatalytic production – a step forward in making drug synthesis more environmentally friendly, efficient and sustainable.
The publication is online available.