Catalytically Active Inclusion Bodies─Benchmarking and Application in Flow Chemistry

Bioprocessing of recombinant proteins from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies: insights from structure-function relationship for novel applications

The formation of inclusion bodies (IBs) during expression of recombinant therapeutic proteins using E. coli is a significant hurdle in producing high-quality, safe, and efficacious medicines. The improved understanding of the structure-function relationship of the IBs has resulted in the development of novel biotechnologies that have streamlined the isolation, solubilization, refolding, and purification of the active functional proteins from the bacterial IBs. Together, this overall effort promises to radically improve the scope of experimental biology of therapeutic protein production and expand new prospects in IBs usage. Notably, the IBs are increasingly used for applications in more pristine areas such as drug delivery and material sciences. In this review, we intend to provide a comprehensive picture of the bio-processing of bacterial IBs, including assessing critical gaps that still need to be addressed and potential solutions to overcome them. We expect this review to be a useful resource for those working in the area of protein refolding and therapeutic protein production.

Industrial potential of the enzymatic synthesis of nucleoside analogs: existing challenges and perspectives

Nucleoside phosphorylases have progressed from an enzymatic curiosity to a viable synthetic tool. However, despite the recent advances in nucleoside phosphorylase-catalyzed nucleoside synthesis, the widespread application of these enzymes in industrial processes is still lacking. We attribute this gap to three key challenges, which are outlined in this short review. To address these persistent obstacles, we believe that biocatalytic nucleoside synthesis needs to embrace interdisciplinary partnerships with the fields of organic chemistry, process engineering, and flow chemistry.

Process intensification in continuous flow biocatalysis by up and downstream processing strategies

In this review, we focus on the holistic continuous enzymatic production and put special emphasis on process intensification by up- and downstream processing in continuous flow biocatalysis. After a brief introduction, we provide an overview of current examples of enzyme immobilization as an upstream process for flow biocatalysis. Thereafter, we provide an overview of unit operations as downstream processing strategies, namely continuous (i) liquid-liquid extraction, (ii) adsorptive downstream processing, and (iii) crystallization and precipitation. Eventually, we present our perspectives on future trends in this research field.