Materials Advances (2025): “MiniSOG as a Biodegradable Heterogeneous Photocatalyst for Coupled Redox Biotransformations”
Visible-light photocatalysis has emerged as a powerful strategy to drive chemical reactions under mild conditions, often in tandem with biocatalysts to achieve one-pot cascades. In this work, we demonstrate that the photocatalytic flavoprotein miniSOG, originally engineered as a genetically encoded singlet oxygen generator, can be repurposed as a heterogeneous photocatalyst. By immobilizing miniSOG as cross-linked […]
ACS Catalysis (2025): “Hybrid Catalytic Systems: Integrating Biocatalysis in the Chemical Space”
Achieving stereocontrol in chemical transformations remains one of the cornerstones of synthesis. Traditional methods to achieve stereoselectivity are based on organo- or metal catalysts, which may raise environmental concerns. As the global demand to create more renewable processes escalates, there is an increased need to develop procedures that minimize waste buildup and the use of […]
ACS Omega (2025): “Covalent immobilization of different enzymes on hydroxyapatite, an alternative green support”
Greener and cheaper alternatives to petrol-based supports have been studied in recent years to implement biocatalysis in industrial processes exploiting enzyme immobilization. Among these, hydroxyapatite (HAP), represents a suitable candidate thanks to its structural stability, non-toxicity, large surface area, and ease of surface modification. As it can be sourced from waste, it fulfills also the […]
ACS Sus Chem Eng (2025): “Biocatalytic Reduction of Six-membered Ring Heterocyclic Imines in Continuous Flow”
Abstract: “Heterocyclic amines are a key structural motif for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals (e.g. antibiotics), as well as pesticides and flavors. In this regard, imine reductases (IREDs) have recently emerged as a highly selective and sustainable alternative for asymmetric reductive amination reactions. Herein, we have applied six IREDs, two of which were newly identified, in […]
Chem & Bio Eng (2025): “Crystallization-assisted asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure amines using membrane-immobilized transaminase”
Abstract: “The production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) requires enantiopure chiral amines, for which greener synthesis processes are needed. Transaminases (TAs) are enzymes that catalyze the enantioselective production of chiral amines from prochiral ketones through transamination under mild conditions. Yet, industrial applications of biocatalytic transamination remain currently hindered by the limited stability of soluble enzymes […]
AMAB (2025): “Self-sufficient biocatalytic cascade for the continuous synthesis of danshensu in flow”
A new strategy has been developed to successfully produce the active component danshensu ex vivo. For this purpose, phenylalanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus sphaericus was combined with the novel hydroxyphenylpyruvate reductase from Mentha x piperita, thereby providing an in-situ cofactor regeneration throughout the conversion process. The purified enzymes were co-immobilized and subsequently employed in batch biotransformation, […]
RSC Sust. (2024): “Membrane-immobilized transaminases for the synthesis of enantiopure amines”
For the manufacture of enantiopure amines, greener synthesis processes are needed. Transaminases (TAs) are able to produce chiral amines with excellent enantioselectivity and in mild conditions, and can be immobilized to target stability, recoverability, and reusability. In the perspective of process intensification, we propose to study TA immobilization onto polymeric membranes. Two main immobilization strategies […]
Helv. Chim. Acta (2024): “Cost-Effective and Sustainable Scale-Up of Short-Chain Primary Amines”
Amines, crucial components in various industries, play a pivotal role in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and specialty chemicals. Recognizing the environmental impact of conventional methods for their preparation, our study centers on the utilization of abundantly available natural molecules, specifically amino acids, as precursors for short chain amine synthesis. This paper focuses on the […]
OPRD (2024): “Solvent Switching in Continuous Multistep Chemoenzymatic Synthesis: Telescoping Enzymatic Synthesis of Chiral, Pyridine-Containing Amines with Cross-Coupling as a Case Study”
Chiral α-(hetero)aryl primary amines are gaining momentum for their biological activities and their use as building blocks in more complex molecules. Here we report a continuous chemoenzymatic strategy from 2-acetyl-6-bromopyridineenabled by careful solvent selection and phase switching. Combining a first biocatalytic transamination reaction performed by TsRTA in a biphasic system in continuous flow, with in […]
Angewandte Chemie (2024): “Engineering a Dual-Functionalized PolyHIPE Resin for Photobiocatalytic Flow Chemistry”
The use of a dual resin for photobiocatalysis, encompassing both a photocatalyst and an immobilized enzyme, brings several challenges including effective immobilization, maintaining photocatalyst and enzyme activity and ensuring sufficient light penetration. However, the benefits such as integrated processes, reusability, easier product separation, and potential for scalability can outweigh these challenges, making dual resin systems […]