Biocatalytic Amino Acid Functionalisation.

Area of Science:

• Synthetic chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Medicinal chemistry

Background:

• Advancements in synthetic chemistry are vital for developing new therapeutic modalities.
• Non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) offer a way to optimize peptide drug properties beyond standard amino acids.
• Current synthesis methods for ncAAs include bespoke chemical synthesis or direct modification of parent compounds using chemical reagents or enzymes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent progress in the enzymatic functionalization of amino acids.
• To highlight the production of various non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) using enzymatic methods.
• To underscore the importance of these advancements for the drug discovery pipeline.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on enzymatic functionalization of amino acids.
• Focus on methods utilizing enzymes for direct modification of amino acids.
• Exploration of diverse synthetic routes to non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs).

Main Results:

• Significant advancements have been made in enzymatic approaches for synthesizing non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs).
• Enzymatic methods provide efficient and specific routes to a wide array of modified amino acids.
• These methods complement traditional chemical synthesis, expanding the toolkit for medicinal chemists.

Conclusions:

• Enzymatic functionalization represents a key innovation in producing non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs).
• The development of these synthetic strategies is crucial for the advancement of peptide-based therapeutics.
• Continued research in enzymatic synthesis will accelerate the drug discovery process by providing novel molecular building blocks.