Enable bioelectro-synthesis of chiral amines (EnBioAm)

Bringing enzymatic biocatalysis into industrial synthesis of sophisticated chemicals is presently undergoing almost a revolution. A key question is, however, how to reduce the cost of the fragile enzymes involved. EnBioAm proposes specifically to promote the use of the enzyme amine dehydrogenase (AmDH) with the redox cofactor NADH/NAD+ for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure chiral amines (Scheme 1). These are key building blocks for a wide range of drugs. Main strategies are i) enzyme immobilization on solid surfaces to improve the stability and re-cycling of AmDH, ii) development of a unique synthetic process comprising AmDH and a bioelectrochemical cofactor regeneration system, and iii) implementation in a continuous fluidic system for easy adaption to online production.