Continuous Separation of Biotransformation Products

In the last decade the continuous flow synthesis of fine chemicals and active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for drug production has become increasingly
widespread. Continuous flow systems offer a pathway to improved mass transfer,
thermal control, in-line purification and mixing, indicating a beneficial alternative
to batch systems. A major challenge for industry is the application of continuous
flow technology to relevant biotransformation processes. There has been little
research into the combination of biocatalysis with continuous flow chemistry, due
to the complexity of extraction techniques for the removal of biotransformation
products from complex reaction mixtures, and the need for cofactor regeneration.
These difficulties associated with biocatalysis reported in literature could be
overcome with the combination of efficient continuous separation techniques and
enzyme solubilisation. This report aims to explore the integration of biocatalytic
transformations in continuous flow with emphasis on separation techniques,
enzymes, whole cells, and co-factor recycling. This report also includes an outline
of the future objectives and directions of this project.