IMPROVED BIOCATALYST FOR EPOXIDE PRODUCTION

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DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the applicant's abstract) This Phase I SBIR project involves the development of new biocatalysts for producing enantio-pure epoxides for use in chemical synthesis. The reactivity of epoxides makes them useful and important intermediates for many industrial chemical syntheses, including the production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and polymers. Although there are many current applications for racemic epoxides, the demand for the production of enantiomerically pure feedstocks has increased in recent years because it is known that individual enantiomers can have dramatically different chemical and pharmaceutical properties. Furthermore, by using enantio-pure building blocks to produce pharmaceuticals that are enantiomerically pure, the cost of the drug approval process can be significantly reduced because only one compound needs to be tested for efficacy and safety. During this project, the applicants will modify cloned monooxygenase genes (enzymes) known to produce epoxides to improve their epoxidation rate and enantiomeric selectivity. The project will involve a combination of site directed and random mutagenesis, and the development of novel screening and selection processes for identifying and selecting useful mutants. Experiments also will be performed to optimize the production of epoxides in bioreactor systems. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The biocatalysts and enantio-pure epoxides produced during this project will have a wide range of applications as chemical intermediates. The compounds will be useful to the pharmaceutical, agricultural, polymer, and fine chemical industries.