My connect with the world of enzymes started
during my Biochemistry graduation days learning about enzymes, enzyme kinetics,
enzyme inhibition (competitive, uncompetitive, non-competitive) etc.
Little did I know that enzymes would play such a
diverse role in today’s society! Enzymes and their applications can be found in
a variety of industries and are steadily increasing. Paper & pulp, leather,
detergents, fuel production, food & feed, waste management, chemical
industry, textile, pharma etc. are now using enzymes in a massive manner. At
present, almost 4000 enzymes are known, and of these, approximately 200
microbial original types are used commercially.
The advancement in biotechnology especially in the
field of genomics and protein engineering, have opened new vistas of enzyme
applications and are experiencing major R&D initiatives resulting in not
only development of new and novel products but also improvement in process
performance. Eg. Oxidation resistant alpha amylase (Duramyl, Novo Nordisk),
oxidation resistant protease (Everlase, Novo Nordisk) are providing newer
applications for the enzyme processes.
Enzymes due to their property of stereo-selectivity,
chemo and region-selectivity have found tremendous usage in the production of
important drugs. Along with the above mentioned properties, the enzymes also
display mild reaction conditions, have fewer side reactions, high efficiency
and are environmental friendly. These lead to overall lower cost of production
for the industry. In pharma and medicine, apart from their usage in drug
production, enzymes are also used as analytical tools (glucose oxidase – blood sugar,
uricase – uric acid detection), therapeutic agents (asparaginase – leukemia, collagenase
– skin cancer or as enzyme replacement therapies – Ceredase, Genzyme corp. for
Gaucher’s disease).
The enzymes are also playing a major role in
biofuel industry. Green and clean energy is the motto of today’s policy makers.
Recently, Novozymes (World’s largest enzyme manufacturer) along with Beta
Renewables, a cellulosic biofuels company, have opened the world’s first
commercial-scale refinery to produce bioethanol from agricultural residues and
energy crops (http://ens-newswire.com/2013/10/14/worlds-first-refinery-turning-farm-waste-to-bioethanol-opens/)
The field of enzymes is fascinating as well as
challenging. With proper Government policy and investments this industry can
progress and make mankind live a healthier, cleaner and happier life!
