Many drugs to treat the wide range of diseases and conditions are complex molecules, which contain what are termed biologically active groups. One of the most important biologically active groups in many drug molecules is the amine group. Indeed, 70% of all pharmaceuticals contain derivatives of chiral amines and the global market of chiral amines is estimated as 4 bn/annum. It is often non-trivial and expensive for organic chemists to make complex drug molecules and put the amine group in the correct position or in the correct relationship to other parts of the molecule. Some chemical procedures to introduce the amine group can be harsh and disrupt or modify the other part of the drug molecule. However, enzymes can be used to introduce the amine group into selective positions in drug molecules. Enzymes are proteins and are biological catalysts, often termed biocatalysts. They are usually very specific as to where they will place the amine group and they carry out their reaction under mild conditions. They are also a renewable resource and are biodegradable unlike some chemical reagents. These enzymes that can put an amine group into a drug molecule are called transaminases.In this project we will find new transaminase enzymes that are able to introduce the amine moiety into complex drug molecules. Then we will put the genes for these new transaminases in to a laboratory bacterium that can be grown in large amounts to create a renewable source of the transaminases. We will investigate how to put transaminases with different specificities towards different molecules, into kits that chemists who carry out research into creating new drugs, can use. These kits will allow chemists to try out different transaminases on the compound they might be working on and if they find one that works at the small scale used in the laboratory, they can use that transaminse in a larger scale process.We want to encourage the use of transaminase biocatalysts in the synthesis of drugs and other chemicals as this will be a more atom efficient process for making complex drugs and chemicals of the future, with less environmental impact.

The EXCornsEED project aims to exploit the convergence between science, chemistry, biology, engineering and biotechnology tools for the creation of new knowledge and innovative applications, with the main goal to develop and validate an integrated process of innovative and highly sustainable extraction/purification/concentration technologies to be applied to bio-refineries side streams (i.e. corn oil, thin stillage from bio-ethanol and rapeseed meal from biodiesel production) for the recovery of proteins and several other bio-active compounds (i.e. polyphenols, amino acids, fibers, lipid compounds, alkaloids and tannins, etc.) and characterization/preparation of these as ingredients for food, specialty chemicals, and cosmetics markets. A three-step approach will upscale the EXCornsEED process from lab level (few grams, TRL3) up to industrial pilot in ENV premises (1t/d capacity, TRL5). The project stems from a sound industrial vision set by ENV and other industrial partners to transform traditional bioethanol production in future biorefinery concept, fully in line with EU strategies for a bio-based economy. The concurrent presence of biotech producer ENV (project initiator) technology experts SAP, CEL and ICE, and product companies SIAL, NUT, BZN and DRL will guarantee the commitment towards a real market-driven project. A synergistic approach will be used with the collaboration of other partners CREA, CTA, INNEN, HC and TEC, in order to define a self-sustainable system and have an outcome that is in accordance with the principles of the circular economy.