Almac Sciences Launches Biocatalyst Kits
Now established as the versatile “4x4” of the chirals tool box, biocatalysis is also increasingly recognised as offering economic and green solutions to complex pharma chemistry problems.
Almac biocatalysts provide access to a broad range of chiral acids, esters, alcohols and amines - and to libraries of enzymes for customer evaluation. (For detailed kit descriptors, see Notes for Editors.)
Screening for customer-requested biotransformations, process optimisation and manufacture of chiral products by biocatalysis is also now available from Almac’s Biocatalysis Development Group. (Email: biocatalysis@almacgroup.com)
“Introduction of the new kits aims to deepen customer recognition of biocatalysis benefits”, notes Biocatalysis Team Leader Dr. Tom Moody. “The biocatalyst option is now Almac’s first choice for any scale-up chemistry involving chirality.
“Biocatalysis can provide mild, regio & chemo selective conditions that often cannot be matched by chemical derived routes and it offers economic, robust, scaleable and reliable processes.”
Almac also points to major bonuses from reduced energy costs, lowered impact on the environment and efficient multi-tonne processing in timelines comparable to traditional chemistry.
Biocatalysis has greatly expanded Almac’s technology offering. The Biocatalysis Development Group – including molecular and microbiologists, enzymologists, organic chemists and analysts - is closely linked to Almac’s process chemistry and pilot plant capabilities, with enzyme discovery and development integrated with screening, route definition and subsequent scale up. Rapid implementation of enzymatic steps has significantly improved yield and time-lines in production of complex chiral APIs and intermediates.
The biocatalysis move was previewed at Informex USA, with details disclosed at this month’s CPhI Japan exhibition. The latest addition to Almac’s portfolio of connected capabilities, it follows the launch in late 2008 of Solid State Chemistry services.
Almac Sciences’ main service lines run through contract R&D, custom manufacturing and analytical services. The company has unique offerings in potent & cytotoxic manufacture, peptide and protein synthesis, cGMP and non-GMP radiolabelling (14C), chiral products and technology, solid state chemistry services, micronisation, formulation development and drug product manufacture.
Almac offers integrated services from research through development to delivery of finished pharma products. Services are provided to over 600 global companies – including all the market leaders in the pharma and biotech sectors.