A Perspective on Process Design and Scale-Up for Biocatalysis

The extraordinary developments in protein and enzyme engineering today are giving new opportunities for biocatalysis, including the synthesis of pharmaceuticals with new modalities, as well as new synthetic cascades and even the conversion of waste materials. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of these enzyme-catalyzed reactions remain in the laboratory as a curiosity rather than being implemented at a larger scale. One clear reason for this is the need for design and scale-up guidelines, as widely used in more conventional chemical processing. In this perspective, some of the tools and technologies available to enable such implementation for enzyme-catalyzed processes are outlined.