Bioverfahrenstechnik
© Felix Noak

Enzymatic production of nucleoside and nucleotide analogs

The goal of the project is the development of new enzymatic production routes for the efficient and sustainable production of nucleic acid derivatives. Nucleoside and nucleotide analogs have been in clinical use for almost 50 years and are cornerstones for the treatment of patients with cancer or viral infections. Nucleoside and nucleotide analogs are also used as antibiotics or immunosuppressive drugs.

Until now, the vast majority of nucleoside analogs are synthesized by chemical methods. Despite the progress achieved in the development of chemical methods, the preparation of purine nucleosides remains a challenging problem. A common drawback of often used approaches is the indispensable introduction and subsequent removal of protective groups, which is associated with chromatographic purification in almost every step, a lack of selectivity of chemical reactions, and the problems associated with the poor regio- and stereoselectivity of chemical reactions. In contrast, the enzymatic synthesis of modified nucleosides and nucleotides proceeds with strict stereo- and regioselectivity and requires organic solvents (ethanol, acetonitrile) only for the isolation of the individual desired compound. The production process becomes sustainable and products with a purity >99% are achieved. Production time and costs are drastically reduced.

Close cooperation partner is the BioNukleo GmbH, which is a spin-off of the Department of Bioprocess Engineering of TU Berlin.

Project partners

BioNukleo GmbH

 

 

 

 

Responsible person

Dr. Anke Kurreck