Enzymes as Downstream Processing Aids

What is it about?

Enzyme-assisted process steps can be found occasionally in the downstream processing of highly valuable biopharmaceuticals. The implementation of such a step will typically involve the addition of a certain amount of a purified enzyme preparation to a product- containing stream at a certain stage of the process. Here I review the uses of enzymes as process additives in biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

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Photo by Crystal Kwok on Unsplash

Photo by Crystal Kwok on Unsplash

Why is it important?

While a few enzyme-assisted process steps have gained industry acceptance, the fact that more of them have not entered into the biopharmaceutical downstream processing practice and rather remained stuck in the limbo of academic labs is somehow intriguing. This is even more puzzling if one considers the vast number of enzyme activities at our disposal that could be explored for purification purposes.