A collaborative study between the University of Manchester and AstraZeneca has resulted in the development of a new enzyme reaction screening technique which could lead to the efficient development of new medicines and chemicals.
Researchers use enzymes to catalyze chemical reactions and after careful engineering, these enzymes can produce higher quality products with lower manufacturing costs, waste, and energy consumption. However, finding “the one” could require researchers to test hundreds of variants through a slow and resource-intensive process.
To remedy this issue, University of Manchester and AstraZeneca researchers developed a novel mass spectrometry technique called DiBT-MS (Direct Analysis of Biotransformations with Mass Spectrometry), which can test enzyme activity up to 1,000 times faster than other commonly used methods.
"Current screening methods can really slow things down when we're trying to find efficient biocatalysts because there are so many possible variations to test in an enzyme library. Some faster methods, like fluorescent microwell plates, do exist, but even then, you can hit a wall if your product doesn't naturally fluoresce. That's why there's a real need for a quicker, simpler way to screen reactions.," said Sabine Flitsch.
"Our research shows how DiBT-MS can dramatically speed up the process, skipping the need for complicated sample preparation and using significantly less solvent and sample material, ultimately lessening our impact on the environment."
"This approach opens up enzyme research to a much wider range of laboratories. And as the demand for sustainable and cost-effective chemical production and higher throughput assay screening grows, DiBT-MS will be an essential tool," concluded Perdita Barran.
"Its simplicity, high throughput, and minimal sample preparation makes it an ideal choice for biochemists and chemical biologists who need a reliable, efficient way to conduct rapid and comprehensive enzyme screening."