Amino Derived Drug Precursors for Drug Developments Using Biocatalyst

Abstract

Amino acid-derived drug precursors are essential intermediates in pharmaceutical synthesis because they provide structurally diverse and stereochemically defined building blocks for the development of modern therapeutics. Biocatalysis has emerged as a sustainable alternative to conventional chemical synthesis by enabling highly selective and environmentally friendly transformations. This review evaluates the role of biocatalysts in the synthesis of amino acidderived drug precursors and highlights recent advances, pharmaceutical applications, industrial translation, emerging technologies, and future perspectives. A narrative review was conducted by critically analyzing recent literature on amino acid-derived drug precursors, enzyme classes, biocatalytic strategies, pharmaceutical applications, industrial process development, and emerging technologies. Relevant studies were synthesized to provide a comprehensive overview of current progress and future opportunities. Biocatalysts, including transaminases, dehydrogenases, imine reductases, hydrolases, cytochrome P450 enzymes, and multienzyme cascade systems, enable efficient synthesis of optically pure pharmaceutical intermediates with excellent chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity. Advances in protein engineering, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering have further enhanced enzyme performance, process scalability, and industrial applicability while supporting sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing. Biocatalysis has become a cornerstone technology for producing amino acid-derived drug precursors by integrating catalytic precision with green manufacturing principles. Continued innovation in enzyme engineering and computational technologies is expected to accelerate the development of efficient, scalable, and sustainable pharmaceutical production platforms.