Highlights of the Recent U.S. Patent Literature: Focus on Biocatalysis

Biocatalysis is playing an increasingly important role in organic synthesis and for industrial manufacture of fine chemicals and pharmaceutical APIs. This review highlights patents and patent applications describing new applications of enzymes for organic synthesis—cyclopropanation, Diels–Alder reactions, reductive amination, and nitrile hydrolysis. These enzymatic processes are still early in development, but industrial application is likely just waiting for the right opportunity.