Dear Colleagues,

With the depletion of non-renewable resources and the proliferation of environmental pollution, organic reactions, which consume a significant quantity of organic solvents, are considered to be environmentally unfriendly. As a practical and sustainable alternative to traditional organic reactions, biocatalysis exhibits its substantial advantages in selectivity and efficiency. Many classic C–C and C–X bond formation reactions can be efficiently catalyzed by biocatalysts, and have been widely employed in the synthesis of fine chemicals such as pharmaceuticals and their intermediates, nutritional additives, cosmetics, etc. Various solvents have been developed and applied as the media for enzymatic reactions, and various immobilization materials and methods have been created to enhance the stability of enzymes. Moreover, the increasing demand for efficient and versatile synthetic methods, combined with powerful new discoveries and engineering tools, have prompted innovations in biocatalysis, particularly the development of novel enzymes for precise transformations or “molecular editing”. As a result, the past decade has witnessed an impressive expansion of biocatalysis.

This Special Issue, entitled “Modern Trends of Biocatalysis in Organic Chemistry and Enzyme Engineering”, aims to offer an open forum in which researchers may share their achievements regarding enzyme engineering and its applications in organic synthesis. Contributions to this Special Issue, in the form of both original research and review articles, may cover the enhancement of the catalytic performance of enzymes (including immobilization, chemical modification, rational design and directed evolution), the application of biocatalysts in organic synthesis, biocatalytic promiscuity, the development and utilization of green solvents for enzymatic reactions, enzymatic–chemical methods for the synthesis of fine chemicals, multi-enzyme synergistic catalysis, photo–enzyme synergistic catalysis, and others.

Dr. Gang Xu
Prof. Dr. Yi Hu
Guest Editors

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• enzyme engineering
• biocatalytic promiscuity
• enzyme immobilization
• directed evolution
• biocatalysis
• enzymatic reactions

• Modern Trends of Biocatalysis in Organic Chemistry and Enzyme Engineering in Molecules (12 articles)