CRAIGAVON, Northern Ireland, October 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The need for green, economic, robust and scaleable processes for the synthesis of chiral APIs and intermediates prompted Almac (CPHI Booth 4F32) to build and fully integrate a biocatalysis group into its service portfolio. Last year Almac launched carbonyl reductase, transaminase, hydrolase, nitrilase, and nitrile hydratase enzyme screening kits and is continuing to both advance the biocatalysis business - and to broaden application of its biocatalysis expertise with a further $4m RD investment.

The investment will be used primarily to focus around discovery of new biocatalytic platforms that can be rapidly implemented and scaled delivering cost effective processes to chiral intermediates. Other areas of research will investigate hyper-activation of biocatalysts reducing enzyme loadings, as well as development of efficient and robust drivers for cofactor recycle and problems with equilibriums.

As anticipated, the business has advanced from the sale of enzyme screening kits, then to screening and optimising custom transformations, and finally to the supply of 10s then 100s of kgs of chiral intermediates.

For example, preliminary screening was carried out to demonstrate that a carbonyl reductase (CRED) bioreduction could replace a resolution for the preparation of a chiral alcohol. Having identified a CRED at small scale, Almac prepared a hundred grams of the chiral alcohol and integrated it into the API process development programme.

The next step was to manufacture 30 kgs for incorporation into the GMP API manufacture for Phase I clinical trials.

The rapid scale-up from biocatalyst screening has been the critical success factor for the recent paradigm shift to bioprocessing acceptance for the synthesis of APIs and fine chemicals.

The biocatalyst is now Almac's first choice for scale-up chemistry involving chirality as it provides efficient, clean and robust processes. The $4m RD investment demonstrates Almac's continued commitment to biocatalysis, supporting further growth in our expertise and capabilities in biotechnology, notes Head of Biocatalysis, Dr. Tom Moody.

Clean-up application:

The latest addition to the application of Almac biocatalysis expertise is for the clean-up of chemical reactions (Moody, T. Pharma Chem, April/May edition, 36-38, 2010). Impurities produced in multi-step processes are often difficult to remove, particularly if they are similar in structure to the desired product. When crystallisation or partition does not provide sufficient purity, Almac has used a biocatalytic process to selectively modify impurities. The impurities are then sufficiently different in physical properties from the desired product that they can be removed using conventional separation techniques.

Biocatalysis provides a mild, regio chemoselective process to modify impurities, thus altering their physical properties to facilitate their removal, says Tom Moody.

Notes to Editors

About Almac Group

The Almac Group comprises five closely integrated divisions offering a broad range of services from RD, biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply and IXRS technology (IVRS/IWRS), to commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

The company employs over 2,800 individuals and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. US operations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California. Almac has officially gained full possession of its new $120m North American Headquarters, which started in July 2008, and employees will relocate during the fall.

For more information on Almac, please visit http://www.almacgroup.com

SOURCE: Almac Group

CONTACT: Contact: Tom Moody, Head of Biocatalysis, Almac, T:+44-(0)28-3833-2200, F: +44-(0)28-3833-2299. Tristan Jervis, AccountDirector, De Facto Communications, T: +44-(0)207-861-3838, E:t.jervis@defacto.com