Process could increase the demand for peptides

Ajinomoto Co., of Tokyo, Japan, has developed an enzymatic method of manufacturing peptides that will, the company predicts, expand future demand for peptides significantly.

Conventional synthetic manufacturing methods require complicated steps for protection and deprotection of a protecting group in the amino acid. They also produce a high level of impurities and racemic mixtures, requiring expensive purification procedures.

The AminoScience laboratories of Ajinomoto have discovered a novel enzymatic method for the industrial production of alanylglutamine.

In this method, the amino acid is esterified, and this ester is enzymatically coupled with another amino acid. This manufacturing method enables the production of not only dipeptides and oligopeptides, but also peptides including non-native types of amino acid.

Ajinomoto will launch alanylglutamine as the first product in the spring of 2005. Although alanylglutamine is a potentially important product because of its ability to improve immune function, it has not been widely used in the market because of its high price. However, the company expects to be able to manufacture alanylglutamine at a much lower cost by using this new manufacturing method.

The potential global market for alanylglutamine is estimated at 200 tonnes, while the total value of world demand for peptide medicines is put at US$10bn.