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It is as simple as paying attention to nature.
Researchers at the Institute of Chemical Technology, in Valencia,
and the Delft University of Technology
have developed a new photobiocatalytic system
that could have a big impact on the pharmaceutical industry.
They use light as a source of energy and water as a source of electrons
in order to trigger enzymatic reactions.
A branch of modern biotechnology, known as White biotechnology,
is based on the isolation of free enzymes
in order to use them as catalysts in organic reactions.
We have developed a photochemical method,
using light, photocatalyst and water
to regerenate cofactors;
that is, in order to supply them with electrons.
This discovery is led by Avelino Corma, reseacher at the ITQ,
a joint centre of the Universitat Politècnica de València
and the Spanish National Research Council.
It is the result of two years of shared work
with scientists of the Biotechnology Deparment
of the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.
Using water facilitates the process at the industrial level.
Water, which we have in abundance and generates no waste,
has a lot of potential to later be applied
to the enzymes in organic synthesis.
One of the discovery's applications
is directly related to the pharmaceutical industry;
In the long term, it could mean a price reduction in drugs,
as it is directly related to the production process.
Nature Communications magazine has published the research results
in its latest issue.