Biocatalysis has seen significant advancements, particularly in the development and optimization of enzymes for industrial applications. According to a 2021 review in Nature Reviews Methods Primers, tailor-made enzymes with high efficiencies and selectivities can now be produced quickly on a gram to kilogram scale, thanks to dedicated databases and search tools. This progress highlights the growing importance of biocatalysis in organic synthesis and chemical manufacturing.

Moreover, the use of directed evolution techniques has greatly enhanced enzyme performance. For instance, the 2019 PNAS study demonstrated how machine learning-assisted directed protein evolution with combinatorial libraries can significantly improve protein function outside their natural contexts. Similarly, the 2018 ACS Synthetic Biology paper introduced “site and mutation”-specific predictions for minimal directed evolution libraries, further refining the process of enzyme optimization. These advancements underscore the versatility and potential of biocatalysis in addressing complex chemical challenges.