Last week’s Biotrans 2025 conference in Basel made one thing clear: biocatalysis is no longer a supportive or niche tool. It is becoming a central driver of synthetic innovation in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and advanced chemical manufacturing.
Below, we reflect on the major scientific themes of the conference and how they intersect with the direction of our work as well as the needs of the companies we support.
One of the clearest changes across the field is the repositioning of enzyme engineering as an upstream activity. Rather than being deployed late in route development to optimize isolated steps, enzymes are increasingly used to define entire retrosynthetic strategies. This shift requires coordination across functional groups, stereochemistry, cofactor usage and downstream processing, all of which must be considered from day one. At Isomerase, we routinely co-develop biocatalytic pathways from the ground up, aligning enzyme selection, reaction conditions, and host strain compatibility in parallel. Our goal is not just to solve reactions but to deliver whole processes.
Cofactor Management
A key constraint that continues to grow in importance is cofactor handling. With the rise of cascade reactions and the broader application of SAM, NAD(P)H, and ATP dependent enzymes, cofactor supply and recycling are now front line concerns in pathway design. We are seeing the field embrace cyclic regeneration systems, allosteric tuning and protein engineering at the cofactor binding interface to enhance efficiency, selectivity, and robustness. These strategies are especially important as enzyme cascades are increasingly expected to operate in continuous or intensified formats, where cost and energy balance matter.
Expanding Chemical Space
Perhaps the most exciting evolution in the field is the broader role biocatalysis is playing in expanding chemical space, not merely optimising legacy reactions. Enzymes are now enabling regioselective functionalisation, stereoselective oxidations, carbon-carbon bond formation, and even late stage oxidative modifications that are difficult or inefficient via traditional synthetic chemistry. Notably, biocatalysts are also unlocking access to non-canonical amino acids and other unnatural motifs, supporting precision synthesis of modified peptides, conjugates, and therapeutic proteins. These innovations underpin emerging therapeutic modalities such as enzymatic oligonucleotide synthesis, peptide functionalisation and selective modification of antibodies and antibody drug conjugates. These applications demand molecular precision, mild conditions, and scalability, all areas where biocatalysis offers unmatched value.
This frontier aligns deeply with Isomerase’s heritage. Our early work in natural product biosynthesis, particularly in polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides, taught us how to navigate dense multifunctional molecules and enzyme systems that operate in tightly regulated multidomain contexts. That legacy remains foundational today as we design enzyme platforms for clients developing complex scaffolds, where traditional synthetic chemistry alone cannot deliver the required precision.
Protein Engineering & AI
Another area advancing rapidly is predictive enzyme design using artificial intelligence and machine learning. The field has matured from initial enthusiasm to a more grounded understanding of how digital tools can best be deployed, not as replacements for laboratory experimentation but as accelerators of hypothesis-driven design. At Isomerase, we apply these approaches through EvoSelect®, our proprietary generative protein sequence model. EvoSelect® combines unsupervised learning with probabilistic exploration of public and proprietary sequence space to map mutational fitness landscapes. The result is rapid delivery of fully optimized and IP free enzyme variants in as little as six weeks, with a strong focus on host compatibility and scale-up readiness. As highlighted at Biotrans, predictive workflows that reduce iteration cycles and streamline variant selection are now critical to maintaining competitive development timelines.
Looking Ahead: Turning Biocatalysis into Scalable Solutions
The discussions and presentations at Biotrans 2025 made it clear that biocatalysis is no longer a peripheral technique, it is now central to advancing modern manufacturing.Today, enzymes must function reliably in increasingly complex, multi-step processes and withstand the rigors of real-world production environments. Simple activity in isolation is not enough; only robust, scalable, and industrially relevant biocatalysts will meet current and future needs.
Throughout the conference, experts also underscored the critical importance of integrating life cycle analysis from the very outset of process development. This approach ensures that biocatalytic solutions are not only effective but also truly sustainable and ready for commercial adoption.
At Isomerase, we put these principles into practice. Our team does far more than identify promising enzyme activities. We engineer and deliver end-to-end solutions that span the full journey from early discovery to scalable, commercial-ready manufacturing. Our expertise covers expression system development, reaction optimization, product recovery, downstream processing, and seamless process integration. This holistic capability enables us to build biocatalytic pathways that address real challenges in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agritech, food, and functional materials.
If your organisation is tackling complex transformations or integrated biocatalysis projects, including enzyme discovery, engineering and scale up, we encourage you to reach out and discuss how we can support your innovation goals. Please contact our team to start the conversation.