Jose M. Guisan - Böcker

This fourth edition volume expands on the previous editions with new insights on important aspects to take into accounting when immobilizing enzymes and cells, illustrating outstanding examples that support those aspects, and exploring ways to fabricate and characterize heterogeneous biocatalysts including both immobilized enzymes and cells. The transformation of soluble and usually instable enzymes into heterogeneous and highly stable biocatalysts is strongly emphasized. The chapters in this book cover topics such as the importance of enzyme  orientation on the support surface; application and characterization of immobilized enzymes; different functionalization chemistries for the modulation of the immobilized enzyme properties; co-immobilization of multi-enzyme systems; new analytical techniques for the characterization of heterogeneous biocatalysts; protocols for cell entrapment in alginate; preparation and characterization of biofilms; and cell encapsulation technologies.Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Cutting-edge and authoritative, Immobilization of Enzymes and Cells: Methods and Protocols, Fourth Edition is a valuable resource for researchers interested in expanding their knowledge of this developing field.

This fourth edition volume expands on the previous editions with new insights on important aspects to take into accounting when immobilizing enzymes and cells, illustrating outstanding examples that support those aspects, and exploring ways to fabricate and characterize heterogeneous biocatalysts including both immobilized enzymes and cells.

For most of industrial applications, enzymes and cells have to be immobilized, via very simple and cost-effective protocols,  in order to be re-used for very long periods of time. From this point of view, immobilization, simplicity and stabilization have to be strongly related concepts. The third edition of Immobilization of Enzymes and Cells expands upon and updates the previous editions with current, detailed protocols for immobilization. With new chapters on protocols for immobilization of enzymes and cells which may be useful to greatly improve the functional properties of enzymes and cells. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Immobilization of Enzymes and Cells, Third Edition demonstrates simple and efficient protocols for the preparation, characterization, and utilization of immobilized enzymes and cells.

Enzymes and whole cells are able to catalyze the most complex chemical processes under the most benign experimental and environmental conditions. In this way, enzymes and cells could be excellent catalysts for a much more sustainable chemical industry. However, enzymes and cells also have some limitations for nonbiological applications: fine chemistry, food chemistry, analysis, therapeutics, and so on. Enzymes and cells may be unstable, difficult to handle under nonconventional conditions, poorly selective toward synthetic substrates, and so forth. From this point of view, the transformation—from the laboratory to industry—of chemical processes catalyzed by enzymes and cells may be one of the most complex and exciting goals in biotechnology. For many industrial applications, enzymes and cells have to be immobilized, via very simple and cost-effective protocols, in order to be re-used over very long periods of time. From this point of view, immobilization, simplicity, and stabilization have to be strongly related concepts. Over the last 30 years, a number of protocols for the immobilization of cells and enzymes have been reported in scientific literature. However, only very few protocols are simple and useful enough to greatly improve the functional properties of enzymes and cells, activity, stability, selectivity, and related properties.

The second edition of Immobilization of Enzymes and Cells serves as an update as well as a compliment to the first edition. This volume now includes simple protocols for the immobilization of enzymes and cells that could be useful for application at industrial scale, novel protocols for immobilization in the future, and new chemical reactors able to overcome the limitations of a number of immobilized derivatives.