Evolution of ERED and KRED Enzymes to Enable a Biocatalytic Cascade

Enereductases (EREDs) and ketoreductases (KREDs) are highly selective enzymes that offer greener alternatives to more traditional asymmetric hydrogenation reactions. Enzyme cascades are a powerful way to enable more environmentally friendly and cost-effective synthetic processes for the manufacture of APIs. Here we report the discovery and development of an ERED/KRED biocatalytic cascade to enable efficient installation of the two stereocenters on a cyclohexyl ring for the synthesis of BMS-986278, a potent small-molecule LPA1 antagonist. A combination of protein engineering and process development optimized the cascade, resulting in orders of magnitude improvement over the original cascade proof-of-concept, and an over four-fold reduction in PMI over the first generation non-biocatalytic campaign for synthesis of the fragment. The synthesis of BMS-986278 was honored as a co-winner of the 2023 Peter J. Dunn award for Green Chemistry & Engineering Impact in the Pharmaceutical Industry, in large part because of the sustainability improvements enabled by this enzymatic cascade.