ABSTRACT Chemical separations represent a large portion of the cost of bringing any new pharmaceutical product to the market. Membrane-based separation technologies1,2, in which the target

molecule is selectively extracted and transported across a membrane, are potentially more economical and easier to implement than competing separations methods; but membranes with higher

transport selectivities are required. Here we describe an approach for preparing highly selective membranes which involves immobilizing apoenzymes within a microporous composite. The

apoenzyme selectively recognizes its substrate molecule and transports it across the composite membrane, without effecting the unwanted chemical conversion of the substrate molecule to

institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print

issues and online access $199.00 per year only $3.90 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to

local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT

BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS ULTRASELECTIVE MACROCYCLE MEMBRANES FOR PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS SEPARATION IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS Article Open access 21 August 2024 MICROPOROUS POLYMER ADSORPTIVE

MEMBRANES WITH HIGH PROCESSING CAPACITY FOR MOLECULAR SEPARATION Article Open access 19 July 2022 POLYCAGE MEMBRANES FOR PRECISE MOLECULAR SEPARATION AND CATALYSIS Article Open access 30 May

2023 REFERENCES * Baker, R. W._et al_. _Membrane Separation Systems_(Noyes Data Corp., New Jersey, (1991). Google Scholar  * Winston, W. H. & Sirkar, K. K. _Membrane Handbook_(Van

Nostrand Reinhold, New York, (1992)). Google Scholar  * Stein, W. D. _The Movement of Molecules Across Cell Membranes_(Academic, New York, (1967)). Google Scholar  * Scholander, P. F. Oxygen

transport through haemoglobin solutions. _Science_ 131, 585–590 (1960). Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  * Chen, X., Nishide, H. & Tsuchida, E. Analysis of facilitated oxygen

transport in a liquid membrane of haemoglobin. _Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn_ 69, 255–259 (1996). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Rethwisch, D. G., Yi, G., Subramanian, A. & Dordick, J. S.

Enzyme-facilitated transport and separation of organic acids through liquid membranes. _J. Am. Chem. Soc._ 112, 1649–1650 (1990). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Rethwisch, D. G., Parida,

S., Yi, G. & Dordick, J. S. Use of alcohols as cosolvents in enzyme-facilitated transport of organic acids through liquid membranes. _J. Membr. Sci._ 95, 83–91 (1994). Article  CAS 

Google Scholar  * Dordick, J. S. _Biocatalysts in Industry_ 311–325 (Plenum, New York, (1989)). Google Scholar  * Stanley, T. J. & Quinn, J. A. Phase transfer catalysis in a membrane

reactor. _Chem. Eng. Sci._ 42, 2313–2324 (1987). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Matson, S. L. & Lopez, J. L. _Frontiers in Bioprocessing_(CRC, Boca Raton, (1989)). Google Scholar  *

Parthasarathy, R. V. & Martin, C. R. Synthesis of polymeric microcapsule arrays and their use for enzyme immobilization. _Nature_ 369, 298–301 (1994). Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

* Nishizawa, M., Menon, V. P. & Martin, C. R. Metal nanotubule membrane with electrochemically switchable ion-transport selectivity. _Science_ 268, 700–702 (1995). Article  ADS  CAS 

Google Scholar  * Martin, C. R. Nanomaterials: A membrane-based synthetic approach. _Science_ 266, 1961–1966 (1994). Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  * Martin, C. R. Membrane-based

synthesis of nanomaterials. _Chem. Mater._ 8, 1739–1746 (1996). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Penner, R. M., Van Dyke, L. S. & Martin, C. R. Electrochemical evaluation of charge

transport rates in polypyrrole. _J. Phys. Chem._ 92, 5274–5282 (1988). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Noble, R. D., Koval, C. A. & Pellegrino, J. J. Facilitated transport membrane

systems. _Chem. Eng. Prog._ 85, 58–70 (1989). CAS  Google Scholar  * Noble, R. D. Generalized microscopic mechanism of faciitated transport in fixed carrier membranes. _J. Membr. Sci._ 75,

121–129 (1992). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Lakshmi, B. B. Unpublished results. * Borman, S. Chirality emerges as key issue in pharmaceutical research. _Chem. Eng. News_ 68, 9–12 (1990).

Article  Google Scholar  * Stinson, S. C. Chiral drugs. _Chem. Eng. News_ 73, 44 (1995). Article  Google Scholar  * Collins, A. N., Sheldrake, G. N. & Crosby, J. _Chirality in

Industry_(Wiley & Sons, Chichester, (1992)). Google Scholar  * Dixon, M. & Kleppe, K. D-amino acid oxidase-specificity, competititve inhibition and reaction sequence. _Biochim.

Biophys. Acta_ 96, 368–382 (1965). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Higuchi, A., Ishida, Y. & Nakagawa, T. Surface modified polysulfone membranes: separation of mixed proteins and optical

resolution of tryptophan. _Desalination_ 90, 127–136 (1993). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Higuchi, A., Hara, M., Horiuchi, T. & Nakagawa, T. Optical resolution of amino acids by

ultrafiltration membranes containing serum albumin. _J. Membr. Sci._ 93, 157–164 (1994). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Yoshikawa, M., Izumi, J., Kitao, T., Koya, S. & Sakamoto, S.

Molecularly imprinted polymeric membranes for optical resolution. _J. Membr. Sci._ 108, 171–175 (1995). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Maruyama, A._et al_. Enantioselective permeation of

α-amino acid isomers through poly(amino acid) derived membranes. _Macromolecules_ 23, 2748–2752 (1990). Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  * Kakuchi, T., Takaoka, T. & Yokota, K.

Polymeric chiral crown ethers VI. Optical resolution of α-amino acid by polymers incorporating 1,3,4,6-di-O-benzylidine-D-mannitol residues. _Polym. J._ 22, 199–205 (1990). Article  CAS 

Google Scholar  * Parthasarathy, A., Brumlik, C. J., Martin, C. R. & Collins, G. E. Interfacial polymerization of thin polymer films onto the surface of a microporous hollow fiber

membrane. _J. Membr. Sci._ 94, 249–254 (1994). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Jensen, R. D., Gill, S. C., Pardi, A. & Polisky, B. High resolution molecular discrimination by RNA.

_Science_ 263, 1425–1429 (1994). Article  ADS  Google Scholar  * Boyer, P. D. _The Enzymes_(Academic, New York, (1975)). Google Scholar  * Worthington, C. C. _Worthington Manual_(Worthington

Biochemical Corp., New Jersey, (1988)). Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by the US NSF and the US Office of Naval Research. We thank C. A. Koval

for discussions. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 80523, Colorado, USA Brinda B. Lakshmi & Charles R.

Martin AUTHOR NOTES * CORRESPONDENCE AND REQUESTS FOR MATERIALS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO C.R.M. Authors * Brinda B. Lakshmi View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Charles R. Martin View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS

ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Lakshmi, B., Martin, C. Enantioseparation using apoenzymes immobilized in a porous polymeric membrane. _Nature_ 388, 758–760 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/41978

Download citation * Received: 30 January 1997 * Accepted: 23 June 1997 * Issue Date: 21 August 1997 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/41978 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following

link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature

SharedIt content-sharing initiative