in 2007, followed by postdoctoral studies at York University (UK) and Greifswald University (Germany). In 2010, she transitionedto industry applying and developing biocatalytic technologies at Novacta in the UK, prior to joining Chemical Process Development at GSK, with responsibility for the development and implementation of new biocatalytic technologyi nboth pre-and post-commercialization routes. Since Dec. 2016, Radka is leading the Bioreactions group in GDC at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel, Switzerland. Jeffrey Moore obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineeringf rom the California Institute of Technology in 1996 as Frances Arnold's first Directed Evolution graduate student. His foundational work led to an evolved p-nitrobenzyl esterase and the Lonza Centenary Prize (1997). In 1996, he joined the Biocatalysis Group of Merck & Co.in Rahway NJ, spending two decades inventing new enzymes and new enzymatic processes. In 2018, he transitionedtothe Merck Protein EngineeringG roup responsible for evolving enzymes for the discovery,d evelopmenta nd commercials cale manufacture of medicines. He has been awarded aUS Presidential Green Chemistry Award (2010), the BioCat2012 Award (2012) and the Thomas Edison Inventorship Award (2014). Kai Baldenius studied chemistry in Hamburg and Southampton. He received his PhD for research in asymmetric organometallic catalysis, supervised by H. tom Dieck and H. B. Kagan. After his postdoc on natural product synthesis with K. C. Nicolaou at the Scripps Research Institute he joined BASF in 1993. Kai served BASF in various functions (R&D, production, marketing, sales) before he took the lead of BASF'sbiocatalysis research for almost ad efcade. He left BASF to become afree-lancing consultanti n2019 and in 2020 he has founded Baldenius Biotech Consulting. Uwe T. Bornscheuer studied chemistry and received his PhD in 1993 at Hannover University followed by apostdoc at Nagoya University (Japan). In 1998, he completed his Habilitation at Stuttgart University about the use of lipases and esterasesi n organic synthesis. He has been Professor at the Institute of Biochemistry at Greifswald University since 1999. Beside other awards, he received in 2008 the BioCat2008 Award. He was just recognized as "Chemistry Europe Fellow". His current research interest focuses on the discovery and engineering of enzymes from various classes for applications in organic synthesis, lipid modification, degradation of plastics or complex marine polysaccharides.

Technological developments enable the discovery of novel enzymes, the advancement of enzyme cascade designs and pathway engineering, moving biocatalysis into an era of technology integration, intelligent manufacturing and enzymatic total synthesis.

New types of asymmetric functionalizations of alkenes are highly desirable for chemical synthesis. Here, we develop three novel types of regio- and enantioselective multiple oxy- and amino-functionalizations of terminal alkenes via cascade biocatalysis to produce chiral α-hydroxy acids, 1,2-amino alcohols and α-amino acids, respectively. Basic enzyme modules 1–4 are developed to convert alkenes to (S)-1,2-diols, (S)-1,2-diols to (S)-α-hydroxyacids, (S)-1,2-diols to (S)-aminoalcohols and (S)-α-hydroxyacids to (S)-α-aminoacids, respectively. Engineering of enzyme modules 1 & 2, 1 & 3 and 1, 2 & 4 in Escherichia coli affords three biocatalysts over-expressing 4–8 enzymes for one-pot conversion of styrenes to the corresponding (S)-α-hydroxyacids, (S)-aminoalcohols and (S)-α-aminoacids in high e.e. and high yields, respectively. The new types of asymmetric alkene functionalizations provide green, safe and useful alternatives to the chemical syntheses of these compounds. The modular approach for engineering multi-step cascade biocatalysis is useful for developing other new types of one-pot biotransformations for chemical synthesis.

Biocatalytic anti-Markovnikov alkene hydroamination and hydration were achieved based on two concepts involving enzyme cascades: epoxidation–isomerization–amination for hydroamination and epoxidation–isomerization–reduction for hydration. An Escherichia coli strain coexpressing styrene monooxygenase (SMO), styrene oxide isomerase (SOI), ω-transaminase (CvTA), and alanine dehydrogenase (AlaDH) catalyzed the hydroamination of 12 aryl alkenes to give the corresponding valuable terminal amines in high conversion (many ≥86%) and exclusive anti-Markovnikov selectivity (>99:1). Another E. coli strain coexpressing SMO, SOI, and phenylacetaldehyde reductase (PAR) catalyzed the hydration of 12 aryl alkenes to the corresponding useful terminal alcohols in high conversion (many ≥80%) and very high anti-Markovnikov selectivity (>99:1). Importantly, SOI was discovered for stereoselective isomerization of a chiral epoxide to a chiral aldehyde, providing some insights on enzymatic epoxide rearrangement. Harnessing this stereoselective rearrangement, highly enantioselective anti-Markovnikov hydroamination and hydration were demonstrated to convert α-methylstyrene to the corresponding (S)-amine and (S)-alcohol in 84–81% conversion with 97–92% ee, respectively. The biocatalytic anti-Markovnikov hydroamination and hydration of alkenes, utilizing cheap and nontoxic chemicals (O2, NH3, and glucose) and cells, provide an environmentally friendly, highly selective, and high-yielding synthesis of terminal amines and alcohols.