ABSTRACT
During the last three decades, enzymology and enzyme technology have progressed considerably and, as a result, there are many examples of industrial applications where enzymes, in the native or immobilized form, are being used. These include food industry, materials processing, textiles, detergents, biochemical and chemical industries, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical uses.1 The overall impact of enzymes on industrial applications is, however, still quite limited due to their relative instability under operational conditions, which may involve high temperatures, organic solvents, and exposure to other denaturants. Various approaches, including, among others, addition of additives,2,3 chemical modication,4,5 protein engineering,6 and enzyme immobilization,1,7 have been assessed for their ability to increase the stability of enzymes toward heat or denaturants.7,8 The use of enzymes in medical applications has been less extensive as those for other types of industrial applications. For example, pancreatic enzymes have been in use since the nineteenth century for the treatment of digestive disorders. At present, the most successful applications of enzymes in medicine are extracellular, such as topical uses, removal of toxic substances, and the treatment of
44.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 957 44.2Enzymes in Medicine ........................................................................................................... 958
44.2.1Clinical Diagnosis .................................................................................................... 958 44.2.2Enzyme Therapy....................................................................................................... 958
44.3Enzyme Immobilization Technology ................................................................................... 961 44.3.1 Methods for Immobilizing Enzymes in Polymeric Carriers .................................... 961
44.3.1.1 Adsorption.................................................................................................. 961 44.3.1.2Ionic Binding ............................................................................................. 962 44.3.1.3Covalent Binding by Chemical Coupling .................................................. 962 44.3.1.4 Crosslinking ...............................................................................................964 44.3.1.5 Entrapment and Encapsulation ..................................................................965 44.3.1.6Protein Fusion to Afnity Ligands and Enzymatic Conjugation ..............965
