The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry offers consumers recombinant enzyme preparations for studying steroid metabolism and assembling diagnostic kits for detecting steroid compounds under a manufacturing agreement and is looking for partners to conclude a distribution services agreement.

Recombinant enzyme preparations for studying steroid metabolism and producing modified steroids are used in scientific research, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. They enable the study of steroid metabolic pathways and the synthesis of derivatives with improved properties.

Major global manufacturers of recombinant enzyme preparations for steroid metabolism and modification:

1. Sigma-Aldrich (a division of Merck KGaA, Germany)
- Features: One of the largest manufacturers of enzymes and reagents for biochemical research, including enzymes for steroid metabolism.
2. Thermo Fisher Scientific (USA)
- Features: Manufacturer of enzyme preparations and kits for biochemical research, including steroid metabolites.
3. Novozymes (Denmark)
- Features: The company specializes in the production of enzymes, including enzymes for biotechnological processes related to steroid modification.
4. Biocatalysts Ltd (UK)
- Specialties: Manufacturer of enzymes for biotechnology, including enzymes for steroid modification.
5. EnzymeWorks Inc. (USA/China)
- Specialties: The company develops and manufactures enzymes for biotechnology, including steroid modification.

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry has developed:

- A recombinant human 16-steroid hydroxylase (CYP2b6) enzyme.
- A recombinant rat (Rattus norvegicus) NADPH-cytochrome p450 reductase enzyme.
- A recombinant human microsomal cytochrome b5 enzyme.
- A recombinant human 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (AKR1C4) enzyme.

The combined use of enzymes with exogenous anabolic steroids of varying structure allows for the production of a wide range of their phase 1 metabolites, which, in turn, are used as mass spectrometric standards in anti-doping practices. Enzymes can also be actively used to study steroid metabolism, to produce modified steroids, and to assemble diagnostic kits for detecting steroid compounds.

The information is published in the Catalog "Advanced Developments of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus" 2024, pp. 166-167.

In terms of physicochemical properties, our enzyme preparations match those of foreign analogues and can replace them in research in analytical chemistry, clinical diagnostics, and pharmaceutical chemistry. Moreover, the cost per unit of enzyme activity is significantly lower due to the use of our own innovative production technologies and reagents.
The technology used to manufacture recombinant human enzymes is considered environmentally friendly.

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry completed a research and development project titled "Develop technologies for producing recombinant 16-steroid hydroxylases and hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases and, based on these technologies, create an algorithm for the enzymatic production of phase 1 metabolites of anabolic steroid biotransformation."
The results were used in drug development.

Currently, the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the leading research center in the Republic of Belarus and one of the most renowned international centers for the study of key biopolymers (proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids) and low-molecular-weight bioregulators (human, insect, and plant steroid hormones, peptides, phospholipids, prostaglandins, and their synthetic analogs).

Main areas of activity:
- Fundamental and applied research in the chemistry, structure, and function of biopolymers and low-molecular-weight bioregulators, including proteins, nucleic acids and their components, phospholipids, steroids, prostaglandins, brassinosteroids, and ecdysteroids;
- Development and pilot production of immunochemical and molecular biological reagent kits for medical and veterinary diagnostics;
- Development and production of pharmaceutical substances, hormonal preparations, and biospecific hemosorbents;
- Development of technologies for the production and use of growth stimulants and plant protection products;
- Experimental and clinical pharmacology, pharmacy and drug technology, toxicology, human and animal biochemistry, biomedical and pharmaceutical chemistry;
- Preclinical, bioequivalence, and pharmaceutical testing.

Main research areas:
- Organic and bioorganic chemistry of low-molecular-weight bioregulators (steroids, peptides, prostaglandins, lipids, nucleosides, and nucleotides) and key biopolymers, including proteins and nucleic acids, and the elucidation of their functioning in living systems;
- Development of new chemical, chemical-enzymatic, and genetic engineering methods for producing biopolymers and low-molecular-weight bioregulators and their analogs for the development of pharmaceuticals for medicine and agriculture;
- Study of the structure, physicochemical properties, and biological activity of natural biomolecules and their analogs, establishing the relationship between their structure and biological activity, and developing scientific principles for the targeted search for substances with predictable biological activity. - study of the structure, function, and mechanism of action of enzyme systems involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of key natural bioregulators and xenobiotics;
- development of technologies for the production of reagents for medical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and plant protection chemicals.

The institute has experimental facilities for studying the biological activity of the resulting compounds at the cellular level and in animal models. Five pilot production sites have been established at the institute for pilot production of the developed products (hemosorbents, recombinant enzyme preparations, immunochemical reagents, oxyphytosterols, etc.).

The results of fundamental and applied research on methods and means for protecting plants from diseases, insects, weeds, and other adverse environmental factors that are safe for humans and the biosphere as a whole have formed the foundation for the development of new plant growth stimulants, pheromone compositions (codling moth LP-U and miller moth pheromones), active pesticide ingredients, and pesticide formulations (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.).

The institute's intellectual property currently consists of valid patents, laboratory process and pilot industrial regulations, technical specifications, and trademarks. License agreements are in place for the transfer of technologies for the production of immunodiagnostic products, hemosorbents, and pesticides to manufacturers.

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry is successfully developing international ties in its core research areas. The institute currently conducts joint research with research institutes in the CIS countries, Germany, the USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Vietnam, and other countries.

Official website of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry.