Good News for drug manufacturers: Punjabi University researchers developed process to produce Amino Acids
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ September 10,2023
Through a research by Punjabi University, Patiala, a special process has been developed to produce amino acids at large scale that have potential to be used in the manufacturing of drugs to treat cancer, kidney stones, diabetes, liver diseases, urea cycle disorders etc.
The research conducted by researcher Anshula Sharma under the leadership of Prof. Baljinder Kaur, Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology , has revealed that recombinant lactic acid bacteria strains can be used to produce amino acids on a large scale. These amino acids can further be used to enhance the production of a variety of special foods and beverages.
Researcher Anshula Sharma told that the Food and Drug Administration Office (FDA) has recognized that an amino acid, called L-alanine, can be added to food for various purposes. That means it can be used as a ‘food additive’. It is mainly used as a low-calorie natural sweetener and as a fat substitute. Its properties have the ability to reduce or cure obesity. It can be of special importance in the formulation of drugs for the treatment of diabetes, liver diseases, urea cycle disorders, prostatic hyperplasia, hypoglycemia, kidney stones etc. Apart from this, it is also used as a hair and skin conditioning agent. It can also be used for various cosmetics and personal care products. Cosmetics usually contain harmful synthetic chemicals that can cause allergic reactions in humans. But the side effects of such products can be reduced or eliminated by using microbially derived compounds such as L-Alanine.
Prof. Baljinder kaur said that the main obstacle that hinders its industrial utilisation is the lack of microbial fermentation process. She told that in this latest research, such a fermentation process has been developed through which its production on a large scale is possible. During this research, a special type of bacteria has been engineered which is effective in increasing the production of amino acids. The fermentation process found through this research is superior to chemical based production of L-alanine. Special therapeutic properties of L- alanine were also highlighted in the study. She said that the results obtained through this research have been reported for the first time in the scientific literature. The results of the study have been published in scientific journals of international repute.
Good News for drug manufacturers: Punjabi University researchers developed process to produce Amino Acids. She told that the recombinant Pediococcus acidilactici BD16 strain developed through research holds great potential for the future due to its exceptional fermentative productivity, which will help in the global expansion of the alanine market in terms of quality and quantity.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Arvind, while congratulating on this research, said that this research is of great importance in the field of science. He said that such high-quality research brightens the name of Punjabi University at the international level.
