Enzymatic membrane method for the synthesis and separation of peptides

Abstract From the Canadian patent

The present invention overcomes problems of precipitating an intermediary complex and/or rapidly deactivating enzymes associated with known methods. It provides a membrane method for the enzymatic synthesis of peptides accomplished by shifting the chemical equilibrium that exists in a reaction mixture between charged or ionized reacting amino acids and uncharged or non-ionized peptide product in the presence of a proteolytic enzyme such as thermolysin. The equilibrium is shifted by diffusion of the uncharged peptide product across an ion-rejection membrane which removes the uncharged peptide from the reaction mixture and preferably the diffused uncharged peptide is quickly converted to a …