JNTU B.Pharmacy III PHARMACEUTICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY Previous Question Paper (February/March-2022 - R17)

Protein engineering is the process of developing useful or valuable proteins by modifying their amino acid sequences through genetic engineering techniques. It involves designing new proteins or altering existing ones to improve their stability, catalytic activity, substrate specificity, or binding affinity.

The methodology typically involves:

1. Rational design: Using structural biology and computational modeling to predict specific mutations.
2. Directed evolution: Creating a library of random mutations followed by high-throughput screening to select for desired traits.

Applications include:

• Therapeutic proteins: Designing enzymes with longer half-lives or reduced immunogenicity.
• Industrial biocatalysis: Enhancing enzyme tolerance to extreme pH, temperature, or organic solvents.
• Biosensors: Engineering proteins for highly specific detection of analytes.
• Drug delivery: Modifying protein scaffolds to improve targeting to specific tissues.

Enzymes play a critical role in pharmaceutical manufacturing and diagnostics:

• Amylase: Used in the production of pharmaceutical syrups and as a digestive aid in enzyme replacement therapy to assist in the breakdown of dietary starches.
• Lipase: Utilized in the synthesis of chiral drug intermediates through stereoselective esterification or hydrolysis, and as a component in digestive enzyme supplements.
• Protease: Employed in the manufacture of protein-based drugs, wound debridement agents to remove necrotic tissue, and as an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce edema and swelling.
• Penicillinase: Primarily used in clinical diagnostics to detect penicillin contamination in samples and in the treatment of patients with severe allergic reactions to penicillin by inactivating the antibiotic in vivo.