heemsynthesis
Heemsynthesis is a term used to describe a set of techniques and concepts in chemistry and biotechnology aimed at constructing and integrating heme-containing cofactors into enzymes and catalytic systems to enable new reactivities. The field encompasses both chemical synthesis of heme or heme-like porphyrins and their incorporation into protein or protein-free scaffolds to create functional holoenzymes and artificial catalysts. By combining synthetic cofactors with biological or semi-synthetic frameworks, heemsynthesis seeks to expand the range of transformations available to biocatalysts and chemocatalysts alike.
The term emerged in late 2010s discussions of biohybrid catalysis and cell-free systems, where researchers sought
Core approaches in heemsynthesis include the chemical synthesis of diverse heme analogs, reconstitution of these cofactors
Applications span industrial biocatalysis, sustainable oxidation and hydroxylation processes, electrocatalysis, and biosensing. While promising, challenges remain,