Synthesis of chiral amines employing imine reductases and reductive aminases

Imine reductases (IREDs) and reductive aminases (RedAms) are oxidoreductases that have appeared as powerful tools for the sustainable synthesis of chiral amines. Within a remarkably short span of less than a decade, the field has gone from a handful of enzymes used in proof-of-concept reactions and limited to a subset of small cyclic imines, to bespoke biocatalysts implemented at a multikilogram scale to make active pharmaceutical ingredients via asymmetric reductive amination reactions. In this chapter, a survey of recent research in this area is discussed, with special emphasis on the synthetic possibilities unlocked by these enzymes thus far. Furthermore, it explores compelling examples of their successful application in large-scale industrial processes.