Programmed antibodies as tailor‐made catalysts

Antibodies raised against stable transition‐state analogues of specific reactions act as catalysts for the same reactions. Catalytic antibodies have been developed for a variety of reaction types. These include: hydrolysis of carbonates, esters, amides and phosphates, transacylation, cleavage of ethers and acetals, sigmatropic rearrangement, cis‐trans isomerization, 4 + 2 cycloaddition, β‐elimination, photochemical cycloaddition and photo‐induced cleavage and decarboxylation. Strategies have been evolved for constructing antibody active sites incorporating metal ions and organic cofactors. These extend the scope of designed antibody catalysts. The chiral nature of the antibody pocket induces enantioselectivity in the catalyzed reaction in several cases. The concept of antibody catalysis opens up the principal possibility of designing tailor‐made catalysts for any pre‐selected reaction.