Modern breadmaking techniques have included amylases (often in the form of malted barley) into bread improver, thereby making the process faster and more practical for commercial use.α-Amylase is often listed as an ingredient on commercially package-milled flour. Bakers with long exposure to amylase-enriched flour are at risk of developing dermatitis or asthma. Molecular biology
In molecular biology, the presence of amylase can serve as an additional method of selecting for successful integration of a reporter construct in addition to antibiotic resistance. As reporter genes are flanked by homologous regions of the structural gene for amylase, successful integration will disrupt the amylase gene and prevent starch degradation, which is easily detectable through iodine staining. Medical uses
Amylase also has medical applications in the use of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). It is one of the components in Sollpura (liprotamase) to help in the breakdown of saccharides into simple sugars. Other uses
An inhibitor of alpha-amylase, called phaseolamin, has been tested as a potential diet aid.When used as a food additive, amylase has E number E1100, and may be derived from pig pancreas or mold fungi. Bacilliary amylase is also used in clothing and dishwasher detergents to dissolve starches from fabrics and dishes. Factory workers who work with amylase for any of the above uses are at increased risk of occupational asthma. Five to nine percent of bakers have a positive skin test, and a fourth to a third of bakers with breathing problems are hypersensitive to amylase. Hyperamylasemia
Blood serum amylase may be measured for purposes of medical diagnosis.
Pharmacokinetics
Migalastat is almost completely absorbed from the gut; taking the drug together with food decreases its absorption by about 40%. Total bioavailability is about 75% when taken without food. The substance is not bound to blood plasma proteins.Only a small fraction of a migalastat dose is metabolized, mainly to three dehydrogenated O-glucuronides (4% of the dose) and a number of unspecified metabolites (10%). The drug is mainly eliminated via the urine (77%) and to a smaller extent via the faeces (20%). Practically all of the metabolites are excreted in the urine. Elimination half-life is three to five hours after a single dose. Chemistry
Migalastat is used in form of the hydrochloride, which is a white crystalline solid and is soluble in water. : 11  The molecule has four asymmetric carbon atoms with the same stereochemistry as the sugar D-galactose, but is missing the first hydroxyl group. It has a nitrogen atom in the ring instead of an oxygen, which makes it an iminosugar.The structure is formally derived from nojirimycin. History
Migalastat was isolated as a fermentation product of the bacterium Streptomyces lydicus (strain PA-5726) in 1988 and called 1-deoxygalactonojirimycin. In 2004, it was designated orphan drug status by the US FDA for the treatment of Fabry disease, and in 2006 the European CHMP did likewise.