Genencor and SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) Scientists Announce Breakthrough in Pathway Engineering
August 05 2004 - 9:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
Genencor and SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) Scientists
Announce Breakthrough in Pathway Engineering Efficient design of
cell factories could speed biorefinery development PALO ALTO,
Calif., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Scientists from SLAC
(Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) and Genencor International,
Inc. (NASDAQ:GCOR) announced a breakthrough in the ability to
compute, in record time, all possible metabolic behaviors open to a
microorganism. "This development will allow us to reverse engineer
a microorganism to create the product of choice," said Michael V.
Arbige, Genencor's senior vice president, Technology. "We can go
from a small target molecule back to the pathway and then back to
the gene. The algorithm will mine the public genomes so we have a
list of gene sequences to assemble the cell factory to express the
target molecule. This important advancement industrializes the
process of developing of co-products in a biorefinery." The work,
which was supported in part by the Department of Energy, will be
presented at the upcoming Computational Systems Bioinformatics
Conference hosted by the IEEE Computer Society, August 2004 at
Stanford, CA. SLAC and Genencor scientists constructed a parallel
algorithm that accelerates the calculation of the basis governing
all possible metabolic behaviors. The parallel algorithm can
calculate the full spectrum of possible phenotypes in seconds
versus hours or even days, as was previously the case. Scientists
from Genencor and SLAC used 70 2.4 GHz Intel Pentium-IV CPUs, to
compute, in under 280 seconds, the more than 10,000 pathways by
which Escherichia coli can consume glycerol. Since ancient times
humans have utilized the metabolic capabilities of microorganisms
to generate diverse products including amino acids, antibiotics,
vitamins and alkaloids. A better understanding of how
microorganisms work has increased our ability to exploit them for
numerous applications. One of the best recent examples of modifying
the metabolic and physiological properties of microbes to obtain
better commercial processes is the development by Genencor and
DuPont (Wilmington, DE) of an E. coli strain that uses corn to
produce 1,3-propanediol (PDO), an intermediate utilized for the
production of polyester fibers such as Sorona(R) for use in
clothing, carpets and automobile interiors. To redirect cellular
metabolism towards PDO synthesis, scientists introduced 20 genomic
modifications that affected hundreds of genes within E. coli. The
entire process took several years. The radical decrease in the time
required to compute the reaction spectrum paves the way for new
applications in metabolic engineering and beyond. The applications
of such algorithms are numerous-ranging from designing novel ways
for manufacturing biochemicals and biomaterials consistent with the
demands for improved sustainability, to better understanding
disease pathways. About Genencor Genencor International, Inc.
(http://www.genencor.com/) is a diversified biotechnology company
that develops and delivers innovative products and services into
the health care, agri-processing, industrial and consumer markets.
Using an integrated set of technology platforms, Genencor's
products deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to improve
the quality of life. Genencor traces its history to 1982 and has
grown to become a leading biotechnology company, with over $380
million in year 2003 annual revenues. Genencor has principal
offices in Palo Alto, California; Rochester, New York; and Leiden,
the Netherlands. About SLAC The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
(SLAC) is a national facility operated by Stanford University for
the Department of Energy and the scientific community to conduct
basic research in high-energy physics and synchrotron radiation.
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined
by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies,
future events or performance and all other statements which are
other than statements of historical fact, including without
limitation, statements containing words such as "believes,"
"anticipates," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "will," "may,"
"might" and words of a similar nature. Such statements involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected. Some important factors that could
cause actual results to differ include dependence on the efforts of
third parties; dependence on new and uncertain technology and its
uncertain application to new business ventures; regulatory actions
or delays, or uncertainties related to product development, testing
or manufacturing; ability to form and maintain strategic alliances;
ability to complete certain transactions and realize anticipated
benefits from acquisitions; dependence on certain intellectual
property rights of both Genencor and third parties; the competitive
nature of Genencor's industry; risks of obsolescence of certain
technology; and the high risk nature of efforts to develop viable
products for the health care market, including the achievement of
successful pre-clinical and clinical results. These and other risk
factors are more fully discussed in Genencor's most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The
forward-looking statements contained in this release represent the
judgment of Genencor as of the date of this press release. Genencor
disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update any
forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: Genencor International,
Inc. CONTACT: (Media) Valerie Tucker, +1-650-846-7571, or
(Investors) Thomas Rathjen, +1-650-846-7500, both of Genencor
International, Inc. Web site: http://www.genencor.com/
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