Thursday 10 February 2011

Seventh US patent issued to Dyadic

Dyadic International Inc, a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of enzyme and protein products and solutions for the bioenergy, industrial enzyme and biopharmaceutical industries, announced today that it has been issued US Patent No 7,883,872 entitled, Construction of Highly Efficient Cellulase Compositions for Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cellulose, by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The invention embodied by this patent is a novel beta-glucosidase gene and its corresponding enzyme which when used in combination with other enzymes converts lignocellulosic containing biomass into glucose. Glucose and other fermentable sugars form the basis for the production of multiple types of biofuels including ethanol and butanol, as well as various specialty chemicals and other biomaterials for a variety of industries. The patented beta-glucosidase gene and the corresponding enzyme was isolated from Dyadic’s patented and proprietary C1 fungus and was also identified through the genome annotation project conducted in conjunction with Scripps Florida.

This patent is the seventh U.S. patent issued to Dyadic adding to its portfolio of 60 international patents and more than 40 pending patent applications worldwide which cover various features of Dyadic’s proprietary technologies.

Dyadic’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Emalfarb, said: “This patent continues Dyadic’s mission of both developing and protecting the technology necessary to produce low cost fermentable sugars from biomass for the manufacturing of many types of renewable fuels, specialty chemicals and other bio-based materials as an alternative to petroleum-based products. The beta-glucosidase gene covered by this patent has already been incorporated into several advanced C1 biofuel strains resulting in the production of higher levels of glucose which is helping Dyadic and its licensees lower the costs of producing these fuels, chemicals and other biomaterials. Our growing patent portfolio also increases the value of our technology by providing increased protection and credibility to Dyadic’s research and development partners and licensees who use our technology to advance their respective businesses.”

Dyadic International Inc