Phytodyne, Inc. of Ames received an Iowa Industry and da Vinci Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Technology presented by Gov. Tom Vilsack on behalf of the Iowa Department of Economic Development (DED). Phytodyne garnered the award for achievements in life sciences, one of three sectors targeted by DED to drive the state's economic growth. The award ceremony, held April 9 at the Polk County Convention Complex, was part of the Iowa Industry and da Vinci Conference, a gathering devoted to encouraging economic development in Iowa's designated growth industries.

Phytodyne is the first company to emerge from the Iowa State University Plant Sciences Institute and was founded by Iowa State researchers Daniel Voytas and David Wright, who discovered the plant retrovirus. The company is developing biotechnology tools that they believe will make genetic engineering of plants faster and easier. The tools will be applied to the development of advanced crop varieties for farmers and later for novel crop plants to produce human pharmaceuticals, enhanced animal feeds and industrial proteins.

"This award is an honor not just for us, but for Iowa State, the ISU Research Park and the State of Iowa," said Voytas, Phytodyne's president. "Without their strong support, the discovery of plant retroviruses might be just an interesting footnote in the history of plant biology. Instead, commercialization of our discovery could revolutionize plant biotechnology and bring tremendous economic benefits to our state."

Voytas said that these techniques will shorten the time required to develop a genetically engineered plant by one to two years. The company plans to license the technologies and provide plant genetic engineering services to agricultural and pharmaceutical companies looking for faster ways to bring new products to market.

Currently, scientists genetically engineer a new crop variety by blasting miniature beads coated with the new gene into plant cells or by using specialized bacteria to transfer the new gene randomly into plant cells. Then, the new variety must be painstakingly grown from a single cell until a seed-bearing plant matures. These techniques are time-consuming and costly. By contrast, Phytodyne's technology will target genetic material to precise locations in the cells of a plant seedling.

"Plant retroviruses will offer a simple and direct way to alter a plant's genes," said Voytas. "Plant retroviruses are natural genetic engineers. Our three technologies will harness retroviruses to overcome some of the biggest difficulties presented by current transformation methods."

The first technology, RetroGene, will use plant retroviruses to insert genetic material into a plant, while the second, Chromosome Homing, will enable Phytodyne to direct the genetic material to exact locations within plant cells. The third tool will allow the company to alter genetic material already fixed in a plant cell. The company estimates that the first of the three tools, RetroGene, will be available in 2003.

Not just agriculture, but also other sectors of the biotechnology industry are waiting for technologies like this to launch the next wave of products, said Jon Leafstedt, Phytodyne's chief operating officer. Leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies are already experimenting with using "plants as plants" to manufacture a host of important products. Research has shown that plants are potentially a much less expensive means of production than a traditional manufacturing facility, he said.

"Biotechnology is already the driving force in agriculture, and it is becoming a significant force in pharmaceutical and chemical production," said Leafstedt. "Our technologies will enable many companies to use 'plants as plants.' We expect our customers to generate hundreds of new, value-added products, with significant benefits for agriculture, Iowa and consumers."