ProdiGene, a biopharmaceutical and industrial protein company based in College Station, Tex., has been issued U.S. Patent No. 6,087,558 for the commercial production of proteases in plants.

Proteases are a class of enzymes that digest proteins and are used in many commercial applications, including detergents, pharmaceutical and food processes and lab analyses. Many proteases used commercially are obtained from animal organs or bacteria. These sources can be costly and not very high yielding and may include undesirable contaminants.

Industrial sales of proteases are more than $350 million annually, according to industry sources.
 
"We have found several advantages to expressing proteases in plants,'' said John A. Howard, Ph.D., President and CEO of ProdiGene. "The storage, shipping and expense associated with expressing the enzyme in plants are vastly superior to the animal and bacterial sources. In addition, some applications may not require a purified form because the plant material expressing the protease may be used directly without further processing, allowing more options for formulations.''

ProdiGene has been able to produce commercial levels of proteases in plants, according to Dr. Howard.

Trypsin is an example of a widely-used protease currently derived from animal organs. ProdiGene is producing a plant-derived trypsin that offers advantages for cell culture and industrial uses. In cell culture, a plant- derived trypsin allows pharmaceutical companies an option to develop products in serum-free media to lessen the chances of contamination with animal viruses, Dr. Howard said.

ProdiGene, headquartered in College Station, Texas, is a biotechnology company that is developing numerous industrial and pharmaceutical proteins from plants. ProdiGene has rights to over 90 issued and pending patents for critical enabling technologies. The company was the world's first to successfully commercialize recombinant proteins from genetically enhanced plants. ProdiGene has the commercial expertise that provides it with a leadership position in this new field.

Company news release
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