• Goal of the PolyModE joint project is the development of enzymes, which are expected to aid the efficient use of complex sugar molecules for the development of drugs and in the food industry in the future
• In addition to three European universities, Danisco A/S and Sanofi-Aventis also participate in this joint project
• GENEART optimizes and produces genes and gene variants of the desired enzymes

Regensburg, September 16, 2009 – GENEART AG, global leader in Gene Synthesis and specialist in the field of Synthetic Biology, is a new research partner for the PolyModE (Polysaccharide Modifying Enzymes) joint project of the EU Commission. The project’s goal is to alter enzymes, occurring in plants, bacteria or humans, such that they may aid the use of complex sugar molecules for the development of drugs but also in applications for the food industry in the future. The entire project will be funded with EUR 6M over the next four years. GENEART receives funding totaling EUR 220 thousand. In addition to six European universities and research centers, Danisco A/S and Sanofi-Aventis as well as a number of small biotech companies also participate in this joint project.

GENEART will optimize and provide genes and gene variants of the respective enzymes for the desired application and will use its proprietary GeneOptimizer^® software to i.e. remove DNA motifs, which would interfere with the subsequent production of the enzymes. This increases yields, decreasing time-to-market intervals and production costs. For certain enzyme candidates, GENEART will provide gene libraries with up to ten million gene variants, for which GENEART will develop a new screening method in cooperation with the academic partners during the course of the project. Using high throughput screening, the gene libraries will then be tested by GENEART and the project partners for best performance and new functionality.

Complex sugars occur in countless variants. And only now, researches begin to understand the molecular differences of the sugars since there are significantly more building blocks and combinations available for their structure than for genes and proteins. Sugars are therefore known to be far more complex. “In order to better understand how various sugar molecules react, we need to not only analyze them but also require the tools to alter, improve or purposefully enhance them with new characteristics. Using our proprietary GeneOptimizer^® software and the GeneEvolution process, GENEART provides the required, cellular tools – the enzymes – in large amounts and best quality to make them analyzable and usable for subsequent applications”, said Prof. Dr. Ralf Wagner, CEO of GENEART AG.

Background Information Complex Sugars:
Complex sugars like starch, cellulose or pectin are the most common bio molecules on our planet. They are produced by enzymes. As regenerative resources, complex sugars are used in many areas of the pharmaceutical and also in the textile and food industries. They are highly relevant for processes in the human body. Cells for example recognize each other based on the sugar structures on their surface. Therefore, they are relevant when distinguishing between various blood types and also for the rejection of transplanted organs. Complex sugars are also given vital importance for the prevention of blood coagulation. These sugars would therefore be suitable as a drug with little side effects for the prevention of thromboses, i.e. in dialysis patients. However, the production using chemical synthesis is extremely elaborate. During the PolyModE project, researchers will now try to produce pharmaceutically effective sugars using enzymes.

A number of complex sugars are essential food additives, which for example thicken sauces or give ice cream its texture. However, the compounds of the highest quality are only available in limited volumes since they are produced by only certain organisms. Three quarters of approximately 50,000 tons of carrageenan being produced per year originate from only two species of red algae, which have become more and more scarce due to overexploitation and global warming. One of the project’s goals is to extract the enzymes which produce the high-quality carrageenan from these red algae. These enzymes will then be optimized in the lab enabling them to convert lower quality carrageen from widely available algae into higher quality variants using biotechnological methods and the help of microorganisms. In addition to optimizing known enzymes, new enzymes are supposed to be identified and optimized for appropriate applications, i.e. for the extraction of pectin. Although commercial pectin is currently extracted from orange peels, orange juice producers have proceeded to burn the skins to save on energy costs. This is the reason why researchers are looking for new methods for the pectin production. During this project, enzymes are expected to be identified, with which lower quality pectin from i.e. the remains of the sugar beet from sugar production can be converted into higher quality pectin.

Legal Information:

This document may contain estimates, prognoses and opinions about company plans and objectives, products or services, future results, opinions about these results or opinions leading up to these results. All these projections into the future are subject to risk, uncertainty and unforeseeable change outside the control of the GENEART Group. Many factors may lead to actual results, which considerably deviate from the given projections for these results.

About the PolyModE Project:

PolyModE (Polysaccharide Modifying Enzymes) is a project which will be funded by the EU with EUR 6M over four years. In addition to six academic partners, two international companies of the food and pharmaceutical industries will participate. Several biotech companies – specializing in metagenomic and molecular engineering – are also involved, and will act as the interface for the fields of Metagenomic and Synthetic Biology, which are currently evolving. During the project the consortium targets the identification and characterization of new bacterial enzymes, which are used for the modification of polymers for application in food products or the development of drugs.

Using an approach which combines biochemistry and genetics but also Metagenomics and Synthetic Biology, the project is expected to produce information on the role of complex sugars in industrial processes and in the human organism and to act as an innovative source for developing new biologic catalysts for lasting developments e.g. in the pharmaceutical and food industries.