PALO ALTO, Calif. and MIDLAND, Mich., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genencor International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GCOR - News) and Dow Corning Corporation today announced achievements of key milestones in the first year of their two-year alliance to create a new proprietary Silicon Biotechnology(TM) Platform. Dow Corning made an undisclosed payment to Genencor for meeting these initial milestones. The alliance has filed important patent applications in three broad areas and established a business unit to pursue its biosensor market opportunities. Dow Corning and Genencor plan to jointly commercialize products developed by the alliance.
Patent applications have been filed in three strategic areas that will define the initial fields of alliance activity. The first is in biotransformations, where the tools of biotechnology are used to modify silicon to create new materials with unique attributes or to create new, more environmentally efficient processes for existing silicon-based materials. The second area covers delivery systems where silicon and biological materials are combined to deliver active ingredients for application in a wide spectrum of markets, i.e., cleaning, health care and personal care. The third area covers nano-scale systems for biosensing devices and performance materials.
The alliance also established its first business venture to pursue opportunities for biosensors in the fields of consumer in-home medical tests, drug discovery, biowarfare threat analysis, veterinary diagnostics, environmental and home monitoring of air, water and food. The business venture is expected to pursue commercialization opportunities alone and in partnership with market leaders in these target markets. Heading the business development efforts for biosensors will be Rich LaDuca at Genencor and David Cornelius at Dow Corning.
Product development in biosensors is expected to progress quickly because of the technology license the alliance acquired from the Australian company AMBRI, Ltd. AMBRI has developed a biosensor device for use in the professional medical diagnostic market that the alliance plans to investigate for possible commercialization in its target markets.
"Expanding the boundaries of biotechnology is what Genencor is all about," said Thomas J. Pekich, Genencor's Group Vice President for Bioproducts. "Silicon biotechnology is a powerful technology platform that we and our partner plan to exploit to develop exciting new products that will enhance our current businesses and create new opportunities for growth."
"These milestones highlight the potential for how this strategic alliance can revolutionize the Silicon Biotechnology world to deliver exciting opportunities and solutions to the marketplace," said Jean-Marc Gilson, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Dow Corning's New Ventures Business. "The combined talents of both our R&D groups and the intellectual property we have created give us first starter position in an exciting new field."... |
