Patents Examined by Richard Ekstrom
  • Patent number: 9914947
    Abstract: Methods of producing ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol are disclosed herein. Ethylene produced by cyanobacteria engineered to express ethylene-forming enzymes may be converted to ethylene oxide by bacteria engineered to express a monooxygenase enzyme. Ethylene oxide may be converted to ethylene glycol by exposure to an acidic solution. The methods may be performed in a bioreactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
    Inventors: Jianping Yu, Bo Wang, Troy Paddock, Damian Carrieri, Pin-Ching Maness, Michael Seibert
  • Patent number: 9909150
    Abstract: Provided herein is a non-naturally occurring microbial organism having a methanol metabolic pathway that can enhance the availability of reducing equivalents in the presence of methanol. Such reducing equivalents can be used to increase the product yield of organic compounds produced by the microbial organism, such as 1,2-propanediol, n-propanol, 1,3-propanediol or glycerol. Also provided herein are methods for using such an organism to produce 1,2-propanediol, n-propanol, 1,3-propanediol or glycerol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Genomatica, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony P. Burgard, Robin E. Osterhout, Stephen J. Van Dien, Cara Ann Tracewell, Priti Pharkya, Stefan Andrae
  • Patent number: 9902962
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are chimeric polypeptides, including compositions thereof, expression vectors, and methods of use thereof, for the generation of transgenic cells, tissues, plants, and animals. The compositions, vectors, and methods of the present invention are also useful in gene therapy techniques. The invention provides a chimeric polypeptide. The polypeptide includes: a) a recombinase, nuclease or transcription factor, or fragment thereof; and b) a transcription activator-like effector (TALE) protein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: The Scripps Research Institute
    Inventors: Carlos F. Barbas, III, Andrew Mercer, Brian M. Lamb, Thomas Gaj
  • Patent number: 9896701
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing 1,3-propanediol using a mutant microorganism lacking a 2,3-butanediol synthetic gene, and more particularly to a mutant microorganism wherein a gene encoding lactate dehydrogenase and a gene encoding an enzyme which is involved in 2,3-butanediol synthesis are deleted in a microorganism having the ability to produce 1,3-propanediol from glycerol and wherein a gene encoding pyruvate decarboxylase and a gene encoding aldehyde dehydrogenase are introduced or amplified, and to a method of promoting the production of 1,3-propanediol while inhibiting the production of 2,3-butanediol by using the mutant microorganism. The use of the glycerol-fermenting mutant microorganism according to the present invention can significantly increase the production of 1,3-propanediol while minimizing the production of 2,3-butanediol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: KOREA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Chul Ho Kim, Jeong-Woo Seo, Sun-Yeon Heo, Sung Mok Lee, Jang Min Park, Baek Rock Oh, You Ree Jung
  • Patent number: 9896691
    Abstract: Described herein, inter alia, are compositions, oleagnious organisms, and methods useful for producing lipids, lipid precursors, and/or oleochemicals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: John Blazeck, Andrew Hill, Leqian Liu, Hal Alper
  • Patent number: 9896678
    Abstract: The present invention provides a mutant with enhanced secretion of L-asparaginase and its application, which relates to the field of enzyme engineering. This invention successfully constructed a mutant with enhanced secretion of L-asparaginase through N-terminal deletion on amino acid sequence of L-asparaginase, and then expressed the mutant via a recombinant strain. Compared with the wild L-asparaginase, the secretion ability of L-asparaginase mutant in present invention significantly improves by 3.14 times compared to that of wild type. The recombinant strain that constructed in this prevention has an L-asparaginase yield of 407.6 U/mL and a production efficiency of 9.26 U/(mL/h), which reaches to the highest yield been reported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Jiangnan University
    Inventors: Song Liu, Yue Feng, Jian Chen, Guocheng Du, Yun Jiao, Jie Ruan, Hongye Cheng, Hui Gao
  • Patent number: 9894917
    Abstract: The present teachings provide modified enzymes, preferably phytases, which have increased stability, hypothesized to arise from increased glycosylation. The enzymes can be modified to introduce or increase the number of glycosylation sites in the amino acid sequence, or glycosylation can be increased by the use of specific host production methods, or both. The enzymes of the present teachings have an increased stability after treatment at elevated temperature, which can be measured by inactivity reversibility or percent recovery following a treatment such as heating. The enzymes of the present teachings find application for example in food, feed, and feed pelleting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: DANISCO US INC
    Inventors: Mark S. Gebert, Sang-Kyu Lee, Mariliz Johnson, Michael Ward
  • Patent number: 9896700
    Abstract: Provided herein are soluble engineered polypeptides for oxidizing hydrocarbons, and methods of use, manufacture, and design thereof. In particular, soluble, polypeptides capable of oxidizing methane to methanol (e.g., hydroxylation) are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignees: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, PROTABIT, LLC, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Amy C Rosenzweig, Thomas J. Lawton, Alex Nisthal, Jan S. Kostecki, Heidi K. Privett, Frederick Lee, Barry Olafson, Athanasios D. Dousis
  • Patent number: 9890370
    Abstract: A hyperthermostable endoglucanase, having an endoglucanase catalytic domain including: (A) a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1; (B) a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence in which at least one amino acid has been deleted, substituted, or added in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, and having hydrolysis activity against a substrate of carboxymethyl cellulose at least under conditions of a temperature of 110° C. and a pH of 5.5; or (C) a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence having at least 55% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, and having hydrolysis activity against a substrate of carboxymethyl cellulose at least under conditions of a temperature of 110° C. and a pH of 5.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Migiwa Suda, Jiro Okuma, Asuka Yamaguchi, Yoshitsugu Hirose, Yasuhiro Kondo, Masaru Sato, Daisuke Shibata
  • Patent number: 9890384
    Abstract: Carboxydotrophic acetogenic microorganisms do not produce MEK and/or 2-butanol. They lack the biosynthesis pathways to make these products. In addition, they produce the intermediate (R,R)-2,3-butanediol whereas the production of MEK and 2-butanol requires production of the intermediate (R,S)-2,3-butanediol. Nonetheless, the production of MEK and/or 2-butanol can be accomplished using recombinant microorganisms adapted to express or overexpress key enzymes in the MEK and/or 2-butanol biosynthesis pathways. Such microorganisms, such as the carboxydotrophic acetogen Clostridium autoethanogenum, can ferment substrates comprising CO. The overall scheme involves the production of 2-butanol from (R,S)-2,3-butanediol and the conversion of (R)-acetoin to (S)-2,3-butanediol. These steps are involved in the production of both MEK and 2-butanol. Such fermentation methods offer a means of using carbon monoxide from industrial processes which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and pollute the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: LANZATECH NEW ZEALAND LIMITED
    Inventors: Alexander Paul Mueller, Michael Koepke, Shilpa Nagaraju
  • Patent number: 9890398
    Abstract: The invention is intended to metabolize acetic acid and to lower acetic acid concentration in a medium at the time of xylose assimilation and ethanol fermentation by a yeast strain having xylose-metabolizing ability. To this end, a recombinant yeast strain having xylose-metabolizing ability and comprising an acetaldehyde dehydrogenase gene introduced thereinto is cultured in a medium containing cellulose, cellulase, and xylose to perform ethanol fermentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toru Onishi
  • Patent number: 9890371
    Abstract: The present invention discloses thermophilic ethanol-resistant ?-glucosidase and an encoding gene and application thereof. The amino acid sequence of the thermophilic ethanol-resistant ?-glucosidase of the present invention is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2, and the nucleotide sequence of the encoding gene is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: GUANGZHOU INSTITUTE OF ENERGY CONVERSION, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Zhenhong Yuan, Cuiyi Liang, Jingliang Xu, Xiaoyan Chen, Xinshu Zhuang, Yu Zhang, Ying Guo, Weizheng Zhou
  • Patent number: 9790528
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing lysergic acid and other ergot alkaloids by genetic modification of a fungus. A strain of fungus comprising Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) and expressing one or more genes of the ergot alkaloid biosynthesis pathway from one or more fungus selected from the group consisting of Epichloë festucae var. lolii×Epichloë typhina isolate Lp1 (E. sp. Lp1); Claviceps species; Claviceps africana (C. africana); Claviceps gigantea (C. gigantea); Epichloë coenophiala and Periglandula species, wherein gene easA or gene easM is inactivated in said A. fumigatus, is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: West Virginia University
    Inventors: Daniel G. Panaccione, Sarah L. Robinson
  • Patent number: 9765313
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of genetic engineering, in particular, the present invention relates to a method for producing a phytase variant with an improved thermal stability, and a phytase variant and the use thereof. The phytase variant contains at least one proline modification, compared to the phytase from Escherichia coli and other mutants thereof. The phytase variants with the modification have preferably improved properties, such as the thermal stability, optimal reaction temperature, pH property, specific activity, protease resistance and performance in animal feeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Feed Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
    Inventors: Bin Yao, Huoqing Huang, Huiying Luo, Chao Shao, Yingguo Bai, Yaru Wang, Peilong Yang, Pengjun Shi, Kun Meng, Heng Zhao, Rui Ma
  • Patent number: 9765317
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to isolated polypeptides having alpha-amylase activity, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing the polypeptides, and method of using polypeptides, including in ethanol production processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: NOVOZYMES A/S
    Inventors: Guillermo Coward Kelly, Shiro Fukuyama, Noriko Tsutsumi, Keiichi Ayabe
  • Patent number: 9751916
    Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Novozymes, Inc.
    Inventors: Kimberly Brown, Paul Harris, Elizabeth Zaretsky, Edward Re, Elena Vlasenko, Keith McFarland, Alfredo Lopez de Leon
  • Patent number: 9732328
    Abstract: The present invention encompasses modified luciferases, methods for making modified luciferases, and assays utilizing modified luciferases. Modified luciferases of the invention show increased activity over wildtype luciferases and also show increased stability of signal. The present invention also encompasses multiplex assays utilizing multiple luciferases with different emission spectra.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Targeting Systems
    Inventor: Rampyari Walia
  • Patent number: 9732366
    Abstract: A thermostable xylanase having a xylanase catalytic domain including: (A) a polypeptide including the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, (B) a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence in which at least one amino acid has been deleted, substituted, or added in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, and having xylanase activity at least under conditions of 85° C. and pH 6.0, or (C) a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence having 80% or greater sequence identity with the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, and having xylanase activity at least under conditions of 85° C. and pH 6.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jiro Okuma, Yoshitsugu Hirose, Asuka Yamaguchi, Migiwa Suda, Yasuhiro Kondo, Tomohiko Kato, Daisuke Shibata
  • Patent number: 9725744
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate generally to methods to generate microorganisms and/or microorganism cultures that exhibit the ability to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from carbon sources at high efficiencies. In several embodiments, preferential expression of, or preferential growth of microorganisms utilizing certain metabolic pathways, enables the high efficiency PHA production from carbon-containing gases or materials. Several embodiments relate to the microorganism cultures, and/or microorganisms isolated therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Newlight Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Markus D. Herrema
  • Patent number: 9719075
    Abstract: Mutated Staphylococcus sp. RLH1 ?-glucuronidase enzymes with enhanced enzymatic activity and thermostability as compared to wild type enzyme are provided. The enzymes of the invention advantageously allow for accurate analysis of bodily samples for the presence of drugs in 30 minutes or less, as compared to the several hours needed using prior enzyme preparations. Methods of using the mutated enzymes for hydrolysis of glucuronide substrates, including opiates and benzodiazepines, are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: INTEGRATED MICRO-CHROMATOGRAPHY SYSTEMS
    Inventor: Lim Andrew Lee