Patents Examined by Richard C. Ekstrom
  • Patent number: 11230721
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of biotechnology; specifically the production of a flavor compound (raspberry ketone) in a host cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Axxence Aromatic GmbH
    Inventors: Katarina Cankar, Martinus Julius Beekwilder, Hendrik Jan Bosch, Peter Hans van der Schaft, Wilhelmina Maria Johanna Weemen
  • Patent number: 11225678
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods for producing steviol glycosides, such as rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M, using engineered yeast. The methods include at least two phases: first and second phases where a glucose-containing feed composition is provided to the medium in different modes of feeding in each phase, such as variable feeding and then constant feeding. The two phase feeding can result in a growth rate that is slower in the second phase than in the first phase, and consequently increased steviol glycoside production rates, reduced fermentation times, and reduced biomass concentrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Cargill, Incorporated
    Inventors: James C. Anderson, Ting Liu Carlson, Arlene M. Fosmer
  • Patent number: 11225648
    Abstract: Modified DNase I protein in which one or more amino acids of a DNase I protein are modified non-cellularly, are provided. The modified DNase I protein exhibits a DNA hydrolytic activity in the presence of actin and an improved DNA hydrolytic activity compared to a homologous non-modified DNase I protein. Processes of preparing the modified DNase I protein and uses thereof in, for example, reducing a DNA content in sputum and/or in treating a disease or condition associated with excess extracellular DNA in a fluid, secretion or tissue of a subject, are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Protalix Ltd.
    Inventors: Lilach Chen Zeltsburg, Ilya Ruderfer, Avidor Shulman, Liat Fux, Yulia Ugortsev, Hagit Neta, Sivan Gelley, Elad Lavee Laviad, Yoseph Shaaltiel
  • Patent number: 11214784
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel polypeptide which displays IgG cysteine protease activity, and in vivo and ex vivo uses thereof. Uses of the polypeptide include methods for the prevention or treatment of diseases and conditions mediated by IgG, and methods for the analysis of IgG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Hansa BioPharma AB
    Inventors: Christian Kjellman, Sofia Jarnum, Emma Nordahl
  • Patent number: 11214790
    Abstract: Provided are a method for obtaining an HNL gene and HNL derived from a millipede other than Chamberlinius hualienensis, and preparing a practically useable amount of HNL; and a method for producing optically active cyanohydrin using this HNL. A method for producing a millipede-derived HNL gene. A method that includes the selection of a gene having a base sequence that encodes a conserved amino acid sequence TAX1DIX2G (SEQ ID NO: 15) or VPNGDKIH (SEQ ID NO: 16) of millipede-derived HNL from genes present in an organism belonging to the Diplopoda. A protein having an amino acid sequence of any of (1)-(3) and having HNL activity. (1) An amino acid sequence listed in any of SEQ ID NOS: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 83, 85, 87, or 89; (2) an amino acid sequence having amino acids deleted, substituted, and/or added in an amino acid sequence of (1); or (3) an amino acid sequence having 90% or greater identity to an amino acid sequence of (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Inventors: Yasuhisa Asano, Takuya Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11193146
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved method of second generation ethanol production from a lignocellulosic biomass. The process comprises subjecting a slurry of pre-treated lignocellulosic biomass comprising C5 and C6 sugars in a fermentor; preferentially fermenting mainly C5 sugars by incubating the pretreated lignocellulosic biomass of step (i) with first cellulase enzyme, co-fermenting microorganism, nutrient in the fermentor at 30-37° C. for a period of 16 to 24 hours; adding second cellulase enzyme to the fermentation broth of step (ii) and increasing the temperature to 45-55° C. for hydrolysis; allowing the fermentation broth of step (iii) to cool to a temperature of 35-38° C.; and preferentially fermenting C6 sugars by incubating the broth of step (iv) with a second dose of co-fermenting microorganism for a period of 6-8 hours to obtain ethanol. The process results in high ethanol productivity in shortest duration of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignees: Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Department of Biotechnology
    Inventors: Ajay Kumar Sharma, Manas Ranjan Swain, Ajit Singh, Anshu Shankar Mathur, Ravi Prakash Gupta, Suresh Kumar Puri, Sankara Sri Venkata Ramakumar
  • Patent number: 11193145
    Abstract: The invention relates to an enzyme composition, a process for the preparation thereof and the use of the enzyme composition in enzymatic hydrolysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: DSM IP ASSETS B.V.
    Inventors: Maaike Appeldoorn, Loes Elizabeth Bevers
  • Patent number: 11186833
    Abstract: The present invention relates to polypeptide variants having alpha-amylase activity and an improved property, such as improved specific activity, as compared to the parent polypeptide. The invention further relates to use of the polypeptide variants, compositions comprising the polypeptide variants, and methods of producing the polypeptide variants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: NOVOZYMES A/S
    Inventor: Carsten Andersen
  • Patent number: 11168340
    Abstract: Lipogenic yeasts bioengineered to overexpress genes for lipid production, and methods of use thereof. The yeasts are modified to express, constitutively express, or overexpress an acetyl-CoA carboxylase, an alpha-amylase, an ATP citrate lyase, a diacylglycerol acyltransferase, a fatty acid synthase, a glycerol kinase, a 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a malic enzyme, a fatty acyl-CoA reductase, a delta-9 acyl-CoA desaturase, a glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, a lysophosphatidate acyltransferase, a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, a beta-glucosidase, a hexose transporter, a glycerol transporter, a glycoside hydrolase enzyme, an auxiliary activity family 9 enzyme, or combinations thereof. The yeasts in some cases are also modified to reduce or ablate activity of certain proteins. The methods include cultivating the yeast to convert low value soluble organic stillage byproducts into lipids suitable for biodiesel production and other higher value uses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Xylome Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas W. Jeffries, David Z. Mokry, Christopher H. Calvey
  • Patent number: 11136545
    Abstract: The invention provides a recombinant Bacillus subtilis, construction method and use thereof, wherein the cell's own FMMs are used as a space scaffold, and a multi-enzyme complex is constructed from specific marker proteins FloA and FloT, such that an artificial substrate channel is formed, and the cell metabolic burden is effectively reduced. The recombinant Bacillus subtilis of the invention can efficiently synthesize GlcNAc without affecting cell life activity, and can also limit the toxic intermediate metabolite GlcN-6-P near the plasma membrane to reduce or eliminate its inhibition on cell activity. In the process of shaking flask fermentation using complex medium, the yield of acetyl glucosamine of the control strain BSG-C was only 0.45 g·L?1, while that of BSG-AT, BSG-ATP, BSG-ATPB increased to 5.29 g·L?1, 6.22 g·L?1 and 8.48 g·L?1 respectively. The construction method of recombinant Bacillus subtilis is simple, easy to use and has a good application prospect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Long Liu, Xueqin Lv, Guocheng Du, Jianghua Li, Jian Chen
  • Patent number: 11136560
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pipecolic acid 4-hydroxylase protein exemplified by the following (A), (B), and (C), having activity to react with L-pipecolic acid in the presence of 2-oxoglutaric acid and iron(II) ions to produce trans-4-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid, and a method for producing 4-hydroxy amino acid, which method comprises reacting the pipecolic acid 4-hydroxylase protein, cells containing the protein, a treated product of the cells, and/or a culture liquid obtained by culturing the cells, with ?-amino acid to produce 4-hydroxy amino acid: (A) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, or 18; (B) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, or 18 except that one or several amino acids are deleted, substituted, and/or added, and having pipecolic acid 4-hydroxylase activity; and (C) a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence that is not less than 80% identical to the amino acid sequence rep
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: API CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Hibi, Jun Ogawa, Ryoma Miyake, Hiroshi Kawabata
  • Patent number: 11124809
    Abstract: This invention provides improved biological synthesis of the apocarotenoid ?-ionone in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The final native step involved in the natural apocarotenoid pathway depends on an endogenous farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPs). From there, heterologous geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (crtE), phytoene synthase (crtB), phytoene desaturase (crtI), lycopene ?-cyclase (LycE) and a Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase (CCD1) are required to complete the synthesis of ?-ionone. Lycopene ?-cyclase from lettuce (Lactuca sativa) or modified cyclase from Arabidopsis thaliana was used to overproduce lycopene which was then cleaved by the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase from Petunia hybrida (Ph-CCD1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Centrome, Inc.
    Inventors: Eduardo Esteban Agosin Trumper, Francisco Javier Saitua Perez, Javiera Cecilia Lopez Salinas, Maciej E Domaradzki, Maximiliano Ibaceta Acevedo, Natalia Arenas Frigolett
  • Patent number: 11124798
    Abstract: The present invention provides mutant microorganisms having attenuated expression of a gene encoding a polypeptide that includes a TPR domain, wherein the mutant microorganisms have higher lipid productivity and/or exhibit increased partitioning of carbon to lipid as compared to wild type microorganisms from which they are derived. Also provided are methods of producing lipids using the mutant microorganisms, guide RNAs, and nucleic acid constructs used for producing mutant microorganisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Synthetic Genomics, Inc.
    Inventors: John Verruto, Eric Moellering, Imad Ajjawi
  • Patent number: 11111511
    Abstract: A method for producing an objective substance such as phytosphingosine and sphinganine using yeast is provided. An objective substance is produced by cultivating yeast having an ability to produce the objective substance and modified so that the expression and/or activities of proteins encoded by LCB4 and CKA2 genes are reduced in a culture medium, and collecting the objective substance from cells of the yeast and/or the culture medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignees: AJINOMOTO CO, INC., EVOLVA SA
    Inventors: Markus Schwab, Maud Babau, David Fischer, Anaelle Hatsch, Sabina de Andrade Pereira Tavares, Curt Aime Friis Nielsen, Jens Klein, Corina Daniela Wirdnam
  • Patent number: 11104888
    Abstract: Presented herein are altered polymerase enzymes for improved incorporation of nucleotides and nucleotide analogues, in particular altered polymerases that maintain high fidelity under reduced incorporation times, as well as methods and kits using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignees: Illumina, Inc., Illumina Singapore Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Misha Golynskiy, Seth McDonald, Saurabh Nirantar, Matthew Kellinger, Michael Previte, Sergio Peisajovich, Molly He
  • Patent number: 11104909
    Abstract: Provided is an ? amylase variant obtained by the mutation or deletion of at least one amino acid residue in the amino acid sequence of a parent ? amylase, and at the same time, same is an ? amylase maintaining the capability of the parent to hydrolyse ?-1,4 glycosidic bond, wherein the amino acid sequence homology of the two reaches 95% or more. A series of ? amylase variants provided therein have a relatively high catalytic activity under acidic conditions of pH 5.0 and high temperatures of at least 100° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: NANJING BESTZYME BIO-ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yan Fan, Xiuzhen Du, Minghui Hao, Yan Sun, Ke Huang, Feng Li
  • Patent number: 11098287
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses 17?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mutants and application thereof, and belongs to the technical field of biology. The disclosure provides 17?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mutants V107A, T155N, H164Y and V107A/T155N/H164Y with high specific enzyme activities, and the specific enzyme activities of the 17?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mutants V107A, T155N, H164Y and V107A/T155N/H164Y are as high as 1.85, 1.93, 2.06 and 5.15 U/mg, respectively, which are 1.11, 1.16, 1.24 and 3.10 times larger than that of wild-type 17?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (1.66 U/mg).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Zhiming Rao, Minglong Shao, Yetong Wang, Yuling Wu, Taowei Yang, Xian Zhang, Meijuan Xu
  • Patent number: 11085046
    Abstract: Provided herein are compositions and methods for producing myrcene by culturing genetically modified microbial host cells that express a myrcene synthase and optionally a geranyl pyrophosphate synthase. Also provided herein are isolated nucleic acid molecules that encode myrcene synthase variants derived from the Ocimum species myrcene synthase, which comprise one or more amino acid substitutions that improve in vivo performance of myrcene synthase in genetically modified microbial host cells. Also provided herein are isolated myrcene synthase variants that exhibit an improved activity for converting geranyl diphosphate into myrcene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: AMYRIS, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew Main, Grzegorz Wojciechowski, Yue Yang, Lishan Zhao
  • Patent number: 11085015
    Abstract: The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a 4-hydroxybutyrate pathway and being capable of producing 4-hydroxybutyrate, wherein the microbial organism comprises one or more genetic modifications. The invention additionally provides methods of producing 4-hydroxybutyrate or related products using the microbial organisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Genomatica, Inc.
    Inventors: Priti Pharkya, Anthony P. Burgard, Stephen J. Van Dien, Robin E. Osterhout, Mark J. Burk, John D. Trawick, Michael P. Kuchinskas, Brian Steer
  • Patent number: 11053521
    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: September 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Newlight Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Markus D. Herrema