OPTIMIZED PRODUCTION OF BACTERIAL AGENT-DEGRADING ENZYMES

ORGANOPHOSPHORUS ACID ANYDRASES (OPA) HAVE ENORMOUS POTENTIAL TO BE USED IN THE DECONTAMINATION AND DEMILITARIZATION OF EXTREMELY TOXIC CHEMICALS THAT INHIBIT CHOLINESTERASE. AS THE NUMBER OF OPAS BEING DISCOVERED IS EXPANDING RAPIDLY, IT IS IMPORTANT TO PRODUCE AND PURIFY SAMPLES OF THE MORE INTERESTING OPAS FOR COMPARISION BY DETAILED BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ANALYSIS AND CHARACTERIZTION OF THEIR EFFICACY. EVENTUALLY OPAS WITH PROMISING POTENTIAL MUST BE PRODUCED ECONOMICALLY FOR FIELD TESTS AND FULL SCALE APPLICATION. CHEMGEN CURRENTLY IS DEVELOPING SEVERAL NOVEL ENZYMES FOR INDUSTRIAL MARKETS USING NEWLY ISOLATED BACTERIA, INCLUDING ONE PROCESS IN PILOT SCALE PRODUCTION. ACHIEVING A LOW COST FOR ENZYME MANUFACTURE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN CHEMGEN'S COMMERCIAL SUCCESS AND THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF TRADITIONAL PROCESS IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES OR APPLIED MOLECULAR BIOLOGY WHERE APPLICABLE. IN PHASE I, CHEMGEN PLANS TO IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP BENCH-SCALE FERMENTATION AND ENZYME RECOVERY/PURIFICATION PROCEDURES FOR THE ASSIGNED OPS(S) IN ORDER TO PRODUCE SMALL RESEARCH QUANTITIES OF ENZYME. IN PHASE II, CHEMGEN PLANS TO FURTHER TEST AND IMPROVE THE BENCH-SCALE PROCESS, REFINE PURIFICTION METHODS, AND THEN SCALE THEM UP TO PRODUCE LARGER QUANTITIES OF ENZYME, AS REQUIRED FOR TEST AND EVALUATION STUDIES. IN PHASE III, CHEMGEN WOULD PROPOSE TO EXPAND THE PRODUCTION SYSTEM TO MEET FEDERAL AND/OR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION DEMANDS FOR THE ENZYME.