In mid-2006, Joel Kreps, who studies gene expression at San Diego biotechnology company Diversa, was on the verge of throwing in the towel after three months of fruitless negotiations. He was trying to obtain the most up-to-date gene sequence for Pichia pastoris (a yeast species that is particularly adept at expressing genes for disulfide bonded and glycosylated proteins) from Integrated Genomics in Chicago. Getting the updated sequence into his lab represented a wealth of research opportunities for Kreps and commercial possibilities for Diversa. But now negotiations were stalemated, and the deal seemed doomed.
Through a stroke of unexpected luck, Kreps obtained the sequence in January and by March had codeveloped a Pichia DNA microarray that Diversa will use to optimize the production of Purifine, the company's custom Pichia-expressed enzyme. With Purifine's potential in edible vegetable oil refining and biodiesel fuel production, the development is a windfall for the company. "This ...
