Polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymer compositions
US6323010A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 21, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 27, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 21, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC12P7/625
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Several novel PHA polymer compositions produced using biological systems include monomers such as 3-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxypropionate, 2-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, 4-hydroxybutyrate, 4-hydroxyvalerate and 5-hydroxyvalerate. These PHA compositions can readily be extended to incorporate additional monomers including, for example, 3-hydroxyhexanoate, 4-hydroxyhexanoate, 6-hydroxyhexanoate or other longer chain 3-hydroxyacids containing seven or more carbons. This can be accomplished by taking natural PHA producers and mutating through chemical or transposon mutagenesis to delete or inactivate genes encoding undesirable activities. Alternatively, the strains can be genetically engineered to express only those enzymes required for the production of the desired polymer composition. Methods for genetically engineering PHA producing microbes are widely known in the art (Huisman and Madison, 1998, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 63: 21-53). These polymers have a variety of uses in medical, industrial and other commercial areas.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.