(February 19, 2004) — In an exclusive agreement with the Army, Genencor International Inc. will make enzymes at its plant in Greece that can decontaminate dangerous nerve agents such as sarin.

Genencor has licensed patents on two enzymes and the bacteria that produce them from the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland, the company is announcing today.

Genencor’s license includes the exclusive right to commercialize the technology for all applications, including the remediation of industrial and agricultural waste sites.

The license agreement with the Army makes Genencor “the first large, conventional biotech company to come up with a working business model to provide a product to the defense establishment,” said Jerry Warner, president of Defense Life Sciences, a development and consulting firm in McLean, Va.

The company expects to have enzymes produced in quantity and ready for use by the second quarter. It is unclear whether the Genencor project will add jobs.

“We look at this area as an emerging platform for the company,” said Christopher Penet, Genencor’s director of specialty enzymes. “We’re trying to demonstrate areas where biotechnology can be applied in a defense, consumer and industrial setting.”

The enzymes, which will be produced at Genencor’s 1700 Lexington Ave. plant, neutralize chemicals such as sarin without the toxic and damaging effects caused by materials currently in use, said Joseph DeFrank, a scientist at the Edgewood center and one of the patent holders.

“The enzymes work. They’re safe and noncorrosive, and the result is biodegradable,” said DeFrank, a Rochester native.

The enzymes initially will be made available to the military and civilian organizations such as firefighters, police and hazardous material response teams. Genencor plans to keep production in Rochester, Penet said.

Genencor declined to discuss the cost of the license. It will make royalty payments to the Army based on sales revenue.

Sarin is a manmade chemical warfare agent similar to, but much more potent than, a group of pesticides called organophosphates. It is clear, odorless and tasteless.

People with mild or moderate exposure to sarin usually recover fully, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But those who are severely exposed are not likely to survive.

Tests at the Edgewood center have shown that the enzymes — organophosphorus hydrolase and organophosphorus acid anhydrolase — can break down sarin and similar nerve agents, including soman, DeFrank said.

The enzymes occur naturally. Organophosphorus acid anhydrolase, for example, can be found in all organisms, including human beings, DeFrank said.

Bacteria can produce the enzymes. Edgewood scientists cloned the genes for the enzymes, modified them and engineered the genes into a common bacteria so greater quantities of the enzyme can be made.

“A lot of the credit goes to the Army’s Edgewood center,” Warner said. “The scientists there made a quantum leap in the technology. The current methods can destroy the equipment you’re trying to decontaminate. The idea of tapping into biology to deal with a chemical threat is pretty clever and elegant.”

Genencor became involved in the project because the Army was looking for an enzyme manufacturer based in the United States, Penet said.

The enzymes, which can take a dry form, could be added to foam, for example. Genencor is investigating the best form of delivery; the company also is investigating other uses, including decontamination of pesticides.

“This could be used for a pesticide spill from a train accident,” Penet said. “You would just spray on and you don’t have to worry about flushing it into the water system.”

The product also could be used to clean farm equipment used to apply pesticides or even the boots and uniforms of those who work with pesticides in landscaping, he said.

DeFrank said the enzyme formula someday could be used on people exposed to sarin. “A lot of fire departments and hospitals have shower systems but they only use soap and water,” he said. “That removes the sarin but does not destroy it.” DeFrank and other researchers are working on enzyme systems that could neutralize mustard gas and biological agents such as anthrax and plague.

Genencor, which had about $383 million in revenue last year, was founded in Rochester in 1982. The company’s headquarters now is in Palo Alto, Calif. It employs about 200 people here and 1,500 worldwide.

Before this project, Genencor had already committed to building a new facility in Rochester to commercialize enzymes for health care purposes. The new facility could add 100 jobs.

MWENTZEL@DemocratandChronicle.com