New U.S. Patent for Directed Evolution technology Granted to Proteus Nîmes, France -- November 7, 2011 - The industrial biotech company Protéus S.A., a member of PCAS group, announced today that it has recently been granted U.S. Patent No. 7,923,236 entitled "Method of determining the mutational load of a gene library obtained by random mutagenesis of a particular gene and means for implementing same".

"This newly issued US patent is a counterpart of our European patent EP1774032 granted last year, which reinforces our IP position and global leadership in the field of protein engineering and molecular directed evolution" said Jean-François Bloch, Deputy General Manager and Intellectual Property Manager at Proteus

The patented technology belongs to the EvoSight™ protein engineering platform, which also includes the L-Shuffling™ technology for gene shuffling. The invention provides unprecedented insights in protein plasticity and potential of evolution, hence dramatically accelerating the identification of improved proteins variants. Based on the processing of experimental data using a proprietary algorithm, it enables a rational approach to randomized directed evolution processes such as random mutagenesis.
This technology has already been successfully implemented for developing new enzymes for industrial manufacturing processes in a variety of fields including green chemistry, flavors and fragrances and processing of bio-sourced feedstock. "For more than ten years now, our scientists constantly develop innovative tools in order to strengthen our competitive edge in protein molecular directed evolution and accelerate the development, industrialization and time-to-market of our clients' products and processes" emphasized Gilles Ravot, Chief Executive Officer at Protéus.

About Protéus, a member of the PCAS Group

Protéus ( www.proteus.fr ) is a biotechnology company specialized in the design, development and implementation of sustainable industrial processes using enzymes and microbial strains. To fulfill this mission, Protéus benefits from a portfolio of proprietary technologies including a collection of exclusive microbial biodiversity, technologies for enzymes engineering and microbial strains optimization, and a platform of enzyme production and formulation to turn them into industrial tools. A member of the chemical Group PCAS, Protéus also benefits from the industrial capabilities and expertise of the Group. The PCAS Group ( www.pcas.com) is a fine and specialty chemicals Group which shares an ambition for excellence with its customers, which primarily include market-leading international groups. PCAS designs and delivers the best industrial solutions for its customers' specific expectations. These various expectations all share a common demand for safety, quality, competitiveness, innovation and sustainability.

Contact

Protéus S.A.

Dr. Gilles Ravot

Tel : +33 (0)466 706464

email : gravot@proteus.fr info@proteus.fr www.proteus.fr