Value Creation || Industrial Biotech at DSM: From Concept to Customer

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29Industrial Biotech at DSM: From Concept to CustomerColja Laane and Feike Sijbesma

Industrial (white) biotechnology is rapidly gaining momentum as a cost-effectiveand environmentally-friendly technology for producing bio-based chemicals,materials, and fuels in a safe and sustainable way from renewable resources. AtDSM we are increasingly active in this growing business area. To that end we areoptimizing a range of micro-organisms and cell lines for the contained productionof a variety of specialties for our customers in the food, feed, pharmaceuticals,and fine chemicals industries. By combining our competences in fermentation,biocatalysis, biotransformation, advanced (gen)omics, and chemistry with our ap-plication and formulation skills, we have been able to replace several petro-basedprocesses by bioroutes, and to find unique functionalities in very short develop-ment times. Typical innovations include the cost- and eco-efficient production ofan antibiotic, the recent development of a peptide-based recovery sport drink, thereplacement of an unnatural beer clarifying agent by a novel, cost-effective enzy-matic solution, the microbial production of a lipid which is important in infantnerve development, as well as the manufacture of several novel chiral intermedi-ates for the pharmaceutical industry. Promises are becoming reality and turninginto profit, not only in the specialties area but increasingly in commodities. DSM,in partnership with relevant public and private stakeholders, will continue to playa leading role in shaping the third – industrial biotech – wave of biotechnology,which in our view will create a more sustainable society for the people of todayand the generations of the future: a future where societal (People), environmental(Planet), and economic (Profit) benefits will go hand in hand.

29.1From Petro to Bio

Over its 100-year history, DSM has transformed itself from a local coal-miningoperation, through a predominantly chemical commodity producer, into one ofthe world’s leading specialty companies, employing about 25,000 people andreaching almost EUR eight billion in sales. After the divestments of, amongothers, the petrochemical activities in 2002 and Bakery Ingredients in 2005, the

Value Creation: Strategies for theChemical Industry. 2nd Edition. F. Budde, U.-H. Felcht, H. Frankem�lle (Eds.)Copyright � 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, WeinheimISBN: 3-527-31266-8

recent inclusion of DSM Nutritional Products (formerly Roche Vitamins and FineChemicals) in 2003, and the recent acquisition of NeoResins, our portfolio todaycomprises approximately 80 percent specialties. By substantially reducing the cy-clic commodity character of our business we have achieved, and continue to strivefor, a more stable and growing earning profile. Our life science activities (includ-ing nutritional products) have increased massively to today’s level of about 50 per-cent of total turnover. DSM’s involvement in life sciences and biotechnology wasboosted through the acquisition of Gist-brocades in 1998, and strengthenedfurther by the acquisition of Roche Vitamins & Fine Chemicals. Currently, about40 percent of our life science/nutritional products for mainly the food, feed, andpharmaceuticals industries are biotech-derived, which is equivalent to almostEUR 1.5 billion in sales.We realize that innovation will be the key to DSM’s future success. At present

we spend EUR 200 million on R&D in life sciences and nutrition, which is equiva-lent to more than four percent of sales. In selected areas, we spend eight percentof sales on R&D and more than 40 percent of the R&D budget on radical innova-tion. This percentage is bound to increase still further in the future.

29.2From Principle to Product

Our proactive, customer-focused R&D activities form an integral part of our busi-ness process, as we translate our own ideas and developments in the world aroundus into commercial solutions, while simultaneously building on our expertise andknowledge.DSM’s activities in biotechnology are best placed in the field of industrial,

white, or even environmental biotechnology. Industrial biotechnology can bedefined as the modern use and application of biotechnology for the sustainableand competitive production of (bio)chemicals, biomaterials, and biofuels from(mainly) renewable resources, using living cells and/or their enzymes (Fig. 29.1).After red (health care) and green (agriculture) biotechnology, white biotechnologyis increasingly being seen as the third wave, and as an important enabling tech-nology towards a sustainable future. For a general introduction to industrial bio-technology the reader is referred to Chapter 28.Industrial biotechnology is mainly based on fermentation technology and bioca-

talysis. In a contained environment, genetically modified (GM) or non-GM micro-organisms (e.g., yeast, fungi, and bacteria), or cell lines of animal or human ori-gin, are cultivated in closed bioreactors to produce a variety of goods. Likewise,enzymes derived from these (micro-)organisms may be applied to catalyze a con-version in order to generate the desired products. (Industrial) biotechnology is notnew: its underlying processes have been used by mankind for thousands of years,for example in the production of bread, wine, and cheese. However, activities andopportunities in this field are growing rapidly at present due to recent break-throughs in genomics, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics, systems biology, di-

29 Industrial Biotech at DSM: From Concept to Customer390

rected evolution, biocatalysis, and biotransformations, with wide applications inthe fine chemical, pharmaceuticals, and food and feed industries. Promises arebecoming reality and cells can now be used as tiny micro-factories that can beoptimized for productivity, safety, and minimal environmental load. Processes arebecoming more cost-effective, and novel products are emerging which could neverhave been made by any other means. Increasingly, environmental benefits arebeing realized by switching from petro- to bio-based processes.Figure 29.1 shows the key steps in the industrial biotech value chain. Raw mate-

rials, including crops and organic byproducts from agricultural sources andhouseholds, are converted into (mainly) sugars, which can be readily converted bytailor-made (micro-) organisms and/or enzymes into the desired products. DSMis active in the second step of the white biotech value chain and focuses on theconversion of sugars and occasionally other feedstocks into value-added special-ties, including a variety of food and nutritional ingredients, pharmaceuticals, andfine chemicals (Table 29.1). We also use enzymes derived from these and othersources to perform desired biocatalytic reactions for the production of a range of(chiral) intermediates.

39129.2 From Principle to Product

Fig. 29.1 Key steps in the industrial biotechnology value chain.

29 Industrial Biotech at DSM: From Concept to Customer

Table 29.1 Examples of DSM’s tool and product box. The(micro-) organisms of which we know the genome sequenceare marked with an asterisk.

(Micro)organism / enzyme Product (ingredient) example

Food, feed, and nutritional ingredients

Aspergillus niger*Selected Bacillus strains*Kluyveromyces lactis*Selected Lactic acid bacteria*Propionibacterium freundenreichii*Saccharomyces cerevisiae*Mortierella alpina

Blakeslea trispora

Mucor miehei

Streptomyces natalensis

Proteases from A. niger*Aspartase and thermolysin

Enzymes, citric acidEnzymes, vitamin B2

(Intracellular) enzymesLive cultures (starters and probiotics)Vitamin B12

Live cultures, yeast extracts, enzymesArachidonic acidBeta-caroteneMicrobial rennetsNatamycin (antifungal preservative)Protein hydrolysates / peptidesAspartame

Pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals

Penicillium chrysogenum

Selected Streptomyces strains

Enzymes from Escherichia coli*(e.g., aldolase)Enzymes from Pichia pastoris

(e.g., hydroxynitrile lyase)CHO cells (animal)PER.C6 cells (human)*

AntibioticsProteins, antibioticsAntibiotic / fine chemical synthesisChiral intermediate for cholesterol lowering drugFine chemicals synthesisIntermediate for cardiovascular drugPharmaceutical proteinsPharmaceutical proteins

29.2.1Food, Feed, and Nutritional Ingredients

The food and feed industry is one of the important fields of application of indus-trial biotechnology. Generally speaking, DSM produces three types of products inthe food and nutritional ingredient arena:. Biomass (e.g., living micro-organisms such as lactic acid bacteria,wine and beer yeast, as well as extracts of these);

. Enzymes (e.g., mainly hydrolases, some lyases and oxidoreduc-tases);

. Nutritional ingredients (e.g., relatively small molecules, such ascarotenoids, (pro)vitamins, anti-oxidants, preservatives, poly-unsaturated fatty acids, aspartame, and tailored peptide mixes).

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Throughout the third wave, and especially after the inclusion of DSM NutritionalProducts, our portfolio has developed towards nutritional ingredients. Our tech-nology base has developed in line with this, and now includes expertise in animaland human nutrition, complemented with advanced formulation skills. Further-more, the traditional hypothesis-based screening of, for example, one enzymeafter the other is currently – at least partly – being replaced by random screeningof many enzymes from expression libraries for a desired or even unknown func-tionality. To that end, a range of miniaturized medium-to-high throughput appli-cation assays is being developed. Such facilities allow us to cope with the rapidlyincreasing availability of genome-based sequences and new enzymes created bydirected evolution.For all our little �workhorses’, we eventually want to have access to their genome

sequence for two reasons. First, a high-quality and annotated genome offers newleads to improve our strains and processes, either by classical (non-GM) or GMmeans. We strive to offer our customers both options: classically-improved andclassically-produced specialties as well as their GM equivalent, if feasible. Second,genomes – in general – contain many �hidden’ genes with unexpected enzymaticfunctionalities, which can be applied as such or used to generate other ingredi-ents.Take, for example, Aspergillus niger, which is our preferred host for the produc-

tion of food enzymes. Typically, this generally-recognized-as-safe (GRAS) micro-organism is used for the industrial production of several carbohydrases, such aspectinases and (hemi)cellulases for the beverages and bakery industries, but alsofor the production of proteases. Within DSM we have recently elucidated the com-plete genome sequence of this fungus. Out of about 14,000 genes more than 200have been annotated as carbohydrases and another 200 appeared to encode forproteases. Of these, more than 100 genes have a signal sequence indicating thatthese enzymes are secreted. At present, we are systematically cloning and overex-pressing these genes. Among these secreted enzymes we have recently identifieda new protease, which shows superior performance in debittering casein hydroly-sates. The enzyme was found to be a proline-specific endoprotease, which is arare substrate specificity among proteases. The unique properties of this endopro-tease have recently led to the development of a non-bitter, milk-based (casein-based) sport drink (Fig. 29.2), which has been shown to speed up the recoveryafter heavy and repeated exercise by stimulating the insulin response and glucoseuptake in muscles (Edens, L. et al.; Dekker, P. et al.).This debittering concept is now being further applied in the development of

transparent milk-based beverages and clinical nutrition. Currently, we are expand-ing our protease toolbox with a range of di- and tripeptidyl-peptidases, whichenables us to generate tailor-made hydrolysates rich in di- or tripeptides. Usingthese enzymes, we are now able to generate protein hydrolysates which exhibitdiscriminative advantages such as low allergenicity, low free amino acid content,and a high yield of small peptides for the health and nutrition market.

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Fig. 29.2 PeptoPro� for faster muscle refueling. Proposed mechanism.

The formation of chill-haze during beer production is known to involve a pro-line-rich fraction that is extracted from malt. The initial driving force of chill-hazeformation is a hydrophobic interaction between this proline-rich protein fractionand polyphenols. Using one of our newly discovered proteases, we were able toshow on a pilot production scale that even low levels of the enzyme can effectivelyprevent chill-haze in beer. Compared with the commonly employed polyvinylpoly-pyrrolidone (PVPP), the use of our enzyme, BrewersClarex�, results in improvedbeer stabilization, enhanced polyphenol (antioxidant) levels in the final beer, andconsiderably simplified processing requirements (Edens, L. and Lopez, M.). Ourcustomers are now able to substitute an unnatural chemical clarifying agent by asimple, cost-effective biological solution.Another important enzyme found in the genome of A. niger is asparaginase.

This enzyme is capable of reducing the amount of the amino acid asparagine infoodstuffs, thereby preventing the undesired formation of acrylamide in bakedand fried products (Plomp, P. et al.). The benefit to our business customers, andeventually the consumer, is clear: safer food.Without the genome sequence, tracking down these (hidden) enzymes and scal-

ing up the production process and application would have been much more time-consuming or even impossible. Clearly, (gen)omics has helped us enormously toshorten the time from concept to customer. The period from the identification ofthe endoprotease to the commercial production of the sport drink (PeptoPro�)was less than two years! Not so long ago, it would have taken at least five.

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While genomic approaches are gaining momentum, we should realize thatmany traditional approaches are still extremely successful. One in-house example,which was co-developed with external partners, is the microbial production of ara-chidonic acid by Mortierella alpina. Arachidonic acid (AA) is a nutrient naturallypresent in breast milk in combination with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Togeth-er, these fatty acids are believed to be important building blocks in the develop-ment of the brain and visual system in infants. The fungus M. alpina is one ofnature’s surprises, accumulating a lipid fraction within its cells with an exception-ally high AA content. The AA may represent 50 percent or more of total fattyacids, even in wild isolates. This example shows that selecting and developing aclassical high-yielding strain still pays off if the application is attractive enoughand the volume is large. Furthermore, there are no realistic alternative processesfor this product at this point in time.Biotech may be gaining importance in the food and nutrition sector, but many

nutritional ingredients are still produced by chemical synthesis or via extraction:for example, carotenoids are currently most competitively produced by chemicalmeans. For vitamin B2, however, the situation has changed completely in the lastfive years. The traditional eight-step chemical synthesis has been replaced by onefermentation process. This biotech process, which is also practiced by BASF on alarge scale, reduces overall cost by up to 40 percent and the overall environmentalimpact by 40 percent, as has been shown by detailed life cycle assessments. Simi-lar trends have been described for other bio-based processes, indicating that eco-nomic and environmental benefits go hand in hand in today’s white biotech prac-tice (EuropaBio and McKinsey & Company, 2003, DSM position document, 2004).

29.2.2Pharmaceuticals and Fine Chemicals

DSM’s product portfolio in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical area covers awide variety of specialties:. Antibiotics (e.g., penicillins, cephalosporins, clavulanic acid). Chiral intermediates (e.g., non-proteinogenic amino acids, alco-hols, amines, polyols, aminoalcohols, and acids)

. Recombinant proteins (e.g., antibodies)

. Gene therapy products and vaccines

Currently, DSM uses biocatalysis, biotransformation, and fermentation technolo-gies in addition to chemical methods to produce these specialties. To keep aheadof the competition and provide the best service to our customers, we use classicaland/or advanced (gen)omics tools such as proteomics and metabolomics to makecontinuous improvements in the productivity and quality of our industrial work-horses. In the many cases where it is difficult – or impossible – to apply fermenta-tion, we use (multi-step) biocatalysis to achieve our goal. Other in-house compe-tences that are of growing relevance to the pharmaceutical area include the formu-

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lation of such products into various sterile and oral dosage forms under stringentcGMP conditions.A good example of a white biotech process in the pharmaceutical area is our

route to the antibiotic cephalexin, practiced on a large industrial scale for severalyears now. By advanced enzyme and metabolic engineering we were able toreplace the traditional 10-step, mainly chemical synthesis (Fig. 29.3A) by a fer-mentative route followed by two mild enzymatic steps (Fig. 29.3B). The white bio-tech process has been shown recently to use far less energy (–65%), less input of(harsh) chemicals (–65%), is water-based, generates less waste, and is very cost-effective (–50%) (Bruggink, A.). Again, this is a bio-based process where environ-mental and economic benefits go hand in hand and for which there is no compe-titive chemical alternative (EuropaBio and McKinsey & Company, 2003; DSMposition document, 2004).

Fig. 29.3 The DSM cephalexin case. Changing from a chemical route withten difficult chemical steps (A) to a white biotech route based on metabolicengineering and biocatalysis (B).

A very recent example, which clearly shows the power and benefit of biocataly-sis, is the synthesis of a chiral intermediate for the production of cholesterol-low-

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ering drugs, also known as statins (Fig. 29.4A). The enzyme deoxyribose aldolase(DERA) from E. coli is used to catalyze two consecutive aldol condensations be-tween two molecules of acetaldehyde and one molecule of chloroacetaldehyde(Panke, S. et al.). These starting materials are readily accessible at low cost and theenzyme makes two chiral centers in one step at over 96 percent diastereomericexcess. Traditional chemical methods are far more complex and laborious. Inter-estingly, many routes to the same intermediate have been developed and almostall of them have a biocatalytic step integrated in the overall process (M�ller, M.).This is just the second aldolase-based process on an industrial scale since Glaxo-SmithKline developed an aldolase route to the antiflu drug Relenza� (Liese, A.et al.). In this case the time span between discovery and commercialization wasless than two years, and it is a clear example of a process where biocatalysis beatschemistry.

Fig. 29.4 Recently developed biocatalytic processes at DSM. A) Aldolasecatalyzed route to chiral statin intermediate, and B) hydroxynitrile lyasecatalyzed route to intermediate for a cardiovascular drug.

Yet another recent in-house example exhibiting the synthetic power of enzymesis the use of hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL) from the almond tree Prunus amygdalus(PaHNL) for the production of (R)-2-chloromandelic acid (Fig. 29.4B), which isproduced on an industrial scale for the synthesis of a number of biologically-activecompounds, including a cardiovascular drug (Effenberger, F.). Here again, a car-bon-carbon bond-forming enzyme is used to generate chiral products at high car-bon efficiency. The enzyme was cloned from the almond tree and transferred intothe yeast Pichia pastoris (Glieder, A. et al.). The process is very efficient and yieldsproducts at an enantiomeric excess of over 98 percent at close to 100 percent yield.Alternative processes based on resolution have a maximal yield of 50 percent.Thus, the bio-based HNL technology provides a more carbon-efficient route thanchemical alternatives to this important class of compounds and other a-hydroxyacids (P�chlauer, P. et al.).The success of biocatalysis depends ultimately on the economics of specific pro-

cesses. It provides enormous opportunities, and with the introduction of eachnew process, experience and confidence accumulate. It thus becomes easier to

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develop and justify the next biocatalytic step (Schmid, A. et al.; Schoemaker,H. E.). The challenge is now to develop a range of off-the-shelf biocatalysts thatcan be used to rapidly screen their potential in organic synthesis. In principle thescreening and genetic tools are available to select the desired functionality fromthe vast biodiversity nature offers us, and to tailor or even create those activitieswhich suit our purposes best. The future for industrial biotech processes involv-ing biocatalysts is bright.Besides biocatalytic and microbial systems, we are increasingly employing ani-

mal and human cell lines for the production of advanced pharmaceutical prod-ucts, including recombinant proteins such as antibodies. In collaboration with theDutch-based biotech company Crucell, we are currently improving their PER.C6-based production platform for a range of human pharmaceutical proteins.Since pharmaceuticals are becoming increasingly complex molecules, we will

keep strengthening our science base in this area too, by combining our internalskills with relevant external expertise in fermentation, biocatalysis, biotransforma-tion, and chemical synthesis.

29.3From Specialties to Commodities

The examples above are just a few selected DSM cases, and represent only a hand-ful of the white biotech processes currently being practiced and developed. Notonly chemical companies like BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Degussa, and Lonzaare active in industrial biotechnology, but also enzyme providers such as Novo-zymes, Genencor, Diversa, and Maxygen/Codexis, not to mention energy and rawmaterial providers including Shell, Total, and Cargill (see Chapter 28).These and a growing number of other chemical and biotech (startup) compa-

nies are active somewhere along the industrial biotech value chain (Fig. 29.1). Forbroad-based adoption, new products must be competitive with existing offerings.The use of alternative low-cost agricultural (by)products such as biomass is boundto give industrial biotech another boost, facilitating the shift from specialties tocommodities. According to Riese and Bachmann (Chapter 28), biomass-basedbiorefineries have the potential to reduce sugar costs substantially as they becomemore integrated. The net cost of producing sugar in an integrated biorefinery mayeven hit zero, when waste products or byproducts such as lignin and proteins gen-erate value.The shift from bio-based specialties to commodities is already visible in the mar-

ketplace with biopolymers made from corn. The first example is NatureWorks�from Cargill, which is made from corn sugar-derived lactic acid. As in the bio-chemicals examples described above, the environmental benefits are eye-opening:NatureWorks� already requires 25 to 55 percent less fossil resources, and it isplanned to replace fossil resources completely in the next four to six years (Euro-paBio and McKinsey & Company, 2003). Other high-potential biomaterials are apolymer based on 1,3-propanediol from DuPont and Genencor (Sorona�) and

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29.4 From Innovation to Impact

polyhydroxyalkanoates from Metabolix and ADM. Nexia is developing even moresophisticated protein-based materials which combine the strength and flexibilityof spider polymers. Once they are being more widely produced on a global scale,bio-based polymers may eventually become cost-competitive with traditional fos-sil-based mass polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene.A different field with its own dynamics is the bioethanol market. Huge volumes

are required to meet, for example, the EU target of 5.75 percent ethanol to fuelour mobility in 2010. To meet this ambitious objective, 9.3 million tons of bioetha-nol will have to be produced or imported by 2010. Given the limited governmentsupport in Europe, the artificially high sugar prices, and the fact that companiesare hesitating to enter this risky market, it is doubtful whether this target will bemet in time. The impact of cheap bioethanol on the chemical industry would bevery high, since ethanol can not only serve as a potential energy source for (bio)-chemical processing, but also as a cheap building block for (bio)chemical synthe-sis. A typical example here would be polyethylene.Different chemical markets are introducing and using biotechnology at differ-

ent rates. In general, the development time for biomaterials is longer than for bio-chemicals. As our examples have shown, the development time for biochemicalsis steadily decreasing and can be as short as two years. For biomaterials, a timespan of five to as much as 15 years between concept and customer seems morerealistic at present, but this period is bound to decrease as well in light of the rapidtechnological advances and the growing need to replace fossil resources.

29.4From Innovation to Impact

The global impact of industrial biotechnology on the chemical industry is cur-rently relatively low. About five percent of all chemicals today are produced byindustrial biotechnology. Riese and Bachmann estimate that ten percent of allchemicals sold by the year 2010 will be biotech-derived using renewable resources.The impact will be greatest in the fine chemical sector, with an estimated 60 per-cent share of white biotech products.As DSM shapes its life-science activities through in-house developments, acqui-

sitions, venturing, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships, we see whitebiotechnology gaining momentum by the day and being recognized as a potentialgateway to a more sustainable future. While the United States and Japan havealready endorsed a very progressive position towards industrial biotechnology,Europe is shaping its own future at the moment by establishing – among otherthings – a Technology Platform on Sustainable Chemistry. Industrial biotechnol-ogy forms one of the main sections in this platform, together with materials tech-nology and process & reaction design. The Technology Platform can be regardedas a multi-stakeholder public-private partnership between industry, the researchcommunity, agriculture, and society, and it is bound to set the strategic researchand policy agenda for the European chemical industry (the biggest in the world!)

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in the next decades. In accordance with the European vision for white biotechnol-ogy (EuropaBio and Cefic, 2005):. An increasing number of chemicals and materials will be pro-duced using biotechnology in one of their processing steps;

. Biotechnology will allow increasingly eco-efficient use of renew-able resources as raw materials for the (chemical) industry;

. Industrial biotechnology will enable a range of industries tomanufacture products in an economically and environmentallysustainable way;

. Biomass-derived energy, together with other renewable energysources, is expected to cover an increasing amount of our energyconsumption.

To meet these targets, the main tasks of this Technology Platform will be todevelop a strategic research agenda and road map, remove technical, economic,regulatory, and implementation barriers, and involve society in the decision-mak-ing process via a dialogue with stakeholders. By technical barriers we mean that,despite the undisputed progress in (gen)omics, the technology – in its broadestsense – is still relatively immature compared with, for example, conventionalchemistry. Economic barriers include the requirement of high capital investmentsto replace traditional processes, or to start up new ones. Incentives such as corpo-rate tax advantages, or investment tax credits, are highly desirable to encouragethe switch from petro to bio. Another important economic barrier is the high Eur-opean sugar price discussed above. Developments such as the announced reformof the sugar regime will be helpful in making European-grown feedstock availableat world market prices. Regulations can often be a barrier, either when new prod-ucts have to comply with existing legislation, or when stringent, precautionaryregulation makes compliance unfairly costly. A more balanced risk/benefitapproach to regulation rather than a purely risk-centered philosophy would bebeneficial for both industry and society. On the intellectual property front, the lackof an affordable European patent system is a severe disadvantage for Europeanscience and innovation. In addition, encouragement should be given to support-ing policies which will allow the increasingly stringent environmental criteria tobe met (EuropaBio and McKinsey & Company, 2003, EuropaBio and Cefic, 2005).Key to the successful exploitation of white biotechnology is that market push andmarket pull are properly attuned by combining strong industry leadership withbroad-based stakeholder commitment.The worldwide prospects of industrial biotechnology are looking brighter than

ever before due, amongst other things, to the momentum generated by theagenda of the Technology Platform on Sustainable Chemistry, the rapid advancesin (gen)omic technologies, the proven environmental and economic benefits itoffers, increasing oil prices, and biotech’s role as an important driver of innova-tion. Promises are increasingly becoming reality and turning into profit. DSM ishighly committed to playing a leading role in shaping the third – industrial –wave of biotechnology which, in our view, will create a more sustainable society

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29.5 Summary

for the people of today and the generations of the future: a future where societal(People), environmental (Planet), and economic (Profit) benefits will go hand inhand.

29.5Summary

. Industrial (white) biotechnology is rapidly gaining momentum asa cost-effective and environmentally-friendly technology for pro-ducing bio-based chemicals, materials, and fuels in a safe andsustainable way from renewable resources.

. DSM is increasingly active in this growing business area, withabout 40 percent of its life science/nutritional products currentlybiotech-derived. The company realizes that innovation will be keyto its future success.

. This chapter outlines a number of examples from DSM’s key bio-tech product areas, demonstrating their advantages and improve-ments over time:– Food, feed, and nutritional ingredients, where it focuses on

biomass, enzymes, and nutritional ingredients.– Pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, where its product port-

folio covers a wide variety of specialties including antibiotics,chiral intermediates, and recombinant proteins.

. The authors point out that an increasing number of companiesare becoming involved in white biotech, and that biotechnology isspreading from specialties to commodities.

. Finally, they outline the role played by governments and govern-ment bodies such as the European Technology Platform on Sus-tainable Chemistry as well as other stakeholders.

. In the authors’ eyes, industrial biotechnology will create a moresustainable society for the people of today and the generations ofthe future.

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Value Creation || Industrial Biotech at DSM: From Concept to Customer