History

A simple mission

From the beginning, Genencor has been committed to a simple mission - to apply biotechnology tools to create efficient, eco-friendly product solutions to transform a range of industries. And we did just that.

Innovations for industry

We’ve proven our ability to deliver innovative products to advance industries ranging from cleaning and textiles to food and animal feed to biofuel, biodefense, and biosafety. Along the way, we have achieved many scientific breakthroughs and become one of the world’s most exciting biotechnology companies.

Genencor has consistently demonstrated the ability to discover novel gene products, optimize these products to improve performance in commercial applications, and deliver improved products to its customers in a timely, cost-effective manner.

A long history of firsts

Genencor’s list of biotechnology firsts is testimony to the success of our innovative, integrated technology approach. Here is a brief sample of our many milestones:

1984	First large-scale rDNA enzyme ever sold
1987	First large-scale successfully engineered enzyme
1990	First to express a mammalian gene in fungi
1998	First product commercialized from an extremophile (a microorganism that thrives in extreme environmental conditions)
2000	First product commercialized via directed evolution
2000	Received a $17 million grant from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop low-cost cellulase and other enzymes for the production of ethanol from biomass (unused crop and plant material)