New Chemo-Biocatalytic Solutions to Synthesize your APIs and Intermediates

PCAS and Protéus create PCAS Biosolution to integrate chemistry and biotech

Orlando, FL, U.S.A. , February 14, 2006 – PCAS, a supplier of fine and specialty chemicals listed on the Euronext stock market and Protéus, a privately held biotechnology company, today announced at the INFORMEX trade show that they are creating PCAS Biosolution, a joint-venture focused on the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates and building blocks, using new chemo-biocatalytic manufacturing routes. The chemo-biocatalytic routes developed, will combine chemistry and biocatalysis, to provide new specificity and enhanced performance in manufacturing processes.

“Through PCAS Biosolution, our customers will benefit from all the value drivers of integrating biocatalysis into chemical processes.” said Christian Moretti, chairman of PCAS. “Benefits include the ability to produce complex chiral compounds using commercially viable routes, reduce manufacturing costs, improve productivity, reduce byproducts and develop competitive green chemistry”.

PCAS Biosolution will integrate the multidisciplinary expertise, technologies and capabilities, in both chemistry and biology, required to rapidly develop and scale up the industrial chemo-biocatalytic routes to APIs and intermediates. “The early-stage integration of biocatalysis into the Chemical Process R&D gives us an edge to reap all the benefits of this technology for the projects of our clients”, Christian Moretti added.

PCAS Biosolution will have exclusive license rights to the intellectual property platform from both PCAS and Protéus, to apply to chemical process development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. “Since 1998, using a unique combination of biodiversity screening and protein engineering, we have successfully developed a wide range of enzymes for specific chemical reactions. This toolbox is constantly expanding and includes all major classes of catalytic activities that are relevant for fine chemistry such as esterases, nitrilases, nitrile hydratases, amidases, epoxyde hydrolases, oxydo-reductases and many others” said Daniel Dupret, Chairman and CEO of Protéus. “Using our gene shuffling technology L-Shuffling™, we tailor these biocatalysts to develop cutting edge chemo-biocatalytic routes to the target molecules of our clients.” he added.

To accelerate the industrialization of the chemo-biocatalytic routes, PCAS Biosolution will benefit from the bio-process expertise developed at Protéus, and from capabilities to produce biocatalysts in amounts sufficient for lab-, pilot- and industrial multi-ton scale production of APIs and intermediates.

About PCAS : PCAS (www.pcas.fr) is a group quoted on the Eurolist compartiment C, specialized in fine and specialty chemicals. It develops and manufactures high added-value molecules, or molecules of a strong technological content for the pharmaceutical, perfume, cosmetic and industrial sectors.

About Protéus : Protéus (http://www.proteus.fr/) is focused on providing new proteins and bio-based products and processes to pharmaceutical, cosmetics, fine chemicals, agrochemical and other life science industries. Protéus proprietary platform includes a unique microbial biodiversity with a vast collection of micro-organisms originating from extreme environments and proprietary technologies for functional high throughput screening and protein engineering, including L-Shuffling™, Phenomics™ and CLIPS-O™. Comprehensive concept-to-completion solutions are developed within partnership agreements while more specific service contracts for protein engineering and manufacturing are provided by the recently launched Protéus Services for Industry business unit.