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Letter to the Editor

USPTO Awards 7 Millionth Patent to DuPont for Bio-Based Material Invention

Polysaccharide fibers are “cotton-like” fibers derived from biologically based renewable resources. They are biodegradable and suitable for use in textiles. The patent issued for “Polysaccharide Fibers” is the 33,801st U.S. patent awarded to DuPont since company founder E.I. du Pont was granted U.S. Patent #590 in 1804 for a “machine for granulating gunpowder.”

DuPont and its affiliates ranked 2nd worldwide with the most biotechnology patents approved by the USPTO in 2004, according to the publication Nature Biotechnology.

O’Brien has been a polymer chemist with DuPont since 1978. He holds 15 patentsin all, for his research in the areas of advanced composites and bio-based materials.

“The realm of materials science is as exciting today as it was during the fibers revolution,” O’Brien said. “USP 7,000,000 embodies many of the elements of an exciting new frontier, one that is at the interface between biological science and materials science.”

Polysaccharide fibers can be made from renewable resources such as corn. The manufacture of Bio-PDO(TM) is done using a new biological process that requires over 40 percent less total energy than alternative petrochemical-based processes. Bio-PDO will be commercially available later this year.

“Protection of intellectual property via our patent system is key to maintaining the competitiveness of U.S. industry,” said Senior Vice President & Chief Science and Technology Officer Thomas M. Connelly, Jr. “We are honored to receive this milestone patent today, which recognizes our efforts to use renewable resources and biology to create innovative products that are sustainable and can begin to reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. This is another notable recognition of DuPont’s state-of-the-art efforts in developing the field of industrial biotechnology.”

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Del.), U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member: “It's fitting that it is a DuPont researcher who will receive the 7 millionth U.S. patent. For decades, DuPont has been in the forefront of some of the most significant and important innovations the world has seen. I would not be the least bit surprised to see the 8 millionth patent go to a DuPont researcher too.”

In 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented DuPont with its annual “Presidential Green Chemistry Award” for the company’s research leading to the development of Bio-PDO.

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