The present invention provides, inter alia, a method for combined preparation of saccharides, alcohols (biofuel) and biodiesel using a composition comprising interior hydrophobic or hydrophilic medium encapsulated by a layer comprising cellulose, cellulose derivative material, and/or starch surrounded by a hydrophilic or hydrophobic medium, respectively.

Variant polypeptides having beta-amylase activity and methods of making and using the enzymes in baking, detergents, personal care products, in the processing of textiles, in pulp and paper processing, in the production of ethanol, lignocellulosic ethanol, or syrups; as viscosity breakers in oilfield and mining industries.

In one aspect, the invention is directed to polypeptides having an amylase activity, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and methods for making and using these polynucleotides and polypeptides. The polypeptides of the invention can be used as amylases to catalyze the hydrolysis of starch into sugars.

The present invention provides enzymes that have been optimized by implementation of Protein Repair One Stop Shop (PROSS), an algorithm that generates protein design(s) for enhanced stability without changing either enzymatic properties or enzyme active site conformation of the respective enzyme. The protein design(s) generated by PROSS introduce mutations to the amino acid sequence of a wild-type protein, resulting in a mutated amino acid sequence that encodes a variant of the wild-type enzyme, i.e., an enzyme variant, which has an enhanced stability, core packing, surface polarity and backbone rigidity, a higher functional expression, and/or a combination thereof, compared to the stability core packing, surface polarity and backbone rigidity, functional expression and/or a combination thereof, of the wild-type enzyme.

Lipase enzymes, methods of making lipase enzymes, methods of using lipase enzymes in food, feed, personal care, detergents, grain processing, pulp and paper processing, biofuels, ethanol production, textiles, dairy processing, cocoa butter processing, cocoa extraction, dietary supplements, coffee processing, coatings, water treatment, and oil processing.

A method for removing a stain from a surface using lipase enzymes, and a formulation comprising a lipase enzyme.

A treatment for pruritus is described that is based upon amylase. The amylases (-, -, -amylase) are noted for the cleavage of the -glycosidic bonds of polysaccharides, yielding lower molecular weight carbohydrate/sugar fragments. It has now been found that -amylase is effective in the reduction of pruritus (itching) of affected tissue.

The present invention concerns an improved method for extracting -amylases from a soluble fraction of a starch plant, said method comprising a step of clarification by microfiltration and a step of concentration and purification by ultrafiltration. This method is characterised in that it uses a protease during the microfiltration step, making it possible to greatly reduce the fouling of the membranes used, which increases the production time before washing. Simultaneously, perfectly clear permeates are obtained, which assists with the subsequent ultrafiltration step and makes it possible to improve the transmission of -amylase. Finally, the protease has no negative effect on the -amylase activity.

A therapeutic composition for the treatment of the symptoms of Williams Syndrome and the method for preparing the therapeutic agents is disclosed. The therapeutic composition is a stable pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive and/or pancreatic enzymes. The therapeutic composition may be manufactured by a variety of encapsulation technologies. Delivery of the therapeutic composition may be made orally, through injection, by adherence of a medicated patch or other method. Further, a method of using fecal chymotrypsin level as a biomarker for the presence of Williams Syndrome, or the likelihood of an individual to develop Williams Syndrome is disclosed.

The invention features multi-specific fusion protein complexes with one domain comprising IL-15 or a functional variant and a binding domain specific to IL-7 or IL-21.