The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has allowed two AgriDyneTechnologies patents related to the company's bioinsecticidemanufacturing process. The Salt Lake City company is working todevelop environmentally compatible bioinsecticides using compoundsderived from the neem tree, which is native to India and other tropicalcountries.The first patent is for a refining process that removes fungalcontaminants found in neem seeds from the company's neem extract.The process is used in the manufacture of technical-grade azadirachtin,which is used in the production of the company's bioinsecticides.The second patent is for a method of producing stable insecticideformulations containing high concentrations of azadirachtin. Higher-concentration formulations provide for greater economies in thehandling and use of pest control products, particularly when treatinglarge-acreage crops such as vegetables, fruits, cotton and soybeans.AgriDyne has also received a $63,000 Small Business InnovationResearch (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to studythe possibility of producing azadirachtin from tissue-cultured cells ofthe tropical neem tree as an alternative to extracting the compoundfrom neem seeds. The grant will be used for a six-month validationstudy. If successful, a larger two-year study will be conducted.Successful cellular production of biologically active neem compoundswould lessen AgriDyne's dependence on seasonal availability of seedsand on seed supplies from developing countries.Philippa Maister

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