Dyadic’s team of microbiologists and molecular biologists are experts in the areas of strain development. Both the classic mutagenesis and screening approach, as well as more modern recombinant DNA methods, have been used to generate biological strains that overproduce enzymes and other proteins of commercial interest.

Classical Strain Development
Innovative approaches to classical strain improvement have led to commercially improved biological strains. The C1 strain – originally developed by Dyadic for neutral cellulase production - is a prime example of Dyadic’s capabilities. The C1 strain, which is only a few mutagenic steps removed from the wild type strain, has an unsurpassed ability to produce protein, forming the basis for Dyadic’s hyperproducing C1 expression system. (More at Gene Expression). By minimizing the number of steps from wild type to production organism, the accumulation of undesired and deleterious secondary mutations was minimized.

Dyadic products created through various classical strain development projects include: (See the Enzymes section for more information.)
NCE – neutral cellulase for textiles
ACE – acid cellulase for textiles
Ultra – improved acid cellulase for textiles
FibreZyme – for pulp and paper processing
GrainGain – beta glucanase and xylanase for animal feed
BrewZyme Series – for brewing
FoodCel Series – for baking, fruit juice, alcohol applications
CeluStar XL – xylanase for starch processing
GlucoStar L300 – glucoamylase for starch processing
ViscoStar Series – for ethanol production

Recombinant Strain Development
Currently, Dyadic has two groundbreaking gene expression systems for the production of enzymes and other proteins: the "C1 Express" Hyperproducing Gene Expression System and a second, proprietary system at an advanced stage of development. By using these advanced systems to discover and express novel proteins, Dyadic has a number of products in development, including enzymes for the textile, animal feed, food, and pulp and paper industries.

Dyadic scientists have taken the C1 cellulase-producing organism, that produces ultra high levels of protein, and engineered it for the production of heterologous proteins. Vectors for the facile genetic manipulation of C1 and vectors allowing for the expression of cloned genes in C1 have been developed. The latter utilize the strong promoters discovered in the C1 organism, a result of Dyadic’s research examining C1’s production of cellulases and other enzymes.

Additionally, the utilization of the C1 system for biopharmaceutical production is being pursued, with important technical milestones already achieved and more in development. Among the recent milestones is the high-level expression of a human gene for a biopharmaceutical product candidate; and the demonstration of a core glycosylation structure that is more "human-like" than those of yeasts and other fungi.

The C1 system could prove to be the expression system of choice for such products due to its robustness, ease of use, and ability to produce proteins under a variety of fermentation conditions.