Rose scent in poplar trees? University turns to genetic engineering

WSU staff scientist Barri Herman, who oversees the field trials, holds a tray of genetically engineered poplar cuttings, Jan. 13, 2014. (Greg Gilbert/Seattle Times/MCT)

Under USDA regulations, every genetically engineered tree is tagged and its GPS coordinates noted, as seen, Jan. 13, 2014, in Washington State. (Greg Gilbert/Seattle Times/MCT)

SEATTLE _ Sniff the air around Norman Lewis' experimental poplars, and you won't pick up the scent of roses.

But inside the saplings' leaves and stems, cells are hard at work producing the chemical called 2-phenylethanol _ which by any other name would smell as sweet.

Sweeter still is the fact that perfume and cosmetics companies will pay as much as $30 an ounce for the compound that gives roses their characteristic aroma. Because what Lewis and his colleagues at Washington State University are really chasing is the smell of money.

Born out of the frustrating quest to wring biofuels from woody plants, the WSU project takes a different tack. Instead of grinding up trees to produce commercial quantities of so-called cellulosic ethanol, their goal is to turn poplars into living factories that churn out modest levels of chemicals with premium price tags.

The potential market for specialty chemicals _ many of which are now synthesized from petroleum _ is big, said Lewis, director of WSU's Institute of Biological Chemistry. He's already patented some of the technology, which relies on genetic engineering, and created a spinoff company called Elasid.

In the longer term, the profits from high-end products could boost the struggling biofuel industry by helping companies survive what's called the "valley of death" _ the point where firms need to scale up production, but money is hard to come by.

The ideal operation would combine the two product lines, extracting valuable chemicals and using the waste for biofuel. But that's a long way off, Lewis said.

"Biofuels don't provide a compelling economic case at this point in time," he said. "We've been trying for many decades to understand how plants make these special chemicals that can be used in flavorings, fuels and medicinals, and that seemed like the obvious first place to target."

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Rose scent in poplar trees? University turns to genetic engineering