Amyris Biotech
Amyris is a renewable products company headquartered in Emeryville, California. Founded in 2003, Amyris has raised over $120 million in equity funding to-date, including investments from Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, TPG Biotech, and DAG Ventures. Amyris has over 200 employees and facilities in Emeryville, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Campinas, Brazil. Their two main products are renewable fuels and artemisinin.
Renewable Fuels
Amyris's science platform, called No Compromise™, is focused on sugarcane as a sustainable alternative to petroleum and coal-derived jet fuel. Amyris's jet fuel, unlike other current renewable alternatives, performs well at low temperatures, can be produced in the US at competitive economics using sugar cane as a feedstock, and meets initial certification criteria.
They are establishing partnerships and capabilities needed to bring the renewable diesel fuel into market by 2010. The company's main actions include:
- joint venture with Crystalsev, one of Brazil's largest ethanol distributors and marketers
- licensing technology to Santa Elisa, 2nd largest ethanol producer in Brazil
- distributing renewable fuels through a US subsidiary
- building a production facility in Emeryville
Artemisnin
Artemisinin is a compound naturally found in the Chinese Sweet Wormwood plant effective in the treatment of malaria. Its production is hampered by difficult climate and agricultural conditions. Funded by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Institute for OneWorld Health, Amyris and UC Berkeley have been working together on the Artemisinin Project since 2004 to help create a non-seasonal, high-quality, affordable artemisinin supply. The goal is to reduce the production cycle to 14 days, in contrast to the months or years it can take to extract naturally occurring artemisinin.
In the first quarter of 2008, Amyris announced that it is transferring its technology to the pharmaceutical company sanofi-aventis for large-scale development. Their claim is it will ultimately enable the treatment of more than 500 million estimated individuals who contract malaria, with a goal of market availability by 2010-2011.
Media coverage
- A Better Biofuel on MIT Tech Review (April 2007)
- Bets on Biotech on US News (November 2006)