EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS), a leader in the development and production of sustainable, fermentation-derived ingredients in the markets of Health & Wellness, Clean Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances announces that it plans to partner with BGI, the world’s largest genomics company. The companies intend to apply their synthetic biology platforms in a new joint venture to discover, develop and commercialize human microbiome-targeting health and nutrition products in Greater China.
The joint venture seeks to combine Amyris’s best-in-class science and technology with BGI’s gene sequencing expertise, data and analytics. The goal will be to develop health products for the Greater China market using natural products including traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients produced with sustainable resources and through Amyris’s proprietary clean fermentation capabilities.
“When we combine BGI’s strengths and knowledge base with our proven capability to rapidly develop molecules with health benefits, and at a lower cost through our patented process of fermentation and clean manufacturing, we can bring new microbiome-targeting products that can be transformative to the health of people throughout Greater China,” said John Melo, President and CEO of Amyris.
Recent studies have shown that the human microbiome, which comprises all the microorganisms living in the human gut and on the human skin, play a significant role in human health and diseases including obesity and Type-2 diabetes. Starting with the ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine and herbal supplements, where strong data exists to support the linkage to a healthy gut microbiome, the new joint venture between Amyris and BGI will focus on developing molecules from sustainable sources that can be manufactured at lower cost than deriving the molecules from sources with limited supply, either economically or socially.
This approach builds on Amyris’s strong track record of giving more people access to products that are purer and more consistent than products sourced from vulnerable species of plants and animals or from petroleum. For example, through a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Amyris successfully developed the fermentation process of artemisinin acid, a key precursor for the production of the antimalarial drug artemisinin that is also sourced from the wormwood tree in Southeast Asia.
As the global leader in genomics, BGI also has one of the world’s largest collection of human microbiome cultures with more than 3,000 microbes isolated from the human gut.
Yin Ye, CEO of BGI Genomics commented, “We can create the most powerful platform and applications of synthetic biology if we join the force of Amyris’s state of the art strain engineering technology with BGI’s genomics knowledge and database. This would also expand our capability from gene sequencing, gene synthesis and editing to even design new forms of microbiome. We can then tackle many challenges in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and human microbiome to greatly improve human wellbeing.”
About BGI
BGI was founded in 1999 with the vision of using genomics to benefit mankind and has since become one of the largest genomics organizations in the world. With a focus on research and applications in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, conservation and environmental fields, BGI has a proven track record of innovative, high profile research that has generated over 1,600 publications. BGI’s goal is to make state-of-the-art genomics highly accessible to the global research community and clinical markets by integrating the industry’s broadest array of leading technologies, including BGI’s own sequencing platform, economies of scale, and expert bioinformatics resources. BGI also offers a wide portfolio of transformative genetic testing products across major diseases, enabling medical providers and patients worldwide to realize the promise of genomics-based diagnostics and personalized healthcare.
About Amyris
Amyris is the integrated renewable products company that is enabling the world’s leading brands to achieve sustainable growth. Amyris applies its innovative bioscience solutions to convert plant sugars into hydrocarbon molecules and produce specialty ingredients and consumer products. The company is delivering its No Compromise™ products and services across a number of markets, including specialty and performance chemicals, flavors and fragrances, cosmetics ingredients, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals. More information about the company is available at www.amyris.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, and any statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding future events (such as the expected formation of a joint venture between Amyris and BGI, the anticipated development and commercialization by the joint venture of health products for the Greater China market, including the cost and sourcing thereof, and the expected impact of such products on the health of people throughout Greater China), that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on management's current expectations and actual results and future events may differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including risks related to Amyris's liquidity and ability to fund operating and capital expenses, potential delays or failures in development, production and commercialization of products, risks related to Amyris's reliance on third parties, and other risks detailed from time to time in filings Amyris makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Amyris disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Amyris, the Amyris logo and No Compromise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contact:
Peter DeNardo
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Amyris, Inc.
+1 (510) 740-7481
investor@amyris.com
pr@amyris.com