Arzeda and Zymergen Collaborate on Development of New Molecules

SEATTLE, WA and EMERYVILLE, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 21, 2016) - Zymergen and Arzeda announced today a multi-year agreement to develop strains and processes to manufacture novel, high utility molecules and materials utilizing Arzeda's pathway and enzyme design and Zymergen's strain construction capabilities. 

"The development of new materials was a major driver of technological development over the course of the 20^th century. Biology has the potential to drive materials breakthroughs in the 21^st century, and Arzeda's technology can help identify new avenues for unlocking this potential," said Zach Serber, Zymergen's Chief Scientific Officer. "We look forward to the results of the collaboration."

"We have only started to scratch the surface of what synthetic biology can deliver in terms of new molecules and materials. Arzeda's computational design technology opens up the ability to produce molecules with applications in transportation, medicine, and communications that are not currently biosynthetized," said Alexandre Zanghellini, Arzeda's Chief Executive Officer. "Uniting with Zymergen's innovative strain design platform has the potential to help make our designs a reality. "Zymergen's scientists are constantly pushing the envelope in synthetic biology, and we are thrilled to be working with their team."

Arzeda's Archytas™ industrial protein design software and Scylax™ computational pathway design tool will be used to identify and design new enzymatic pathways capable of producing molecules that are impossible to synthesize via conventional chemistry. These pathway designs will be implemented and tested by Zymergen's high-throughput strain development and testing platform.

About Zymergen
Since 2013, Zymergen has been applying the latest advances in biology, automation, machine learning, and data architecture to develop new, more efficient and more reliable ways to optimize microorganisms for industrial fermentation. In collaboration with industrial partners, Zymergen has improved the economics of their fermented products by reducing manufacturing costs and/or increasing revenue. Zymergen's platform leverages the power of biology to make products with superior properties to serve a range of industries and applications. More information is available at www.zymergen.com.

About Arzeda
Since 2008 Arzeda has been harnessing the power of computational and synthetic biology to create new enzymes and chemical products that can compete on cost, performance and sustainability. In partnership with Fortune 500 companies and industrial leaders, the company has developed a portfolio of enzymes and specialty chemicals for polymers, advanced materials and health and nutrition products. Arzeda's proprietary platform and validation process rapidly creates "cell factories" that can be used at industrial scales to solve problems and create opportunities that otherwise would be impossible. More information is available online at www.arzeda.com and twitter.com/@ArzedaCo.