Synthetic biology is a new scientific discipline that involves the design and construction of new biological parts or systems, as well as the re-design of existing biological systems, for specific applications. This new discipline takes the knowledge gained from the analysis of existing biological systems and applies it to the construction of new ones.

Amyris is using synthetic biology techniques to build biological solutions to important global problems. We focus on creating new metabolic pathways in microbes, essentially re-programming them to function as living factories for the environmentally-friendly production of high-value chemicals. Our first project converts a microbe known for its ability to make copious amounts of alcohol, such as yeast, into a chemical factory for a proven anti-malarial drug. Our second project is the development of a fermentation process that uses custom-designed microbes to renewably produce second-generation, high-performance biofuels that are cost-effective and compatible with current automotive and distribution technologies.