Amyris Enters Partnership with Biogen to Develop Alternative Cell Lines Supporting Production of Therapeutics


EMERYVILLE, Calif., Aug. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS), the industrial bioscience company, is pleased to announce it has entered into a funded partnership with Biogen, Inc. (Nasdaq:BIIB). The collaboration will explore the use of Amyris’s advanced microbe engineering technology to evaluate and develop multiple host microorganisms as alternatives to mammalian cell lines for the production of therapeutic recombinant proteins.

“We are pleased to have signed our second major partnership in the biopharma market and we believe with Biogen, the biopharma market is now well positioned to become our largest opportunity for collaborations,” said Cynthia Bryant, Amyris Senior Vice President Corporate Development & Collaborations.

For many recombinant protein therapeutics, mammalian cell lines are engineered to produce the needed protein using a fermentation process. While tremendous progress has been made in increasing productivity, limitations remain.

“Over the course of the partnership, Amyris will utilize its leading strain engineering and screening technology to evaluate the tractability of each selected species as a new potential cell line for recombinant protein production,” explained Joel Cherry, Amyris’s President, Research and Development. “Selected candidates from the initial work will go into a second phase of development to create commercially robust cell lines for use in drug manufacturing.”

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, specialty ingredients and consumer products. The company is delivering its No Compromise® products in focused markets, including specialty and performance chemicals, fragrance ingredients, and cosmetic emollients. 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 facts could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding future events (such as the use of Amyris’s advanced microbe engineering technology to evaluate and develop multiple host microorganisms as alternatives to mammalian cell lines for the production of therapeutic recombinant proteins, the biopharma market becoming Amyris’s largest opportunity for collaborations, and Amyris’s ability to create commercially robust cell lines for use in drug manufacturing), 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 Amyris's liquidity and ability to fund operating and capital expenses, Amyris's reliance on third parties to achieve its goals, timing and execution risks associated with development and manufacturing, potential delays or failures in development, production and commercialization of products, and other risks detailed in the “Risk Factors” section of Amyris’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2016. 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 are registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


            

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