Inside Amyris: The Name, The People, The Beginning

Jan. 29 - KGO (KGO) -- UC Berkeley scientist Jay Keasling was the unsung hero of the broadcast piece. He was the magnet that drew together the three post-doc candidates who now form Amyris Biotechnologies. Keasling was an equal partner in the creation of the company and is a board member, though he does not work at the Amyris office like the three principles. Vice President of Research, Jack Newman says it was over "lots of bad Chinese food and good wine" at Keasling's house that the concept of Amyirs was born.

So what is "Amyris," anyway? Is it a made-up name? No, according to Newman, it "is an oil that comes from the Amyris balsamifera plant. It was cultivated as a replacement for Sandalwood when the supply of Sandalwood became low and price became high." Ah ha& very clever, makes sense, eh?

Amyris' next-generation biofuel could be used in current cars without any engine modifications. The new fuel could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 90 percent as compared with petroleum products. And biofuel isn't the only part of the petroleum market that could take a hit from Amyris products. Anything that involves oil as an ingredient could be produced by Amyris and its engineered molecules.

It's hard to imagine that VP of Development, Neil Renninger, is only 32. President Kinkead Reiling is only a bit older than that. And Newman is the old guy at 40. They were about 6 years younger when the idea for Amyris came together in Keasling's lab. One might not always associate market smarts with lab smarts. But this is one case where the parties are apparently multi-talented.

For Newman, Amyris is the fulfillment of a childhood dream. He was 14-years old, taking classes at Santa Rosa Community College, when he learned about the potential of what's now known as synthetic biology. It captured his imagination, and he dedicated his academic life to the goal he's now achieved.

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