SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biotechnology company Zymergen (ZY) today announced a new Automation business and updated portfolio, further refining the company’s focus on high-value solutions where its proprietary platform can provide distinct advantages.
Zymergen’s Automation business delivers proven automation technology to organizations interested in improving the throughput, efficiency, and reliability of their lab operations. Automation technology has advanced slowly over the last decade, resulting in largely under-automated labs, limiting scientific progress, growth, and scalability. Zymergen recognized this technology gap early in its history. Unsatisfied with existing off-the-shelf solutions, they created a patented full-stack automation system that meets the needs of dynamic lab operations with integrated hardware and custom software, dramatically improving performance and reducing workloads from months to days.
“We set out to solve our own lab automation and throughput challenges, and in the process, wound up developing a solution that we believe will help others across the industry,” said VP of Automation Commercialization, Will Serber. “Our Automation solutions have been developed in tight iteration with our lab scientists, data scientists and software engineers in a way that traditional vendors can seldom access. We are confident that our lab-tested Automation offering provides unique capabilities designed to deliver rapid improvement in our customers’ operations - regardless of organization size or maturity.”
Working in close partnership with its own internal experts and users, Zymergen’s Automation team created modern, robust software solutions with extensive and scalable data capture and handling tools, as well as the physical interfaces scientists need. The result is an integrated automation system that delivers the same technology and expertise used by Zymergen’s scientists to customers seeking to accelerate their own research and development. The SaaS-style offering is designed to match technology and services to each customer’s specific needs, helping reduce repetitive tasks, increase speed, and free scientific and research staff to focus on higher value work.
“Building with biology is challenging, and without the right tools, the technical and financial limitations can be insurmountable for young and mature organizations alike,” said Zymergen interim CEO Jay Flatley. “Our Automation business can help organizations lower the barrier to entry by providing scalable and fully supported automation solutions. We can help customers level-up their lab and process automation capabilities with tools that enable speed, quality, and growth rather than layering on additional technical burdens.”
Portfolio updates
In addition to the Automation offering, Zymergen provided investors with details around its refined product portfolio, expanding on updates shared at the end of Q3 and emphasizing a narrower focus on high-value microbes, molecules and materials for a number of markets.
Zymergen’s nitrogen fixation program continues to advance, with the company having achieved significant performance improvements; halving the time needed to onboard and improve strains while data collection wraps up on large scale field trials at over 50 sites in the US. Work is also progressing with a key partner on polymers to be used in electronics applications.
Additionally, in recent proofs-of-concept, Zymergen has received strong feedback from potential customers on the performance of its polymers for use in additive manufacturing applications, as well as for a biodegradable water repellency product using a family of molecules that binds to cellulose. And with its mRNA enzyme portfolio, early results are promising, achieving VCE (vaccinia capping enzyme) and 2’-O-MT at production targets exceeding industry benchmarks, with paths to further improvement. Manufacturing scale up work for the enzymes is underway and additional enzymes are being evaluated for scale up and improvement.
“We are pleased with the progress we made last year and believe our updated strategy gives us a strong path toward multiple product opportunities,” said Flatley. “We are focused on fewer high-value programs, have implemented rigorous processes, and have leaner teams with greater commercial intensity. We believe we are well positioned with our portfolio of products coupled with our new Automation and Drug Discovery businesses, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”
About Zymergen
Zymergen is a biotech company that designs and produces molecules, microbes and materials for diverse end markets. We partner with nature to make better products, a better way, for a better world. For more information about the company or to listen to today's presentation, visit the Events section at https://investors.zymergen.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are based on Zymergen’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to it on the date of this press release. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,” “can,” “aims,” “will,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “project,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “expect,” “designed to,” “developing,” “focus” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this press release, include but are not limited to statements regarding the potential for our automation business, drug discovery business and portfolio of products, including our nitrogen fixation program, polymers for use in electronics and additive manufacturing applications, water repellency product and mRNA enzyme portfolio; our focus on high-value solutions and programs; our platform expertise and the advantages provided by our platform; and our updated strategy and strong path toward multiple product opportunities. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, risks relating to our ability to successfully commercialize or generate revenue from our products; our ability to develop or execute on our new strategic plan and our ability to reduce our operating costs and extend our cash runway. These and other risks are described more fully in Zymergen’s filings with the SEC, including Zymergen’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, and other documents Zymergen subsequently files with the SEC. Except to the extent required by law, Zymergen undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
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