US firms in link-up to advance bio-isoprene production

Hayward, California – Two US firms has joined hands to advance the production of bio-based isoprene for the manufacture synthetic rubber.

The partnership involves bioengineering start-up Visolis and Ginkgo Bioworks, a cell programming specialist, said a 24 April announcement. 

The aim is to optimise Visolis’ existing microbe-based technology for the commercial production bio-based isoprene, explained the California-based startup.

According to Visolis, the company’s two-step manufacturing process can convert plant sugars into isoprene with a high yield.

As part of the joint work, Boston firm Ginkgo will contribute its “large codebase of strains and pathway expertise” to shorten strain engineering cycles.

Furthermore, Ginkgo’s 'scalable foundry capabilities' will help Visolis bring its “process to the next level," said Deepak Dugar, founder and CEO at Visolis.

Achieving bio-based isoprene production at scale is “one of the most challenging biochemical synthesis processes,” noted Visolis.

This is due mainly to the inherent properties of the isoprene molecule, including its combustibility, volatility and reactivity.

In 2015, Visolis won an EU Horizon 2020 grant for a project to produce bio-isoprene via a relatively low-cost, low-emissions process.

Hayward-based Visolis says its technology can be industrially implemented by retrofitting bioethanol manufacturers in existing fermenter systems.