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Jay D. Keasling, Founder, Amyris Biotechnology Inc., USA
 1) Briefly tell us what it is about your company/project that makes it so special?
Amyris Biotechnologies is applying the tools of synthetic biology to make bioactive chemical compounds for use as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and fine chemicals. Using engineered microbes and rapid enzymatic pathway construction techniques, Amyris builds cells that are capable of producing virtually any class of chemical, including high-value compounds that are currently available only in limited quantities. Our innovative production technology will expand the accessibility and reduce the cost of life-saving drugs and economically important chemicals to both the developed and developing worlds.
As our flagship project, we are applying our innovative approach to address a critical need in the developing world. Specifically, we are constructing a synthetic microbe for use in the production of the anti-malarial drug artemisinin, Malaria kills approximately one million children annually and cripples the developing world’s ability to cope with this disease by reducing the GDP of countries in which malaria is endemic by a staggering 1.3%. Amyris, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, and the Institute for OneWorld Health – with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – is using its technology to boost the supply while decreasing the cost of drugs needed to treat individuals in endemic countries. Upon completion, this project will deliver to the world an integrated biochemical-chemical process for the production of up to one-half billion tons of life-saving drugs, saving the global health community hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
2) What country best facilitates starting a tech company? What single thing can a government do to encourage Technology Pioneers?
We at Amyris have found the climate in the United States to be conducive to high technology and biotechnology start-ups. Governments can encourage start-ups by supporting a strong educational system that arms innovators with cutting-edge technical skills. In addition, governments should provide support through small business grants with sufficient funding to enable a small team of people to develop high-risk, high-impact research programs. Particularly in the biotechnology arena, these government grants should be of sufficient scope to allow for the long development time associated with translational research.
3) What makes an innovator?
An innovator is someone who helps to initiate a new line of research or technology. This person must not only be intelligent enough to identify the opportunity, but also be courageous enough to take the risks inherent in the development of any novel technology.
4) How does your company directly contribute to improving the state of the world?
Amyris Biotechnologies was founded on the belief that the latest developments in biotechnology can be used to address one of the most severe diseases afflicting humans – malaria. By creating a microorganism that can produce artemisinin, the preferred drug for treating malaria, Amyris, in collaboration with UC Berkeley and the Institute for One World Health, will help to increase the affordability and accessibility of this supply-limited drug. Most people afflicted by the disease live on less than $1 per day and whose governments spend less than $4 per year per person on health care, making our mission a vital one. In collaboration with our partners, Amyris will translate first-world technology into a developing-world cure.
5) What value do you hope to gain from being a Technology Pioneer?
I hope to gain a better understanding of global challenges and how Amyris can be a more effective advocate of the use of technology to address these global challenges.
6) What do you think the role of technology should be in society?
Technology plays an extremely important role in the development of society. The evolution of human society has been driven by technological developments. Technology can be used to cure diseases and to end poverty. However, technology can also divide societies by pitting those who can afford the technology against those who cannot. Technology can be used to equalize societies only if it is accessible to all who need it. Amyris is a pioneer in using biotechnology to cure a severe disease that predominantly afflicts those who cannot afford such technologies.
7) What is the right balance in society between scientific interest and ethical concerns?
Each society needs to decide the appropriate balance. However, to make the best decision, society as a whole must be properly educated about the benefits as well as the potential concerns over a given technology. To enable this discussion, thought leaders must make the principles and potential of their technology available to the public without over-selling its possible benefits.
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