SAN CARLOS, Calif., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- LS9 Inc., the Renewable Petroleum Company(TM), announced its launch today. Founded in 2005, the company is pursuing industrial applications of synthetic biology to produce proprietary biofuels. LS9's products, currently under development, are designed to closely resemble petroleum derived fuels, but be renewable, clean, domestically produced, and cost competitive. In addition to biofuels, LS9 will also develop industrial biochemicals for specialty applications.
LS9 Inc. is developing Renewable Petroleum(TM) biofuels through work pioneered by scientific founders Chris Somerville, Director of the Carnegie Institution and Professor of Plant Biology at Stanford University, and George Church, Director of the MIT-Harvard US-Dept. of Energy GTL Center and Professor of Genetics at Harvard along with venture founders Flagship Ventures and Khosla Ventures. In addition, the company relies upon a distinguished scientific advisory board including leaders in the fields of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, microbiology, enzymology, genomics, bioinformatics, and chemical engineering.
"Thanks to rapid advances in industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology along with the strength and talent of our scientific team, LS9 is uniquely suited to design, develop, and commercialize the next generation of biofuels," said Dr. Somerville. "We have looked to nature to identify the required biological tools, redesigned them to function under industrial conditions, and are optimizing their performance to meet our economic objectives," added Dr. Church.
"Novel solutions are required to address the energy crisis. LS9 represents a new frontier in our venture creation activities, combining breakthrough scientific work with a strong market orientation," said Noubar Afeyan, Managing Partner and CEO of Flagship Ventures.
Since 2005, the company has quietly but aggressively pursued a highly focused research and development plan and amassed an extensive technology and intellectual property portfolio for the production of Renewable Petroleum(TM) biofuels.
Doug Cameron, former head of biotechnology research at Cargill and acting Chief Executive Officer of LS9 Inc., said the advances stand to change the dynamics of the fuel market.
"LS9 is pursuing a disruptive technology in a large established market," Dr. Cameron said. "Our rate of scientific progress is a testament to the quality of the team we have assembled at LS9."
About LS9
LS9, Inc., the Renewable Petroleum Company(TM), is a privately-held biotechnology company. LS9 is pursuing industrial applications of synthetic biology to produce biofuels that are compatible with existing fuel distribution and consumer infrastructure. Based on an enabling technology portfolio, LS9 was founded in 2005 by leading scientists along with venture capital firms Flagship Ventures and Khosla Ventures. LS9 is headquartered in San Carlos, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.
LS9, Inc.
