The pentose-utilizing yeast, launched by Novonesis (formerly Novozymes) in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is used globally, producing more than twenty million gallons of cellulosic ethanol. The industrial demonstration of the strain’s robustness made it an appealing chassis for production of chemicals other than ethanol from hydrolysates of bagasse or corn stover. Recently, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS) and Shanghai R&D Center of Industrial Biotechnology licensed Novonesis the yeast to expand its feedstock and product spectrum beyond lignocellulosic ethanol. A collaborative research paper has just been accepted in principle by Nature Chemical Biology.

 

CAS Professor Sheng Yang from CEMPS, stated, “We are very pleased to see Novonesis’ recognition of the performance of pentose yeast and integrate this superior lignocellulose conversion platform in its solution to biomass conversion. We believe the strong innovation and commercialization capability should make the pentose yeast as cell factories for all types of chemicals, maximizing its impact to sustainable economy.”