Amyris Biotechnologies, which genetically modifies yeast strains to operate an industrial synthetic biology platform, filed on Friday with the SEC to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering. The Emeryville, CA-based company, which was founded in 2003, booked $65 million in sales last year. According to the S-1, Amyris develops screening technologies that "modify the way microbes process sugar" and expects to reach commercialization in 2011. Morgan Stanley, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and J.P. Morgan are the lead underwriters on the deal, for which pricing terms and timing were not disclosed.
