PACT STEM Week & Amyris Visit

On June 27, students in PACT’s Upward Bound Vallejo summer program visited Amyris, a biotech headquartered at 5885 Hollis Street, in the Emeryville-Berkeley corridor, rich in innovative start ups and long standing biotechnology companies. First, the students got an overview presentation on how Amyris sustainably manufactures a variety of compounds, including squalane, using a synthetic biology platform. Squalane, which is naturally found in shark’s oil, is largely used in the cosmetic industry, as a major ingredient of moisturizers. Instead of chemically extracting it from natural sources,  Amyris synthesizes squalane in specially engineered yeast grown on sugarcane, making it a highly sustainable product. Then, the visit led students to the automation and fermentation labs, and ended with a group of Amyris scientists sharing about their career and experience in the company.

The Amyris visit was the culmination of a week-long STEM exploration in the specific field of molecular virology, using the causing agent of the covid 19 pandemic, e.g. the SARS CoV2 virus as an example. From virus infection to virus replication and disease, and from immune response to vaccination, the course adopted a discovery path “from the microscopic to the macroscopic”, from the structure of the invisible virus to the larger perspective of STEM and society. For example, while learning about the flow of genetic information, the genetic code, and the viral life cycle,  the students also learned about infectious diseases, the role of the immune system, how vaccines work, and the government agencies that are responsible for the safety of our communities.