CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Gen9, Inc., a pioneer in the development of scalable technologies for synthesizing and assembling DNA, today announced that it has underwritten the first annual G-Prize to celebrate and support innovation in synthetic biology. The inaugural G-Prize contest, conceived and exclusively sponsored by Gen9, was launched to foster creative and innovative approaches for using synthetic DNA constructs to advance industries including chemical and enzyme production, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and even data storage.

Most biotechnologies have not yet been imagined, let alone made true, said Dr. Drew Endy of Stanford Bioengineering and a Gen9 co-founder. I am thrilled that Gen9 has decided to enable a diverse research community to dream bigger and make true their ideas via better access to critical bioengineering tools.

Gen9 has developed unique, next-generation technologies for synthesizing and assembling DNA constructs for use in commercializing DNA synthesis and fabrication platforms. Today, Gen9 is manufacturing and shipping double-stranded GeneBits DNA constructs, or gene fragments from 500 to 1,024 base pairs long, with a capacity to generate tens of thousands of synthetic gene fragments per year in just a few square feet of laboratory space.

Synthetic biology represents perhaps the greatest opportunity to modernize industry at Moores law scale since silicon, said Kevin Munnelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gen9. The market size for products that can be transformed using synthetic biology is estimated to be multi-billions. We look forward to hearing from the innovative community of researchers who have big ideas for constructively building on the many important industries ripe for modernization via synthetic biology.

The G-Prize contest is open to researchers working at academic or public-benefit organizations only. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts selected by Gen9. Any intellectual property rights specific to an entry will remain the sole property of the contestants or their institution. Four winners will be chosen in the following categories: 1st Place (500 GeneBits, up to 500kb); 2nd Place (300 GeneBits, up 300kb) and; two awards for 3rd Place (100 GeneBits, up to 100kb to two teams). Based on the current average market cost of DNA constructs, the total market value of these prizes exceeds $500,000.

Deadline for entries is September 30, 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.gen9bio.com/g-prize.

About Gen9

Gen9 is building on advances in synthetic biology to power a scalable fabrication capability that will significantly increase the worlds capacity to compile DNA content. The privately held companys next-generation DNA synthesis technology allows for the high-throughput, automated production of DNA constructs at lower cost and higher accuracy than previous methods on the market. Founded by world leaders in synthetic biology, Gen9 aims to ensure the constructive application of synthetic biology in industries ranging from enzyme and chemical production to pharmaceuticals and biofuels. Gen9 is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and can be found online atwww.Gen9bio.com.

Gen9, GeneBits and BioFab are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gen9, Inc. All other brands may be trademarks of their respective holders.

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Gen9 Sponsors Contest to Recognize Innovation in Synthetic Biology