The Technology Review website reports that Zymetis, a biotechnology start-up company in College Park, Maryland (United States), recently completed its first commercial-scale trial on a genetically modified, cellulose-degrading bacterium called Saccharophagus degradans. The bacterium was isolated from the marshes of Chesapeake Bay. A series of tests in large fermentors showed that the bacterium was able to convert one ton of cellulosic plant biomass into sugar in 72 hours. According to Scott Laughlin, CEO of Zymetis, the organism's main advantage is its ability to naturally combine two major steps in the ethanol process, which could considerably reduce the high costs of producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass..