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Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015	Mar. 23, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	METABOLIX, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0001121702
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		27,369,390
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 34,710,294

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 12,269	$ 20,046
Accounts receivable	238	45
Due from related parties	146	112
Unbilled receivables	150	420
Inventory	379	586
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	1,668	756
Total current assets	14,850	21,965
Restricted cash	619	619
Property and equipment, net	905	456
Other assets	714	95
Total assets	17,088	23,135
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	120	333
Accrued expenses	3,513	3,709
Deferred revenue	277	147
Total current liabilities	3,910	4,189
Other long-term liabilities	150	150
Total liabilities	4,060	4,339
Commitments and contingencies (Note 8)
Stockholders' Equity:
Preferred stock ($0.01 par value per share); 5,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding	0	0
Common stock ($0.01 par value per share); 250,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2015; 27,331,435 and 22,530,322 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively	273	225
Additional paid-in capital	338,580	320,707
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(72)	(64)
Accumulated deficit	(325,753)	(302,072)
Total stockholders' equity	13,028	18,796
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 17,088	$ 23,135

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	250,000,000	250,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	27,331,435	22,530,322
Common stock, shares outstanding	27,331,435	22,530,322

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Revenue:
Product revenue	$ 619	$ 546	$ 461
Grant revenue	1,350	1,807	2,480
Research and development revenue	0	0	618
License fee and royalty revenue (Note 9)	625	447	219
Total revenue	2,594	2,800	3,778
Costs and expenses:
Cost of product revenue	660	1,482	1,908
Research and development	16,572	17,342	18,802
Selling, general, and administrative	9,105	10,805	11,608
Total costs and expenses	26,337	29,629	32,318
Loss from continuing operations	(23,743)	(26,829)	(28,540)
Other income (expense), net:
Interest income, net	5	7	51
Other income (expense), net	57	54	(55)
Total other income (expense), net	62	61	(4)
Net loss from continuing operations	(23,681)	(26,768)	(28,544)
Discontinued operations
Loss from discontinued operations	0	(1,878)	(1,962)
Loss from write down of assets held for sale	0	(888)	0
Total loss from discontinued operations	0	(2,766)	(1,962)
Net loss	$ (23,681)	$ (29,534)	$ (30,506)
Basic and Diluted net loss per share:
Net loss from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ (0.95)	$ (2.61)	$ (4.97)
Net loss from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0.00	(0.27)	(0.34)
Net loss per share (in dollars per share)	$ (0.95)	$ (2.88)	$ (5.31)
Number of shares used in per share calculations:
Basic & Diluted (in shares)	25,007,351	10,242,477	5,745,183

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net loss	$ (23,681)	$ (29,534)	$ (30,506)
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Change in unrealized (loss) on investments	0	(1)	(12)
Change in foreign currency translation adjustment	(8)	(157)	(38)
Reclassification adjustment for losses included in net loss	0	165	0
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	(8)	7	(50)
Comprehensive loss	$ (23,689)	$ (29,527)	$ (30,556)

- Definition

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

+ References + Details

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities
Net loss	$ (23,681)	$ (29,534)	$ (30,506)
Less:
Loss from discontinued operations	0	(2,766)	(1,962)
Loss from continuing operations	(23,681)	(26,768)	(28,544)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation	265	507	928
Charge for 401(k) company common stock match	323	374	397
Stock-based compensation	2,128	2,276	3,122
Inventory impairment	209	873	746
Gain on sale of property and equipment	(33)	(43)	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(193)	952	(158)
Due from related parties	(34)	(61)	24
Unbilled receivables	270	(223)	185
Inventory	(2)	462	(516)
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(1,081)	(43)	(21)
Accounts payable	(226)	(246)	(654)
Accrued expenses	62	(1,179)	1,383
Deferred rent and long-term liabilities	0	(50)	(151)
Deferred revenue	130	(522)	(398)
Net cash used by continuing operations for operating activities	(21,863)	(23,691)	(23,657)
Net cash used by discontinued operations for operating activities	0	(845)	(2,991)
Net cash used in operating activities	(21,863)	(24,536)	(26,648)
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property and equipment	(654)	(172)	(373)
Proceeds from sale of equipment	40	43	0
Change in restricted cash	0	0	(25)
Purchase of investments	0	(1,508)	(16,635)
Proceeds from sale and maturity of short-term investments	0	13,017	36,821
Net cash (used) provided by continuing operations for investing activities	(614)	11,380	19,788
Net cash provided by discontinued operations for investing activities	0	292	0
Net cash (used) provided by investing activities	(614)	11,672	19,788
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from options exercised	0	300	14
Proceeds from private placement offering, net of issuance costs	14,703	24,914	0
Net cash provided by financing activities	14,703	25,214	14
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(3)	(2)	(28)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	(7,777)	12,348	(6,874)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	20,046	7,698	14,572
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	12,269	20,046	7,698
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash information:
Preferred stock conversion to common stock	0	12,500	0
Purchase of property and equipment included in accounts payable and accrued expenses	68	0	0
Issuance of stock in connection with Aspire agreement	450	0	0
Restricted stock units issued to settle incentive compensation obligation	$ 305	$ 0	$ 0

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Accumulated other Comprehensive Income (loss)	Accumulated Deficit	Series B Preferred Stock Preferred Stock	Aspire	Aspire Common Stock	Aspire Additional Paid-In Capital	Aspire Series B Preferred Stock Preferred Stock	Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) Additional Paid-In Capital
Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	$ 47,340	$ 57	$ 289,336	$ (21)	$ (242,032)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012		5,717,728
Increase (decrease) in stockholders' equity
Exercise of common stock options	14		14
Exercise of common stock options (in shares)		1,258
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense	3,193		3,193
Issuance of common stock for 401k match	$ 407	$ 0	407
Issuance of common stock for 401k match (in shares)	44,555	44,555
Change in unrealized (loss) on investments	$ (12)			(12)
Effect of foreign currency translation	(38)			(38)
Net loss	(30,506)				(30,506)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	20,398	$ 57	292,950	(71)	(272,538)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2013		5,763,541
Increase (decrease) in stockholders' equity
Exercise of common stock options	300	$ 0	300
Exercise of common stock options (in shares)		41,667
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense	2,335		2,335
Issuance of common stock for 401k match	$ 376	$ 1	375
Issuance of common stock for 401k match (in shares)	58,448	58,448
Change in unrealized (loss) on investments	$ (1)			(1)
Effect of foreign currency translation	8			8
Net loss	(29,534)				(29,534)
Issuance of stock in connection with private placement, net offering costs	24,914	$ 83	24,831			$ 0
Issuance of stock in connection with private placement (in shares)		8,333,333				8,333
Issuance of common stock in connection with Aspire agreement	0	$ 84	(84)			$ 0
Issuance of common stock upon conversion of preferred stock (in shares)		(8,333,333)				(8,333)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$ 18,796	$ 225	320,707	(64)	(302,072)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2014	22,530,322	22,530,322
Increase (decrease) in stockholders' equity
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense	$ 2,128		2,128
Issuance of common stock for 401k match	$ 335	$ 1	334								$ 305
Issuance of common stock for 401k match (in shares)	131,113	131,113
Change in unrealized (loss) on investments	$ 0
Effect of foreign currency translation	(8)			(8)
Net loss	(23,681)				(23,681)
Issuance of stock in connection with private placement, net offering costs	14,703	$ 44	14,659			$ 0	$ 450	$ 3	$ 447	$ 0
Issuance of stock in connection with private placement (in shares)		4,370,000				0		300,000		0
Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 13,028	$ 273	$ 338,580	$ (72)	$ (325,753)	$ 0
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2015	27,331,435	27,331,435				0

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Issuance of common stock upon private offering, offering costs	$ 297	$ 86

Nature of Business	12 Months Ended
Nature of Business	Dec. 31, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business	Nature of Business Metabolix is an advanced biomaterials company focused on delivering sustainable solutions to the plastics industry. The Company has core capabilities in microbial genetics, fermentation process engineering, chemical engineering, polymer science, plant genetics and botanical science, and it has assembled these capabilities in a way that has allowed it to integrate its biotechnology research with real world chemical engineering and industrial practice. In addition, the Company has created an extensive intellectual property portfolio to protect its innovations which, together with its technology, serves as a valuable foundation for its business and future industry collaborations. The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry including, but not limited to, the need to obtain additional funding, development by the Company's competitors of new technological innovations, protection of proprietary technology, and compliance with government regulations. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a basis which assumes that the Company will continue as a going concern and which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. However, with the exception of 2012, when the Company recognized $38,885 of deferred revenue from the terminated Telles joint venture, it has recorded losses since its inception, including its fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. As of December 31, 2015, the Company held unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $12,269. The Company continues to face significant challenges and uncertainties and, as a result, its available capital resources may be consumed more rapidly than currently expected due to (a) lower than expected sales of its biopolymer products as a result of slow market adoption; (b) increases in capital costs and operating expenses related to the expansion of pilot manufacturing or the establishment and start-up of commercial manufacturing either on its own or with third parties; (c) changes the Company may make to the business that affect ongoing operating expenses; (d) changes the Company may make to its business strategy; (e) changes in the Company’s research and development spending plans; (f) higher than expected costs in connection with the relocation of its Massachusetts facilities, and (g) other items affecting the Company’s forecasted level of expenditures and use of cash resources. The Company's present capital resources are not be sufficient to fund its planned operations for a twelve month period, and therefore, raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The Company was successful during its fiscal quarters ending June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014, in raising $14,703 and $24,914, net of offering costs, respectively, through private equity offerings. On October 7, 2015, the Company entered into a $20,000 common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC ("Aspire"). Under terms of the agreement, Aspire has committed to purchase up to $20,000 of Metabolix’s common stock over a 30 month period that began on November 9, 2015, the date on which the conditions to the commencement of common stock purchases under the agreement were satisfied. Common stock may be sold from time to time at the Company’s option under pricing formulas based on prevailing market prices around the time of each sale. The purchase agreement contains limitations on the number of shares that the Company may sell to Aspire. Additionally, the Company and Aspire may not effect any sales of shares of our common stock under the purchase agreement during the continuance of an event of default or on any trading day that the closing sale price of its common stock is less than $0.50 per share. At December 31, 2015, the full $20,000 remained available under the purchase agreement with Aspire. Even if the Company sells shares under the Aspire agreement, the Company will require additional funding during the next twelve months to continue its operations and support its capital needs. The timing, structure and vehicles for obtaining future financing are under consideration, but there can be no assurance that such financing efforts will be successful. The current economic environment and recent uncertainty and volatility in financial markets may make it difficult to obtain additional financing. The Company intends to use the proceeds of its recent and any future financings for general corporate purposes and working capital requirements, including the continued development of its specialty biopolymers business as the foundation for its longer range commercial scale plans and the future growth of its business. If the Company issues equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, (i) the Company may incur fees associated with such issuance, (ii) its existing stockholders may experience dilution from the issuance of new equity securities, (iii) the Company may incur ongoing interest expense and be required to grant a security interest in Company assets in connection with any debt issuance, and (iv) the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the Company’s existing stockholders. In addition, utilization of the Company’s net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to significant annual limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership changes resulting from equity financing transactions. If the Company raises additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to its potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to the Company. Failure to receive additional funding during the next twelve months may force the Company to delay, scale back or otherwise modify its business and manufacturing plans, sales and marketing efforts, research and development activities and other operations, and/or seek strategic alternatives. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of these uncertainties.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation

The Company's consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions were eliminated, including transactions with its Canadian subsidiary, Metabolix Oilseeds, Inc. On October 20, 2014, the Company completed the sale of substantially all of the assets of its German subsidiary, Metabolix GmbH. The consolidated financial statements for each of the two years ending December 31, 2014, have been presented to reflect the operations of Metabolix GmbH, as well as certain European operations conducted by Metabolix, Inc. prior to the formation of Metabolix GmbH, as a discontinued operation.

Reverse Stock Split

On May 26, 2015, the Company effected a 1-for-6 reverse stock split of its common stock. Unless otherwise indicated, all share amounts, per share data, share prices, exercise prices, and conversion rates set forth in these notes and the accompanying financial statements have, where applicable, been adjusted retroactively to reflect this reverse stock split.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity date of ninety days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Investments

The Company considers all investments purchased with an original maturity date of ninety days or more at the date of purchase and a maturity date of one year or less at the balance sheet date to be short-term investments. All other investments are classified as long-term. The Company held no short or long-term investments at December 31, 2015 or December 31, 2014.

Unrealized gains and temporary losses on investments are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a separate component of stockholders' equity. Realized gains and losses, dividends, interest income and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary credit losses are included in other income (expense). Any premium or discount arising at purchase is amortized and/or accreted to interest income.

Restricted Cash

The Company had restricted cash in the amount of $619 at both December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Restricted cash consisted of $494 held in connection with the lease agreement for the Company's Cambridge, Massachusetts facility and $125 held in connection with the Company's corporate credit card programs. On January 20, 2016, Metabolix entered into a new facility lease for approximately 30,000 square feet of office and research and development space at 19 Presidential Way, Woburn, Massachusetts. The terms of this new lease required the Company to increase its restricted cash by setting aside an additional $307 of cash as a security deposit through an irrevocable letter of credit. Concurrent with the new lease, the Company signed a lease termination agreement with the landlord of the Cambridge facility. The Company expects that the $494 in restricted cash held in connection with that lease will be released during the third quarter of 2016.

Foreign Currency Translation

Foreign denominated assets and liabilities of the Company's wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rates in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the period. Any resulting translation gains or losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated balance sheet. When the Company dissolves, sells or substantially sells all of the assets of a consolidated foreign subsidiary, the cumulative translation gain or loss of that subsidiary is released from comprehensive income (loss) and included within its consolidated statement of operations during the fiscal period when the dissolution or sale occurs.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of net income (loss) and certain changes in stockholders' equity that are excluded from net income (loss). The Company includes unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities and foreign currency translation adjustments in other comprehensive income (loss).

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and accounts receivable. The Company has historically invested its cash equivalents in highly rated money market funds, corporate debt, federal agency notes and U.S. treasury notes. Investments are acquired in accordance with the Company's investment policy which establishes a concentration limit per issuer. At December 31, 2015, the Company's cash equivalents were invested solely in money market funds.

The Company provides credit to customers in the normal course of business. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers' financial condition and limits the amount of credit extended when deemed necessary. At December 31, 2015, the Company's worldwide accounts and unbilled receivables include $156 or 29% primarily from U.S. government grants and $231 or 43% from customer product sales. At December 31, 2015, the Company's REFABB grant with the Department of Energy represented 43% of billed and unbilled receivables from government grants. At December 31, 2015, three customers represented 92% of accounts receivable due from product sales. At December 31, 2014, the Company's worldwide accounts and unbilled receivables included $429 or 74% from government grants and $37 or 6% from customer product sales.

Fair Value Measurements

The carrying amounts of the Company's financial instruments as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, which include cash equivalents, accounts receivable, unbilled receivables, receivables due from related parties, accounts payable, and accrued expenses, approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. See Note 5 for further discussion on fair value measurements.

Segment Information

The accounting guidance for segment reporting establishes standards for reporting information on operating segments in annual financial statements. The Company operates in one segment, which is the business of developing and commercializing technologies for the production of polymers and chemicals in microbes and plants. The Company's chief operating decision-maker does not manage any part of the Company separately, and the allocation of resources and assessment of performance are based on the Company's consolidated operating results. As of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, less than 10% of the Company's combined total assets were located outside of the United States. In addition, the reported net income (loss) outside of the United States was less than 10% of the combined net income (loss) of the consolidated Company.

Inventory

The Company's adopted inventory policies are to state inventory at the lower of cost or market and to value inventory using the average cost method. The Company analyzes its inventory levels quarterly and writes down, to cost of product revenue, inventory it considers to be in excess of expected sales requirements, fails to meet commercial sales specifications or that has become obsolete.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Repairs and maintenance are charged to operations as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets once they are placed in service as follows:



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life
Equipment		2.5 - 3 years
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

The Company records incentive payments received from its landlords as deferred rent and amortizes these amounts as reductions to lease expense over the lease term.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The guidance further requires that companies recognize an impairment loss only if the carrying amount of a long-lived asset is not recoverable based on its undiscounted future cash flows and measure an impairment loss as the difference between the carrying amount and fair value of the asset.

Revenue Recognition

Principal sources of revenue are government research grants, product sales, license fees, royalty revenues and research and development payments that are primarily derived from collaborative agreements with other companies.

The Company's policy is to recognize product revenue when evidence of an arrangement exists, title has passed or services have been rendered, the selling price is fixed or determinable and payment by the customer is reasonably assured. Revenue from product sales to customers is recognized when all elements of the sale have been delivered. The Company's product return policy provides for discretion in accepting customer product returns during a period of sixty days after product delivery. Until sufficient experience is developed on which to base an estimate of product returns, the Company defers recognition of product revenue and related costs until the later of (i) the end of the sixty day period or (ii) when the customer payment has been received. The Company includes deferred cost of product revenue in inventory. As of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the Company's deferred product revenue and associated cost of product revenue are shown below:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Deferred product revenue	$	236	$	57
Deferred cost of product revenue	$	51	$	9

Fees to license the Company's proprietary and licensed technologies are recognized only after both the license period has commenced and the technology has been delivered. Royalty revenue is recognized when it becomes determinable and collection is reasonably assured; otherwise the Company recognizes royalty revenue upon receipt of payment.

The Company follows authoritative guidance on revenue recognition for multiple-element arrangements. Under this guidance, the fair value of deliverables under an arrangement may be derived using a "best estimate of selling price" if vendor-specific objective evidence and third party evidence is not available. Deliverables under the arrangement will be separate units of accounting, provided (i) a delivered item has value to the customer on a standalone basis; and (ii) if the arrangement includes a general right of return relative to the delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item is considered probable and substantially within the Company's control.

The Company recognizes funds received from contractual research and development services and from government grants as revenue. These contracts and grants are considered an ongoing major and central operation of the Company's business. For government grants, revenue is earned as research expenses related to the grants are incurred.

Research and Development

All costs associated with internal research and development as well as research and development services conducted for others are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include direct costs for salaries, employee benefits, subcontractors, product trials, facility related expenses, depreciation, and stock-based compensation. Costs related to revenue-producing contracts and government grants are recorded as research and development expenses.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

The Company's selling, general and administrative expense includes costs for salaries, employee benefits, facilities expenses, consulting fees, travel expenses, depreciation expenses, and office related expenses incurred to support the selling and administrative operations of the Company.

Intellectual Property Costs

The Company includes all costs associated with the prosecution and maintenance of patents within selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Stock-Based Compensation

All share-based payments to employees and members of the Board of Directors are recognized in the statement of operations based on their fair values. Compensation cost is based on the grant-date fair value of the award, adjusted for estimated forfeitures, and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the period during which the recipient is required to provide service in exchange for the award. See Note 12 for a description of the types of stock-based awards granted, the compensation expense related to such awards and detail of equity-based awards outstanding.

Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of dilutive common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted shares outstanding is calculated by adding to the weighted shares outstanding any potential (unissued) shares of common stock from outstanding stock options and warrants based on the treasury stock method, as well as weighted shares outstanding of any potential (unissued) shares of common stock from restricted stock units. In periods when a net loss is reported, all common stock equivalents are excluded from the calculation because they would have an anti-dilutive effect, meaning the loss per share would be reduced. Therefore, in periods when a loss is reported, there is no difference in basic and dilutive loss per share. Common stock equivalents include stock options, restricted stock awards and warrants.

The Company follows the two-class method when computing net loss per share, when it has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net loss per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participating rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based on their respective rights to receive dividends, as if all income for the period has been distributed or losses to be allocated if they are contractually required to fund losses. There were no amounts allocated to participating securities during each of the three years ended December 31, 2015, as the Company was in a loss position and had no shares that met the definition of participating securities outstanding at December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

On May 26, 2015, the Company effected a 1-for-6 reverse stock split of its common stock. The calculation of basic and diluted net loss per share, as presented in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations, have been determined based on retroactive adjustment of weighted average shares outstanding for all periods presented.

The number of shares of potentially dilutive common stock presented on a weighted average basis, related to options, restricted stock units and warrants (prior to consideration of the treasury stock method) that were excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares since the inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive for the three years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, are shown below:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015	2014	2013
Options	943,197	1,196,389	998,873
Restricted stock awards	946,074	99,726	—
Warrants	2,144,293	—	681
Total	4,033,564	1,296,115	999,554

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the consolidated financial statements or in the Company's tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the deferred tax asset to a level which, more likely than not, will be realized. See Note 13 for further discussion of income taxes. The Company had no amounts recorded for any unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions using a "more-likely-than-not" threshold for recognizing and resolving uncertain tax positions. The evaluation of uncertain tax positions is based on factors that include, but are not limited to, changes in tax law, the measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in tax returns, the effective settlement of matters subject to audit, new audit activity and changes in facts or circumstances related to a tax position. The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any resulting tax reserves or unrecognized tax benefits that are considered appropriate as well as the related net interest and penalties, if any. The Company evaluates uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis and adjusts the level of the liability to reflect any subsequent changes in the relevant facts surrounding the uncertain positions.

Recent Accounting Standards Changes

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both parties to a contract (i.e. lessees and lessors). The new standard requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase by the lessee. This classification will determine whether lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight line basis over the term of the lease, respectively. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months regardless of their classification. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases today. ASC 842 supersedes the previous leases standard, ASC 840 Leases. The standard is effective on January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the

impact of this new guidance.

In November 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (ASU 2015-17). ASU 2015-17 requires that deferred income tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in the Company's balance sheet. The standard is effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. ASU 2015-17 has been adopted on a prospective basis for the year ended December 31, 2015, however, the Company has no deferred tax liabilities requiring reclassification on that date. The Company's balance sheet at December 31, 2014 was not retrospectively adjusted. The adoption of this guidance had no impact on the Company's results of operations or cash flows.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires entities to measure most inventory “at the lower of cost and net realizable value,” thereby simplifying the current guidance under which an entity must measure inventory at the lower of cost or market. ASU 2015-11 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently reviewing the potential impact of adopting the new guidance.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40). The new guidance addresses management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date that the financial statements are issued and to provide related footnote disclosures. Management’s evaluation should be based on relevant conditions and events that are known and reasonably knowable at the date that the financial statements are issued. This guidance should reduce diversity in the timing and content of footnote disclosures. The amendment in this update apply to all entities and are effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early application is permitted. The Company is currently reviewing the potential impact of adopting the new guidance on its current disclosures.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes all existing revenue recognition requirements, including most industry-specific guidance. The new standard requires a company to recognize revenue when it transfers goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the company expects to receive for those goods or services. It also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which delayed the effective date of the new standard from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018. The FASB also agreed to allow entities to choose to adopt the standard as of the original effective date. The Company is currently evaluating the method of adoption and potential impact that Topic 606 may have on its financial position and results of operations.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, which changes the criteria for determining which disposals can be presented as discontinued operations and modifies the related disclosure requirements. Under the new guidance, a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity is required to be reported in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results and is disposed of or classified as held for sale. The standard also introduces several new disclosures. The guidance applies prospectively to new disposals and new classifications of disposal groups as held for sale after the effective date. ASU 2014-08 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2014, with early adoption permitted. The Company has elected early adoption of ASU 2014-08 and has applied the new guidance in connection with its sale of substantially all of the assets and operations of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Metabolix GmbH during 2014. See Note 16, Discontinued Operations.

Significant Collaborations	12 Months Ended
Significant Collaborations	Dec. 31, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Significant Collaborations	Significant Collaborations The Company follows the accounting guidance for collaborative arrangements which requires that certain transactions between collaborators be recorded in the income statement on either a gross or net basis, depending on the characteristics of the collaboration relationship, and provides for enhanced disclosure of collaborative relationships. The Company evaluates its collaborative agreements for proper income statement classification based on the nature of the underlying activity. Metabolix is not currently participating in any collaborative arrangements. The Company's historic strategy for collaborative arrangements has been to retain substantial participation in the future economic value of its technology while receiving current cash payments to offset research and development costs and working capital needs. By their nature, the Company's collaborative agreements have been complex, containing multiple elements covering a variety of present and future activities.

Inventory

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Inventory

The components of biopolymer inventories of the Company's continuing operations are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Raw materials	$	51	$	2
Finished goods	328		584
Total inventory	$	379	$	586

Included within finished goods at December 31, 2015 and 2014, are $51 and $9, respectively, of inventory that the Company has sold and shipped to customers for which the Company has not yet recognized revenue under its product revenue recognition policy. On a quarterly basis, the Company uses consistent methodologies to evaluate inventory for net realizable value, reducing the value of inventory for excess and obsolete inventory based upon certain assumptions made about future customer demand, quality and possible alternative uses. During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company recorded impairment charges to cost of product revenue of $209, $873, and $746, respectively, within continuing operations, for raw material and finished goods inventory that it determined was unlikely to be sold. The Company also recorded an impairment charge of $888 during its fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 related to the discontinuation of its German operations.

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
Fair Value Measurements	Dec. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements The Company has certain financial assets recorded at fair value which have been classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy as described in the accounting standards for fair value measurements. Fair value is the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or the price paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between independent market participants at the measurement date. Fair values determined by Level 1 inputs utilize observable data such as quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments. Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs utilize data points other than quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly. Fair values determined by Level 3 inputs utilize unobservable data points in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions. The fair value hierarchy level is determined by the lowest level of significant input. At December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company did not own any Level 2 or Level 3 financial assets or liabilities and there were no transfers of financial assets or liabilities between category levels for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015. The Company's assets are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The balance of Level 1 assets as of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were $12,269 and $19,011, respectively, and for both years the assets were in money market funds classified in cash and cash equivalents.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Property and Equipment, Net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2014
Equipment	$	5,055		$	4,723
Furniture and fixtures	220			227
Leasehold improvements	1,593			1,356
Software	386			381
Total property and equipment, at cost	7,254			6,687
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(6,349		)	(6,231		)
Property and equipment, net	$	905		$	456

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013 was $265, $507 and $928 respectively.

Accrued Expenses

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Accrued Expenses

Accrued expenses consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Employee compensation and benefits	$	2,114	$	2,621
Commercial manufacturing	465		77
Professional services	431		564
Other	503		447
Total accrued expenses	$	3,513	$	3,709

Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Leases

The Company rents its facilities under operating leases, which expire at various dates through December 2026. Rent expense under operating leases for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $2,089, $1,944 and $1,610, respectively.

At December 31, 2015, the Company's future minimum payments required under operating leases are as follows:



Year ended December 31,	Minimum lease payment
2016	$	1,487
2017	1,454
2018	1,488
2019	1,523
2020	564
2021 and thereafter	—
Total	$	6,516

Lease Commitments

On January 20, 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with the landlord of its Cambridge, MA facility to terminate the lease effective July 31, 2016. After giving effect of the termination, the Company's future minimum payments will be reduced by $502, $1,223, $1,252, $1,280 and $461 during 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively.

On January 20, 2016, the Company entered into a lease agreement, pursuant to which the Company will lease approximately 30,000 square feet of office and research and development space located at 19 Presidential Way, Woburn, Massachusetts, beginning on June 1, 2016 and ending on December 31, 2026, subject to adjustment depending on the date that renovations of the premises are substantially completed. Annual base rental payments due under the lease will be approximately $216 during the first lease year, $725 during the second lease year and $785 during the third lease year and a total of $7,346 for the remainder of the lease. The Company provided the landlord with a security deposit in the form of a letter of credit in the amount of $307. Pursuant to the lease, the Company also will pay certain taxes and operating costs associated with the premises during the term of the lease. The Company will receive up to $889 from the landlord for tenant improvements to the premises and may elect to receive up to an additional $444 with certain adjustments in rent.

Contractual Commitments

In connection with the Company's plans to increase biopolymer production capacity, during May 2015, the Company entered into agreements with a U.S. supplier of toll fermentation services and with the owner/operator of its expanded pilot recovery facility. Under the fermentation services agreement, the Company is obligated to pay fixed toll fermentation service fees of approximately $600 per quarter from February 2016 until July 2017. During May 2015, the Company prepaid $1,000 for these future fermentation services which is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the Company's balance sheet at December 31, 2015. The Company is currently paying contractual fixed fees of approximately $520 per quarter for the resin recovery facility that will continue until at least December 31, 2016. In addition to the fixed charges under these agreements, the Company is obligated to pay certain variable production costs as incurred. The fixed portion of the manufacturing service fees is included within our minimum payment obligation table shown below.



Year ended December 31,	Minimum Purchase Obligation
2016	$	3,272
2017	1,400
2018	—
2019	—
2020 and thereafter	—
Total	$	4,672

Litigation

From time to time, the Company may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. The Company is not currently aware of any such proceedings or claims that it believes will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or the results of operations.

Guarantees

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company did not have significant liabilities recorded for guarantees.

The Company enters into indemnification provisions under various agreements with other companies in the ordinary course of business, typically with business partners, contractors, and customers. Under these provisions, the Company generally indemnifies and holds harmless the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party as a result of its activities. These indemnification provisions generally survive termination of the underlying agreement. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification provisions is unlimited. However, to date Metabolix has not incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification provisions. As a result, the estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. Accordingly, the Company has no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.

Related Party Transactions	12 Months Ended
Related Party Transactions	Dec. 31, 2015
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions	Related Party Transactions Tepha Inc. During 1999 and 2003, the Company entered into sublicense agreements with Tepha Inc. ("Tepha"), to sublicense technology to Tepha. Two of the Company's directors, Matthew Strobeck and Anthony J. Sinskey, serve on the Board of Directors of Tepha. Under the agreements, the Company receives royalties on net sales of licensed products and sublicensing revenues received by Tepha, subject to a minimum payment each year. The Company recognized license and royalty revenues of $578, $425 and $149 from Tepha for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. The Company had outstanding royalty receivable balances of $146 and $112 at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for related party transactions. Examples of related party transactions include transactions between (a) a parent company and its subsidiary; (b) subsidiaries of a common parent; (c) and entity and its principal owners; and (d) affiliates.

+ References + Details

Preferred Stock	12 Months Ended
Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2015
Preferred Stock, Number of Shares, Par Value and Other Disclosures [Abstract]
Preferred Stock	Preferred Stock The Company's certificate of incorporation, as amended and restated, authorizes it to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of $0.01 par value preferred stock. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, no preferred stock was issued or outstanding.

Capital Stock	12 Months Ended
Capital Stock	Dec. 31, 2015
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Capital Stock	Capital Stock Common and Preferred Stock Issuances On October 7, 2015, the Company entered into a common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital. Under terms of the agreement, Aspire committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $20,000 of the Company's common stock over a 30 month period that began on November 9, 2015. Common stock may be sold from time to time at the Company’s direction under pricing formulas based on prevailing market prices around the time of each sale. The purchase agreement contains limitations on the number of shares that the Company may sell to Aspire. Additionally, the Company and Aspire may not effect any sales of shares of the Company's common stock under the purchase agreement during the continuance of an event of default or on any trading day that the closing sale price of its common stock is less than $0.50 per share. Upon execution of the purchase agreement, the Company issued 300,000 shares of its common stock to Aspire with a fair value of $450, as a commitment fee. In addition, the Company incurred $169 of additional costs in connection with the Aspire facility, which along with the fair value of the common stock has been recorded as deferred equity costs and is included within other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2015. These costs will be proratably charged to additional paid-in-capital as shares are sold to Aspire. In the event it is determined no additional shares will be sold under the purchase agreement, any deferred equity offering costs will be expensed at such time. At December 31, 2015, the full $20,000 under the purchase agreement remains available for sale to Aspire. On June 19, 2015, the Company completed a private placement of its securities. Proceeds received from the transaction were $14,703, net of issuance costs of $297. Investors participating in the transaction purchased a total of 4,370,000 shares of common stock at a price of $3.32 per share and warrants with a purchase price of $0.125 per warrant to purchase up to an aggregate of 3,933,000 additional shares of common stock. The warrants have a four-year term and are immediately exercisable at a price of $3.98 per share. The Company has determined that the warrants should be recorded within equity as additional paid-in capital. On May 26, 2015, the Company effected a 1-for-6 reverse split of its common stock. The reverse stock split reduced the number of shares of the Company's common stock currently outstanding at the time the reverse split was made effective from approximately 136 million shares to approximately 23 million shares. Proportional adjustments were made to the Company's outstanding stock options and restricted stock units and to the number of shares issued and issuable under the Company's equity compensation plans. The number of authorized shares of the Company's common stock remained at 250 million shares. On August 22, 2014, the Company completed a private placement of its securities. Proceeds received from the transaction were $24,914, net of issuance costs of $86. Investors participating in the transaction purchased a total of 50,000,000 units of the Company’s securities at a price of $0.50 per unit. Each unit consisted of 0.1667 share of the Company’s common stock and one one-thousandth of a share of the Company’s Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, for a total of 8,333,333 shares of common stock and 50,000 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock. Each share of the preferred stock issued in the transaction was non-voting, was not redeemable, had no liquidation preference and the only conversion rights were that each share was automatically convertible into 166.67 shares of common stock upon the effectiveness of the filing by the Company of a charter amendment to increase the number of shares of authorized common stock to not less than 150,000,000. On October 30, 2014, following stockholder approval of a charter amendment to increase the number of authorized shares of the Company’s common stock to 250,000,000 and the effectiveness of such charter amendment, each share of preferred stock issued in the private placement automatically converted into 166.67 shares of common stock, for a total of 8,333,333 additional shares of common stock.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for shareholders' equity comprised of portions attributable to the parent entity and noncontrolling interest, including other comprehensive income. Includes, but is not limited to, balances of common stock, preferred stock, additional paid-in capital, other capital and retained earnings, accumulated balance for each classification of other comprehensive income and amount of comprehensive income.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(d),(e))
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Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Paragraph 4
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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 4.E)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27010918&loc=d3e74512-122707

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Paragraph 5
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21488-112644

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.29-31)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 4.C)
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Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04)
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Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6405834&loc=d3e23285-112656

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Preferred Stock
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6521494

Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21463-112644

Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
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-Section 50
-Paragraph 11
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21564-112644

Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)
-Number Topic 4
-Section E

Reference 15: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)
-Number Topic 4
-Section C

+ Details

Stock-Based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company adopted a stock plan in 2005 (the "2005 Plan"), which provided for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock awards, and opportunities to make direct purchases of stock, to employees, officers, directors and consultants of the Company. In November 2006, the 2005 Plan was terminated and the Company adopted a new plan (the "2006 Plan"). No further grants or awards were subsequently made under the 2005 Plan. A total of 269,860 options were awarded from the 2005 Plan, and as of December 31, 2015, 950 of these options remain outstanding and eligible for future exercise and continue to be governed by the terms of the 2005 Plan.

The 2006 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, deferred stock awards, restricted stock awards, unrestricted stock awards, cash-based awards and dividend equivalent rights. In October 2014, the 2006 Plan was terminated and the Company adopted a new plan (the "2014 Plan"). No further grants or awards were subsequently made under the 2006 Plan. A total of 1,467,076 options have been awarded from the 2006 Plan and as of December 31, 2015, 676,971 of these options remain outstanding and eligible for future exercise.

The 2014 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, deferred stock awards, restricted stock awards, unrestricted stock awards, cash-based awards and dividend equivalent rights. A total of 36,118 options have been awarded from the 2014 Plan and as of December 31, 2015, 34,545 of these options remain outstanding and eligible for future exercise. A total of 1,192,023 restricted stock awards have been awarded from the 2014 Plan and as of December 31, 2015, 1,186,773 of these restricted stock awards are unreleased and remain outstanding.

Expense Information for Employee Stock Awards

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense, related to employee stock awards, including awards to members of the Board of Directors, of $2,128, $2,276 and $3,122 for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. At December 31, 2015, there was approximately $3,488 of pre-tax stock-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested awards not yet recognized which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.00 years.

Stock Options

Options granted under the 2005 Plan, the 2006 Plan and the 2014 Plan (the "Plans") generally vest ratably over periods of one to four years from the date of hire for new employees, or date of award for existing employees, or date of commencement of services with the Company for nonemployees, and generally expire ten years from the date of issuance. The Company's policy is to issue new shares upon the exercise of stock options.

The Company's Board of Directors granted on December 19, 2013, a stock option for the purchase of 191,667 shares of common stock to Joseph Shaulson in connection with his agreement to serve as a member of the Company's Board on that date and as an inducement for him to accept employment with the Company as its President and Chief Executive Officer starting in January 2014. This option was not granted under any of the Plans. The option has an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company's common stock at the date of grant, and it has a four-year vesting schedule in which 25%, 25% and 50% of the option vests on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th anniversary dates, respectively, of Mr. Shaulson commencing employment. The Company assessed the terms of this award and determined there was no possibility that it would have to settle this award in cash and, therefore, equity accounting was applied.

A summary of the activity related to the shares of common stock covered by outstanding options is as follows:



	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price	Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Balance at December 31, 2014	1,110,721		$28.22
Granted	33,318		3.62
Exercised	—		—
Forfeited	(4,733	)	7.65
Expired	(235,173	)	31.44
Balance at December 31, 2015	904,133		26.58	6.30	$—
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2015	873,871		27.24	6.22	—
Exercisable at December 31, 2015	611,354		35.50	5.50	—

The weighted average grant date fair value per share of options granted during fiscal years 2015, 2014, and 2013 was $2.61, $4.97 and $6.86, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised was $0, $50 and $2 for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The weighted average remaining contractual term for options outstanding as of December 31, 2015 was 6.3 years.

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company determined the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions for option grants, respectively:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015	2014	2013
Expected dividend yield	—	—	—
Risk-free rate	1.32% - 1.69%	0.01% - 2.41%	0.71% - 2.05%
Expected option term (in years)	5.5-5.9	0.1-6.1	6.0 - 6.1
Volatility	88% - 91%	84% - 85%	84% - 85%

The Company determined its volatility assumption based on actual market price fluctuations experienced during its trading history. The risk-free interest rate used for each grant is equal to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for instruments with a term similar to the expected life of the related option. The expected term of the options is based upon evaluation of historical and expected future exercise behavior.

The stock price volatility and expected terms utilized in the calculation involve management's best estimates at that time, both of which impact the fair value of the option calculated under the Black-Scholes methodology and, ultimately, the expense that will be recognized over the life of the option. The accounting standard for stock-based compensation requires that the Company recognize compensation expense for only the portion of options that are expected to vest. Therefore, the Company has estimated expected forfeitures of stock options for the grants valued. In developing a forfeiture rate estimate, the Company considered its historical experience and actual forfeitures for the year. The Company will continue to evaluate its forfeiture rate as compared to the actual number of forfeitures in future periods to determine if adjustments to compensation expense may be required.

Restricted Stock Units

On January 2, 2014, the Company awarded 100,000 restricted stock units ("RSUs") to its Chief Executive Officer. These restricted stock units contain both market and performance conditions which are based on the achievement of certain stock price and revenue targets, respectively. The restricted stock units vest in various percentages over three years (subject to certain accelerated and continued vesting events) once the agreed-upon stock price and/or revenue based targets are achieved. Neither the market nor performance conditions were met by January 2, 2016 resulting in the restricted stock units being forfeited as of that date.

The Company estimated the fair value and derived service period of the awards using a Monte Carlo valuation model. The fair value of the award is $327. The Company is recognizing compensation expense for this award over its requisite service period, which is equal to the cumulative time expected to achieve one of the triggering conditions followed by a three year post-triggering event vesting period. In accordance with accounting guidance for stock options, the amortization of these restricted stock units will continue through March 2018, despite their forfeiture in January 2016.

During 2015, the Company initiated use of RSUs as a broad-based form of long-term compensation incentive for its officers, directors and employees. On April 1, 2015, the Company awarded 203,967 RSUs under the 2014 Plan to members of senior management pursuant to elections previously made by the senior managers to convert a portion of their 2014 performance bonuses from cash to equity. These RSUs vest one year from the date of grant, subject to service conditions. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company also awarded a total of 906,806 additional long-term incentive RSUs to senior management and employees. These RSUs vest in four equal annual installments beginning one year after the date of grant, subject to service conditions. On September 10, 2015, the Company awarded 81,250 RSUs to its non-employee directors. These RSUs will vest on May 28, 2016.

The Company records stock compensation expense for RSUs on a straight line basis over their vesting period based on each RSU's award date market value. The Company recognizes compensation expense for only the portion of awards that are expected to vest. Therefore, the Company has estimated expected forfeitures of RSU's for the awards valued. In developing a forfeiture rate estimate, the Company considered its historical experience and actual forfeitures for the year. The Company will continue to evaluate its forfeiture rate as compared to the actual number of forfeitures in future periods to determine if adjustments to compensation expense may be required.

The Company will pay required minimum income tax withholding associated with RSUs for its employees. As the RSUs vest, the Company will withhold a number of shares with an aggregate fair market value equal to the minimum tax withholding amount (unless the employee makes other arrangements for payment of the tax withholding) from the common stock issuable at the vest date.

A summary of RSU activity for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 is as follows:



	Number of RSUs			Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)
Outstanding at December 31, 2014	100,000
Awarded	1,192,023
Released	—
Forfeited	(5,250		)
Outstanding at December 31, 2015	1,286,773			1.40

Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2015	1,145,325			1.17

Weighted average remaining recognition period	2.54
Weighted average grant date fair value of RSUs granted during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015	$	3.61

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

The components of loss from continuing operations before provision for income taxes consist of the following:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2014			2013
Domestic	$	(23,647	)	$	(28,741	)	$	(28,200	)
Foreign	21			35			51
Loss before taxes	$	(23,626	)	$	(28,706	)	$	(28,149	)

The reported amount of income tax expense for the years differs from the amount that would result from applying domestic federal statutory tax rates to pretax losses primarily because of changes in valuation allowance. Significant components of the Company's net deferred tax assets are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2014
Deferred Tax Assets:
Net operating loss carryforward	$	9,904		$	6,215
Capitalization of research and development expense	15,070			10,250
Credit carryforwards	1,312			524
Depreciation	2,148			2,017
Non-Qualified Stock Options	4,668			4,484
Other temporary differences	1,420			1,559
Total deferred tax assets.	$	34,522		$	25,049
Valuation allowance	(34,522		)	(25,046		)
Net deferred tax assets	—			3
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Other temporary differences	—			(3		)
Net deferred taxes	$	—		$	—

The items accounting for the difference between the income tax benefit computed at the federal statutory rate of 34% and the provision for income taxes were as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014		2013
Federal income tax at statutory federal rate	34.0	%	34.0	%	34.0	%
State taxes	4.9	%	7.0	%	3.8	%
Permanent differences	(2.9	)%	(3.9	)%	(2.1	)%
Tax credits	3.6	%	3.1	%	2.8	%
State rate change on deferred balances	0.0	%	0.3	%	(0.4	)%
Expiration of net operating losses and credits	0.0	%	(7.2	)%	(6.3	)%
Impact of Ownership Change	1.8	%	(294.9	)%	0.0	%
Other	0.2	%	(1.7	)%	0.2	%
Change in valuation allowance	(41.6	)%	263.3	%	(32.0	)%
Total	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%

The tax years 2012 through 2015 remain open to examination by major taxing jurisdictions to which the Company is subject, which are primarily in the U.S. The statute of limitations for net operating losses utilized in future years will remain open beginning in the year of utilization.

The Company's policy is to record estimated interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had no accrued interest or penalties recorded related to uncertain tax positions.

At December 31, 2015, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs) for federal, state and international income tax purposes of approximately $24,359, $21,550 and $2,162, respectively. Included in the federal and state net operating loss carryforwards is $543 deduction related to the exercise of stock options. This amount represents an excess tax benefit which will be realized when it results in a reduction of cash taxes in accordance with ASC 718. The Company's existing federal and state net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire on various dates through 2035. The Company also had available research and development credits for federal and state income tax purposes of approximately $688 and $496, respectively. These federal and state research and development credits will begin to expire in 2034 and 2029, respectively. As of December 31, 2015, the Company also had available investment tax credits for state income tax purposes of $2, which also begin to expire in 2017. Management of the Company has evaluated the positive and negative evidence bearing upon the realizability of its deferred tax assets, which are comprised principally of net operating loss carryforwards and research and development credits. Under the applicable accounting standards, management has considered the Company's history of losses and concluded that it is more likely than not that the Company will not recognize the benefits of federal and state deferred tax assets. Accordingly, a full valuation allowance has been established against the deferred tax assets.

Utilization of the net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership change limitations that have occurred previously or that could occur in the future. These ownership changes may limit the amount of net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income and tax, respectively. The Company completed an evaluation of its ownership changes through December 31, 2014 and determined that an ownership change occurred on August 22, 2014 in connection with the Company's issuance of Common and Series B Convertible Preferred stock. As a consequence of this ownership change, the Company's NOLs, tax credit carryforwards and other tax deductions allocable to the tax periods preceding the ownership change became subject to limitation under Section 382. Approximately $219,719, $5,614 and $7,268 of the Company's NOLs, tax credit carryforwards and other tax deductions, respectively, became unavailable for future use. The Company has reduced its associated deferred tax assets accordingly. The Company has not yet completed an evaluation of ownership changes through December 31, 2015. To the extent an ownership change occurs in the future, the net operating loss, credit carryforwards and other deferred tax assets may be subject to further limitations.

No additional provision has been made for U.S. income taxes related to the undistributed earnings of the wholly-owned subsidiaries of Metabolix, Inc. or for unrecognized deferred tax liabilities for temporary differences related to investments in subsidiaries as the amounts are not significant. A liability could arise if amounts are distributed by such subsidiaries or if such subsidiaries are ultimately disposed.

Employee Benefits	12 Months Ended
Employee Benefits	Dec. 31, 2015
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Employee Benefits	Employee Benefits The Company maintains a 401(k) savings plan in which substantially all of its regular U.S. employees are eligible to participate. Participants may contribute up to 60% of their annual compensation to the plan, subject to eligibility requirements and annual IRS limitations. The Company's plan provides for a matching contribution in common stock of up to 4.5% of a participant's total compensation dependent upon the level of participant contributions made during the plan year. Pursuant to this plan, the Company issued 131,113, 58,448 and 44,555 shares of common stock during the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and recorded $323, $374 and $397, respectively, of related expense. Company contributions are fully vested upon issuance.

U.S. Department of Energy Grants	12 Months Ended
U.S. Department of Energy Grants	Dec. 31, 2015
Research and Development Arrangement with Federal Government [Abstract]
U.S. Department of Energy Grants	U.S. Department of Energy Grants In 2011, the Company entered into a multi-year $6.0 million grant agreement entitled, Renewable Enhanced Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts, with the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of switchgrass. The Company is using the funds to perform research to enhance the yield of bio-based products, biopower, or fuels made from switchgrass to produce denser biomass and other products that can be further processed to make fuels such as butanol, chemicals such as propylene, and other materials to improve the economic competitiveness of future biorefineries. Continued receipt of grant proceeds is contingent upon the availability of government appropriated funds and the Company's ability to make substantial progress towards meeting the objectives of the award. The Company recognizes revenue from the grant over the term of the agreement as it incurs related research and development costs and provided it meets its prorated cost-sharing obligation of approximately $3.9 million. The Company may elect to retain rights to inventions it conceives or reduces to practice in the performance of work under the award, subject to certain rights of the U.S. Government. During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized $1,028, $1,240 and $1,640 in revenue related to this grant, respectively. The grant reached its conclusion and the Company fulfilled its contractual obligations in February 2016. In 2015, the Company entered into a multi-year $2.0 million grant agreement entitled, Production of High Oil, Transgene Free Camelina Sativa Plants through Genome Editing, with the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of Camelina sativa feedstock. The Company is using the funds to perform research to increase oil content and/or seed yield to maximize oil yields per acre. Continued receipt of grant proceeds is contingent upon the availability of government appropriated funds and the Company's ability to make substantial progress towards meeting the objectives of the award. The Company recognizes revenue from the grant over the term of the agreement as it incurs related research and development costs and provided it meets its prorated cost-sharing obligation of approximately $0.5 million. The Company may elect to retain rights to inventions it conceives or reduces to practice in the performance of work under the award, subject to certain rights of the U.S. Government. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company recognized $33 in revenue related to this grant. The grant is expected to complete in September 2017.

Discontinued Operation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

Discontinued Operation

In 2014 the Company completed a comprehensive review of its business and decided to focus its resources on commercializing PHA performance polymers. In connection with this more focused strategy the Company decided to discontinue its operations in Germany. Based on this strategic shift, in October 2014 the Company sold substantially all of the assets of its wholly-owned German subsidiary, Metabolix GmbH, to a German manufacturer of engineering plastics compounds for $292. The buyer acquired the Mvera^TM B5010 and B5011 products for compostable film, as well as certain inventory, certain contracts, and the Mvera^TMtrademark. The buyer also took over the Metabolix GmbH employees and office space. The Company will not have significant involvement in the operations formerly conducted by Metabolix GmbH.

As of December 31, 2014, the assets of Metabolix GmbH had been sold and its operations had ceased. The consolidated financial statements for each of the two years ending December 31, 2014, have been presented to reflect the operations of Metabolix GmbH as a discontinued operation.

The following represents the major items comprising loss from discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013
Total revenue	$	1,699		$	1,616
Costs and expenses:
Cost of product revenue	1,559			1,118
Research and development	260			325
Selling, general and administrative	1,593			2,135
Loss from write-down of assets held for sale	888			—
Other expense	165			—
Total costs and expenses	4,465			3,578
Net loss	$	(2,766	)	$	(1,962	)

The Company released $165 of cumulative translation adjustment for its discontinued operations in Germany to loss from discontinued operations in its statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014.

- Definition

The entire disclosure related to a disposal group. Includes, but is not limited to, a discontinued operation, disposal classified as held-for-sale or disposed of by means other than sale or disposal of an individually significant component.

+ References

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+ Details

Restructuring

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Restructuring

In October 2014, the Company initiated a restructuring of its U.S. organization to reflect a more narrow strategic focus on PHA performance biopolymers and to modify staffing to the level the Company believed necessary to support successful implementation of its current business strategy. The scope of the restructuring also reflected the Company’s decision, consistent with its current business strategy, to suspend work in its chemicals program. The Company recognized a total of $624 of restructuring charges during 2014 related to post-employment termination benefits in accordance with ASC 420-10, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations. During the year ended December 31, 2015, a $32 adjustment to increase the restructuring charges was recorded and paid. There were no remaining balances accrued for restructuring charges at December 31, 2015. Other than the $32 adjustment, there were no restructuring activities during the twelve months ended December 31, 2013 and 2015.



	Original Charges and Amounts Accrued		Adjustments to Charges		Amounts Paid through December 31, 2015		Amounts Accrued at December 31, 2015

Employee severance, benefits and related costs	$	624	$	32	$	656	$	—
	$	624	$	32	$	656	$	—

Geographic Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Geographic Information

The geographic distribution of the Company's revenues and long-lived assets from continuing operations is summarized as follows:



	U.S.		Canada		Eliminations			Total
Year Ended December 31, 2015
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	2,593	$	1	$	—		$	2,594
Inter-geographic revenues	—		769		(769		)	—
Net revenues	$	2,593	$	770	$	(769	)	$	2,594
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	903	$	2	$	—		$	905
Year Ended December 31, 2014
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	2,668	$	132	$	—		$	2,800
Inter-geographic revenues	—		744		(744		)	—
Net revenues	$	2,668	$	876	$	(744	)	$	2,800
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	441	$	15	$	—		$	456
Year Ended December 31, 2013
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	3,505	$	273	$	—		$	3,778
Inter-geographic revenues	—		794		(794		)	—
Net revenues	$	3,505	$	1,067	$	(794	)	$	3,778
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	752	$	41	$	—		$	793

Foreign revenue is based on the country in which the Company's subsidiary that earned the revenue is domiciled. During 2015 and 2014, revenue earned from the Company's REFABB grant with U.S. Department of Energy totaled $1,028 and $1,240, respectively, and represented 40% and 44% of total revenue. During the year ended December, 31, 2015, one biopolymer customer represented 10% or more of the Company’s total product revenues and 37% of total revenue.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10 percent or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments.

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+ Details

Summary of Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Summary of Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)

The following tables summarize the unaudited quarterly financial data for the last two fiscal years.¹



	Quarter ended
	March 31,			June 30,			September 30,			December 31,
2015
Total revenues	$	645		$	744		$	709		$	496
Loss from continuing operations	(5,843		)	(6,073		)	(5,848		)	(5,917		)
Net loss	$	(5,843	)	$	(6,073	)	$	(5,848	)	$	(5,917	)
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.22	)	$	(0.22	)
2014
Total revenues	$	613		$	699		$	632		$	856
Loss from continuing operations	(7,491		)	(6,762		)	(6,708		)	(5,807		)
Loss from discontinued operations	(663		)	(473		)	(1,185		)	(445		)
Net loss	$	(8,154	)	$	(7,235	)	$	(7,893	)	$	(6,252	)
Basic and diluted net loss per share
Continuing operations	(1.30		)	(1.16		)	(0.71		)	(0.29		)
Discontinued operation	(0.11		)	(0.08		)	(0.13		)	(0.02		)
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(1.41	)	$	(1.24	)	$	(0.84	)	$	(0.31	)

The table above was retrospectively adjusted to reflect the Company's reverse stock split completed in May 2015.

¹Full year amounts may not sum due to rounding.

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
Subsequent Events	Dec. 31, 2015
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Event	Subsequent Events On January 20, 2016, the Company entered into a lease agreement, pursuant to which the Company will lease approximately 30,000 square feet of office and research and development space located at 19 Presidential Way, Woburn, Massachusetts. The lease will commence on June 1, 2016 and end on December 31, 2026, subject to adjustment depending on the date that renovations of the premises are substantially completed. Annual base rental payments due under the lease will be approximately $216 during the first lease year, $725 during the second lease year and $785 during the third lease year and a total of $7,346 for the remainder of the lease. The Company provided the landlord with a security deposit in the form of a letter of credit in the amount of $307. Pursuant to the lease, the Company also will also pay certain taxes and facility operating costs associated with the premises during the term of the lease. The Company will receive up to $889 from the landlord for tenant improvements to the premises and may elect to receive up to an additional $444 in tenant improvements with certain adjustments in rent. On January 20, 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with the landlord for its Cambridge, Massachusetts facility to terminate the lease effective July 31, 2016. After giving effect of the termination, the Company's future minimum payments will be reduced by $502, $1,223, $1,252, $1,280 and $461 during 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. There are no termination penalties or payments associated with the early termination of this lease.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

Use of Estimates

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity date of ninety days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Investments

Restricted Cash

Foreign Currency Translation

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Concentration of Credit Risk

Fair Value Measurements

Segment Information

Inventory

Property and Equipment



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life
Equipment		2.5 - 3 years
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

The Company records incentive payments received from its landlords as deferred rent and amortizes these amounts as reductions to lease expense over the lease term.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Revenue Recognition

Research and Development

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

Intellectual Property Costs

The Company includes all costs associated with the prosecution and maintenance of patents within selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Stock-Based Compensation

Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Share

Income Taxes

Recent Accounting Standards Changes

impact of this new guidance.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule of estimated useful life of assets used to compute depreciation using the straight-line method

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets once they are placed in service as follows:



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life
Equipment		2.5 - 3 years
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

Property and equipment consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2014
Equipment	$	5,055		$	4,723
Furniture and fixtures	220			227
Leasehold improvements	1,593			1,356
Software	386			381
Total property and equipment, at cost	7,254			6,687
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(6,349		)	(6,231		)
Property and equipment, net	$	905		$	456

Schedule of deferred product revenue and associated cost of product revenue

As of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the Company's deferred product revenue and associated cost of product revenue are shown below:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Deferred product revenue	$	236	$	57
Deferred cost of product revenue	$	51	$	9

Schedule of shares used to calculate diluted earnings per share



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015	2014	2013
Options	943,197	1,196,389	998,873
Restricted stock awards	946,074	99,726	—
Warrants	2,144,293	—	681
Total	4,033,564	1,296,115	999,554

Inventory (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of the components of the Company's biopolymer inventories

The components of biopolymer inventories of the Company's continuing operations are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Raw materials	$	51	$	2
Finished goods	328		584
Total inventory	$	379	$	586

Property and Equipment, Net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Schedule of components of property and equipment

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets once they are placed in service as follows:



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life
Equipment		2.5 - 3 years
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

Property and equipment consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2014
Equipment	$	5,055		$	4,723
Furniture and fixtures	220			227
Leasehold improvements	1,593			1,356
Software	386			381
Total property and equipment, at cost	7,254			6,687
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(6,349		)	(6,231		)
Property and equipment, net	$	905		$	456

Accrued Expenses (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Schedule of accrued expenses

Accrued expenses consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Employee compensation and benefits	$	2,114	$	2,621
Commercial manufacturing	465		77
Professional services	431		564
Other	503		447
Total accrued expenses	$	3,513	$	3,709

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of the Company's future minimum payments required under operating leases

At December 31, 2015, the Company's future minimum payments required under operating leases are as follows:



Year ended December 31,	Minimum lease payment
2016	$	1,487
2017	1,454
2018	1,488
2019	1,523
2020	564
2021 and thereafter	—
Total	$	6,516

Long-term Purchase Commitment

The fixed portion of the manufacturing service fees is included within our minimum payment obligation table shown below.



Year ended December 31,	Minimum Purchase Obligation
2016	$	3,272
2017	1,400
2018	—
2019	—
2020 and thereafter	—
Total	$	4,672

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Summary of the activity related to the shares of common stock covered by outstanding options under the plans

A summary of the activity related to the shares of common stock covered by outstanding options is as follows:



	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price	Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Balance at December 31, 2014	1,110,721		$28.22
Granted	33,318		3.62
Exercised	—		—
Forfeited	(4,733	)	7.65
Expired	(235,173	)	31.44
Balance at December 31, 2015	904,133		26.58	6.30	$—
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2015	873,871		27.24	6.22	—
Exercisable at December 31, 2015	611,354		35.50	5.50	—

Schedule of assumptions used in determining fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015	2014	2013
Expected dividend yield	—	—	—
Risk-free rate	1.32% - 1.69%	0.01% - 2.41%	0.71% - 2.05%
Expected option term (in years)	5.5-5.9	0.1-6.1	6.0 - 6.1
Volatility	88% - 91%	84% - 85%	84% - 85%

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Activity [Table Text Block]

A summary of RSU activity for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 is as follows:



	Number of RSUs			Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)
Outstanding at December 31, 2014	100,000
Awarded	1,192,023
Released	—
Forfeited	(5,250		)
Outstanding at December 31, 2015	1,286,773			1.40

Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2015	1,145,325			1.17

Weighted average remaining recognition period	2.54
Weighted average grant date fair value of RSUs granted during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015	$	3.61

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of components of profit (loss) before provision for income taxes

The components of loss from continuing operations before provision for income taxes consist of the following:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2014			2013
Domestic	$	(23,647	)	$	(28,741	)	$	(28,200	)
Foreign	21			35			51
Loss before taxes	$	(23,626	)	$	(28,706	)	$	(28,149	)

Schedule of significant components of the Company's net deferred tax asset

Significant components of the Company's net deferred tax assets are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2014
Deferred Tax Assets:
Net operating loss carryforward	$	9,904		$	6,215
Capitalization of research and development expense	15,070			10,250
Credit carryforwards	1,312			524
Depreciation	2,148			2,017
Non-Qualified Stock Options	4,668			4,484
Other temporary differences	1,420			1,559
Total deferred tax assets.	$	34,522		$	25,049
Valuation allowance	(34,522		)	(25,046		)
Net deferred tax assets	—			3
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Other temporary differences	—			(3		)
Net deferred taxes	$	—		$	—

Schedule of items accounting for the difference between the income tax benefit computed at the federal statutory rate and the provision for income taxes

The items accounting for the difference between the income tax benefit computed at the federal statutory rate of 34% and the provision for income taxes were as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015		2014		2013
Federal income tax at statutory federal rate	34.0	%	34.0	%	34.0	%
State taxes	4.9	%	7.0	%	3.8	%
Permanent differences	(2.9	)%	(3.9	)%	(2.1	)%
Tax credits	3.6	%	3.1	%	2.8	%
State rate change on deferred balances	0.0	%	0.3	%	(0.4	)%
Expiration of net operating losses and credits	0.0	%	(7.2	)%	(6.3	)%
Impact of Ownership Change	1.8	%	(294.9	)%	0.0	%
Other	0.2	%	(1.7	)%	0.2	%
Change in valuation allowance	(41.6	)%	263.3	%	(32.0	)%
Total	0.00	%	0.00	%	0.00	%

Discontinued Operation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

Schedule of discontinued operations

The following represents the major items comprising loss from discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013
Total revenue	$	1,699		$	1,616
Costs and expenses:
Cost of product revenue	1,559			1,118
Research and development	260			325
Selling, general and administrative	1,593			2,135
Loss from write-down of assets held for sale	888			—
Other expense	165			—
Total costs and expenses	4,465			3,578
Net loss	$	(2,766	)	$	(1,962	)

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of information related to a disposal group. Includes, but is not limited to, a discontinued operation, disposal classified as held-for-sale or disposed of by means other than sale or disposal of an individually significant component.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 11
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51716988&loc=SL51721533-107759

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4B
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721665-107760

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=d3e1474-107760

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=d3e1361-107760

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721683-107760

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 360
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51719941&loc=SL51724579-110230

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5C
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721675-107760

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721663-107760

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 360
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51719941&loc=d3e2941-110230

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5B
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721673-107760

Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721659-107760

Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721671-107760

Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 205
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5D
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51717284&loc=SL51721677-107760

+ Details

Restructuring (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Restructuring and Related Costs

There were no remaining balances accrued for restructuring charges at December 31, 2015. Other than the $32 adjustment, there were no restructuring activities during the twelve months ended December 31, 2013 and 2015.



	Original Charges and Amounts Accrued		Adjustments to Charges		Amounts Paid through December 31, 2015		Amounts Accrued at December 31, 2015

Employee severance, benefits and related costs	$	624	$	32	$	656	$	—
	$	624	$	32	$	656	$	—

Geographic Information (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of the geographic distribution of revenues and long-lived assets from continuing operations

The geographic distribution of the Company's revenues and long-lived assets from continuing operations is summarized as follows:



	U.S.		Canada		Eliminations			Total
Year Ended December 31, 2015
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	2,593	$	1	$	—		$	2,594
Inter-geographic revenues	—		769		(769		)	—
Net revenues	$	2,593	$	770	$	(769	)	$	2,594
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	903	$	2	$	—		$	905
Year Ended December 31, 2014
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	2,668	$	132	$	—		$	2,800
Inter-geographic revenues	—		744		(744		)	—
Net revenues	$	2,668	$	876	$	(744	)	$	2,800
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	441	$	15	$	—		$	456
Year Ended December 31, 2013
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	3,505	$	273	$	—		$	3,778
Inter-geographic revenues	—		794		(794		)	—
Net revenues	$	3,505	$	1,067	$	(794	)	$	3,778
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	752	$	41	$	—		$	793

Summary of Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Summary of unaudited quarterly financial data

The following tables summarize the unaudited quarterly financial data for the last two fiscal years.¹



	Quarter ended
	March 31,			June 30,			September 30,			December 31,
2015
Total revenues	$	645		$	744		$	709		$	496
Loss from continuing operations	(5,843		)	(6,073		)	(5,848		)	(5,917		)
Net loss	$	(5,843	)	$	(6,073	)	$	(5,848	)	$	(5,917	)
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.22	)	$	(0.22	)
2014
Total revenues	$	613		$	699		$	632		$	856
Loss from continuing operations	(7,491		)	(6,762		)	(6,708		)	(5,807		)
Loss from discontinued operations	(663		)	(473		)	(1,185		)	(445		)
Net loss	$	(8,154	)	$	(7,235	)	$	(7,893	)	$	(6,252	)
Basic and diluted net loss per share
Continuing operations	(1.30		)	(1.16		)	(0.71		)	(0.29		)
Discontinued operation	(0.11		)	(0.08		)	(0.13		)	(0.02		)
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(1.41	)	$	(1.24	)	$	(0.84	)	$	(0.31	)

Nature of Business (Details) - USD ($)				3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
Nature of Business (Details) - USD ($)	Oct. 07, 2015	Jun. 19, 2015	Aug. 22, 2014	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Nov. 09, 2015
Related party transactions
Unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and investments						$ 12,269,000
Period over which company's present capital resources are not sufficient to fund its planned operations						12 months
Proceeds from private placement offering, net of issuance costs		$ 14,703,000	$ 24,914,000	$ 14,703,000	$ 24,914,000	$ 14,703,000	$ 24,914,000	$ 0
Sales price of stock (less than .5 in dollars per share)	$ 0.50
Aspire
Related party transactions
Common stock, commitment to sell, amount	$ 20,000,000					$ 20,000,000				$ 20,000,000
Long-term Purchase Commitment, Period	30 months
Sales price of stock (less than .5 in dollars per share)	$ 0.50
Telles
Related party transactions
Deferred revenue recognized from the terminated Telles joint venture									$ 38,885,000

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) ft² in Thousands		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	May 26, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) customer	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Jan. 20, 2016 USD ($) ft²	Jan. 01, 2016 USD ($)
Concentration of credit risk
Restricted cash			$ 619,000	$ 619,000
Restricted Cash Held in Connection with Lease Agreements			494,000
Restricted cash held in connection with the company's corporate credit card program			125,000
Increase (Decrease) in Restricted Cash			0	0	$ 25,000
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)			$ 0	$ 0
Shares issued for each share converted	0.1667
Receivables \| Credit risk concentration
Concentration of credit risk
Receivables/Sales (as a percent)			92.00%
Number of customers \| customer				3
Receivables \| Credit risk concentration \| Customer product receivables
Concentration of credit risk
Accounts receivable			$ 231,000	$ 37,000
Receivables/Sales (as a percent)			43.00%	6.00%
Receivables \| Credit risk concentration \| Government grants
Concentration of credit risk
Accounts receivable			$ 156,000	$ 429,000
Receivables/Sales (as a percent)			29.00%	74.00%
Receivables \| Credit risk concentration \| REFABB grant with the Department of Energy
Concentration of credit risk
Receivables/Sales (as a percent)			43.00%
ARE_MA Region No. 20, LLC \| Subsequent Event
Concentration of credit risk
Restricted cash							$ 307,000
Area of real estate property \| ft²						30
Additional potential receivable, leasehold Improvements						$ 444,000
Scenario, Forecast
Concentration of credit risk
Increase (Decrease) in Restricted Cash		$ 494,000

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 2)	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 2)	Dec. 31, 2015 segment
Segment Information
Number of operating segments	1
Equipment \| Minimum
Property and Equipment
Estimated Useful Life	2 years 6 months
Equipment \| Maximum
Property and Equipment
Estimated Useful Life	3 years
Furniture and fixtures
Property and Equipment
Estimated Useful Life	5 years
Software
Property and Equipment
Estimated Useful Life	3 years

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Revenue Recognition
Period for which company is having option of accepting returns from customers	60 days
Deferred product revenue	$ 236	$ 57
Deferred cost of product revenue	$ 51	$ 9
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	4,033,564	1,296,115	999,554
Options
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	943,197	1,196,389	998,873
Restricted stock awards
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	946,074	99,726	0
Warrants
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	2,144,293	0	681

Inventory (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Inventory (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Inventory [Line Items]
Raw materials	$ 51	$ 2
Finished goods	328	584
Total inventory	379	586
Inventory on which revenue not recognized	51	9
Charge related to write-down of inventory	209	873	$ 746
Discontinued operations
Inventory [Line Items]
Charge related to write-down of inventory		888
Cost of Product Revenue
Inventory [Line Items]
Impairment charge	$ 209	$ 873	$ 746

Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Assets, fair value	$ 12,269	$ 19,011

Property and Equipment, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	$ 7,254	$ 6,687
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(6,349)	(6,231)
Property and equipment, net	905	456	$ 793
Depreciation expense	265	507	$ 928
Equipment
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	5,055	4,723
Furniture and fixtures
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	220	227
Leasehold improvements
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	1,593	1,356
Software
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	$ 386	$ 381

Accrued Expenses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Employee compensation and benefits	$ 2,114	$ 2,621
Commercial manufacturing	465	77
Professional services	431	564
Other	503	447
Total accrued expenses	$ 3,513	$ 3,709

Commitments and Contingencies - Details Textual (Details) ft² in Thousands, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Jan. 20, 2016 USD ($) ft²
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Operating Leases, Rent Expense, Net		$ 2,089	$ 1,944	$ 1,610
Lease payment due in 2016		1,487
2017		1,454
2018		1,488
Lease payment due thereafter		0
21 Erie Street Cambridge Massachusetts \| Subsequent Event
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lease payment reduction by 2016					$ 502
Lease payment reduction in 2017					1,223
Lease payment reduction in 2018					1,252
Lease payment reduction in 2019					1,280
Lease payment reduction in 2020					$ 461
ARE_MA Region No. 20, LLC \| Subsequent Event
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Area of real estate property \| ft²					30
Lease payment due in 2016					$ 216
2017					725
2018					785
Lease payment due thereafter					7,346
Security deposit					307
Receivable, leasehold Improvements					889
Operating Leases, Landlord Reimbursement for Lease Improvements, Additional Potential Payment					$ 444
Service Agreements
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Quarterly Fermentation Service Fees	$ 600
Prepaid Expense	$ 1,000
Quarterly Contractual Fixed Fee Payment		$ 520

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Future minimum lease payments
2016	$ 1,487
2017	1,454
2018	1,488
2019	1,523
2020	564
2021 and thereafter	0
Total	$ 6,516

Contractual Obligations (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
2016	$ 3,272
2017	1,400
2018	0
2019	0
2020 and thereafter	0
Total	$ 4,672

Related Party Transactions (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Related Party Transactions (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) director	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)
Related party transactions
Outstanding receivable	$ 146	$ 112
Tepha, Inc.
Related party transactions
Number of Related Party Directors \| director	2
License and royalty revenue	$ 578	425	$ 149
Outstanding receivable	$ 146	$ 112

Preferred Stock (Details) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Preferred Stock, Number of Shares, Par Value and Other Disclosures [Abstract]
Preferred stock, shares authorized	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, par value per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0

Capital Stock (Details)						3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
Capital Stock (Details)	Oct. 07, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Jun. 19, 2015 USD ($) shares $ / shares	May 26, 2015 shares	Oct. 30, 2014 shares	Aug. 22, 2014 USD ($) unit $ / unit shares	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($) shares	Nov. 09, 2015 USD ($)	May 25, 2015 shares	Dec. 31, 2012 shares
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Sales price of stock (less than .5 in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 0.50
Common stock, shares issued								27,331,435	22,530,322
Stock Issued \| $								$ 450,000	$ 0	$ 0
Deferred cost of product revenue \| $								51,000	9,000
Fair value of stock issued \| $		$ 14,703,000			$ 24,914,000	$ 14,703,000	$ 24,914,000	$ 14,703,000	$ 24,914,000	$ 0
Issuance costs from private placement \| $		$ 297,000			$ 86,000
Warrants issued, price per warrant \| $ / shares		$ 0.125
Warrant expiration period		4 years
Exercise price of warrants \| $ / shares		$ 3.98
Common stock, shares authorized								250,000,000	250,000,000
Number of units purchased \| unit					50,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued								0	0
Shares issued for each share converted			0.1667
Aspire
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, commitment to sell, amount \| $	$ 20,000,000							$ 20,000,000			$ 20,000,000
Long-term Purchase Commitment, Period	30 months
Sales price of stock (less than .5 in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 0.50
Common stock, shares issued	300,000
Stock Issued \| $	$ 450,000
Unit price (in dollars per share) \| $ / unit					0.50
Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, shares issued				8,333,333	8,333,333			27,331,435	22,530,322	5,763,541			5,717,728
Share Price \| $ / shares		$ 3.32
Number of securities called by warrants		3,933,000
Shares outstanding			23,000,000									136,000,000
Common stock, shares authorized				250,000,000
Number of units purchased		4,370,000
Number of common shares included in each unit					0.1667
Shares issued for each share converted				166.67	166.67
Series B Convertible Preferred Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock shares in each unit for purchase					0.001
Preferred stock, shares issued					50,000
Minimum \| Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, shares authorized					150,000,000
Other Assets \| Aspire
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Deferred cost of product revenue \| $	$ 169,000

Stock-Based Compensation (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands				12 Months Ended
	Sep. 10, 2015	Apr. 01, 2015	Dec. 19, 2013	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Stock-based compensation
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period				1,192,023
Remaining Contractual Term
Balance at the end of the period				6 years 3 months 18 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Balance at December 31, 2015				$ 0
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2015				0
Exercisable at December 31, 2015				$ 0
Stock options
Stock-based compensation
Expiration period				10 years
Number of Shares
Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares)				1,110,721
Granted (in shares)				33,318
Exercised (in shares)				0
Forfeited (in shares)				(4,733)
Expired (in shares)				(235,173)
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)				904,133	1,110,721
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period (in shares)				873,871
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)				611,354
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Balance at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 28.22
Granted (in dollars per share)				3.62
Exercised (in dollars per share)				0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share)				7.65
Expired (in dollars per share)				31.44
Balance at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				26.58	$ 28.22
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				27.24
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 35.50
Remaining Contractual Term
Balance at the end of the period				6 years 3 months 18 days
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period				6 years 2 months 19 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period				5 years 6 months
Additional disclosures
Weighted average grant date fair value of options granted (in dollars per share)				$ 2.61	$ 4.97	$ 6.86
Total intrinsic value of options exercised				$ 0	$ 50	$ 2
Stock options \| Joseph Shaulson
Stock-based compensation
Expiration period				4 years
Number of Shares
Granted (in shares)			191,667
Stock options \| Joseph Shaulson \| Option vesting on 2nd anniversary date
Stock-based compensation
Vesting percentage				25.00%
Stock options \| Joseph Shaulson \| Option vesting on 3rd anniversary date
Stock-based compensation
Vesting percentage				25.00%
Stock options \| Joseph Shaulson \| Option vesting on 4th anniversary date
Stock-based compensation
Vesting percentage				50.00%
Stock options \| Minimum
Stock-based compensation
Vesting period for options granted				1 year
Stock options \| Maximum
Stock-based compensation
Vesting period for options granted				4 years
Stock options \| 2005 Plan
Stock-based compensation
Further grants or awards after termination of plan (in shares)				0
Options awarded				269,860
Number of Shares
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)				950
Stock options \| 2006 Plan
Stock-based compensation
Further grants or awards after termination of plan (in shares)				0
Options awarded				1,467,076
Number of Shares
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)				676,971
Stock options \| 2014 Plan
Stock-based compensation
Options awarded				36,118
Number of Shares
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)				34,545
Restricted stock awards \| 2014 Plan
Stock-based compensation
Options awarded				1,192,023
Number of Shares
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)				1,186,773
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) \| Executive Employees
Stock-based compensation
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period		203,967		906,806
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) \| Non - Executive Employees
Stock-based compensation
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	81,250

Stock-Based Compensation (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 02, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Stock-based compensation
Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation expense is expected to be recognized		2 years 6 months 15 days
Stock options \| Employee and Director
Stock-based compensation
Stock-based compensation expense		$ 2,128	$ 2,276	$ 3,122
Stock-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested awards not yet recognized		$ 3,488
Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation expense is expected to be recognized		2 years
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Expected dividend yield (as a percent)		0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Risk-free rate, minimum (as a percent)		1.32%	0.01%	0.71%
Risk-free rate, maximum (as a percent)		1.69%	2.41%	2.05%
Volatility, minimum (as a percent)		88.00%	84.00%	84.00%
Volatility, maximum (as a percent)		91.00%	85.00%	85.00%
Stock options \| Minimum
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Vesting period for options granted		1 year
Stock options \| Minimum \| Employee and Director
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Expected option term (in years)		5 years 6 months	21 days	6 years
Stock options \| Maximum
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Vesting period for options granted		4 years
Stock options \| Maximum \| Employee and Director
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Expected option term (in years)		5 years 10 months 24 days	6 years 1 month 6 days	6 years 1 month 6 days
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) \| Chief Executive Officer
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Number of shares awarded during period	100,000
Vesting period for options granted	3 years
Fair value of awards granted during period	$ 327

Stock-Based Compensation RSU (Details)	12 Months Ended
Stock-Based Compensation RSU (Details)	Dec. 31, 2015 $ / shares shares
Number of RSUs
Outstanding at December 31, 2014	100,000
Awarded	1,192,023
Released	0
Forfeited	(5,250)
Outstanding at December 31, 2015	1,286,773
Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2015	1,145,325
Weighted average remaining recognition period	2 years 6 months 15 days
Weighted average grant date fair value of RSUs granted during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 \| $ / shares	$ 3.61
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)
Outstanding at December 31, 2015	1 year 4 months 24 days
Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2015	1 year 2 months 1 day

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Components of profit (loss) before provision for income taxes
Domestic	$ (23,647)	$ (28,741)	$ (28,200)
Foreign	21	35	51
Loss before taxes	(23,626)	(28,706)	$ (28,149)
Deferred Tax Assets:
Net operating loss carryforward	9,904	6,215
Capitalization of research and development expense	15,070	10,250
Credit carryforwards	1,312	524
Depreciation	2,148	2,017
Non-Qualified Stock Options	4,668	4,484
Other temporary differences	1,420	1,559
Total deferred tax assets.	34,522	25,049
Valuation allowance	(34,522)	(25,046)
Net deferred tax assets	0	3
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Other temporary differences	0	(3)
Net deferred taxes	$ 0	$ 0
Difference between income tax benefit computed at the federal statutory rate and the provision for income taxes
Federal income tax at statutory federal rate	34.00%	34.00%	34.00%
State taxes (as a percent)	4.90%	7.00%	3.80%
Permanent differences (as a percent)	(2.90%)	(3.90%)	(2.10%)
Tax credits (as a percent)	3.60%	3.10%	2.80%
State rate change on deferred balances (as a percent)	0.00%	0.30%	(0.40%)
Expiration of net operating losses and credits (as a percent)	0.00%	(7.20%)	(6.30%)
Impact of Ownership Change (as a percent)	1.80%	(294.90%)	0.00%
Other (as a percent)	0.20%	(1.70%)	0.20%
Change in valuation allowance (as a percent)	(41.60%)	263.30%	(32.00%)
Total (as a percent)	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Income Taxes - Details Textual (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes - Details Textual (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Income Tax Penalties and Interest Accrued	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Operating Loss Carryforwards, Attributable to Deduction Related to Exercise of Stock Options	543,000
Operating Loss Carryforwards, Expired Amount		219,719,000
Tax Credit Carryforward, Expired Amount		5,614
Other Tax Deductions, Expired Amount		$ 7,268
Provision for Income Taxes for Undistributed Earnings of Foreign Subsidiaries	0
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Operating Loss Carryforwards	24,359,000
State and Local Jurisdiction
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Operating Loss Carryforwards	21,550,000
Foreign Tax Authority
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Operating Loss Carryforwards	2,162,000
Research Tax Credit Carryforward \| Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Tax Credit Carryforward, Amount	688,000
Research Tax Credit Carryforward \| State and Local Jurisdiction
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Tax Credit Carryforward, Amount	496,000
Investment Tax Credit Carryforward \| State and Local Jurisdiction
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Tax Credit Carryforward, Amount	$ 2,000

Employee Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Employee Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Maximum contribution by participants under the 401(k) savings plan (as a percent)	60.00%
Employer's matching contribution in common stock as a percentage of a participant's total compensation, percent	4.50%
Common stock issued under the 401(k) savings plan (in shares)	131,113	58,448	44,555
Related expense for common stock issued under the 401(k) savings plan	$ 323	$ 374	$ 397

U.S. Department of Energy Grants (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
U.S. Department of Energy Grants (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2011
Renewable Enhanced Feedstock for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Multi-year grant agreement amount				$ 6,000,000
Prorated cost-sharing obligation amount				$ 3,900,000
Revenue recognized related to the multi-year grant agreement	$ 1,028,000	$ 1,240,000	$ 1,640,000
Production of High Oil, Transgene Free Camelina Sativa Plants through Genome Editing
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Prorated cost-sharing obligation amount	500,000
Revenue recognized related to the multi-year grant agreement	33,000
Government Contract Receivable, Unbilled Amounts	$ 2,000,000.0

Discontinued Operation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
Discontinued Operation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Oct. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash from sale of assets of discontinued operation						$ 0	$ 292	$ 0
Costs and Expenses [Abstract]
Loss from write-down of assets held for sale						0	888	0
Total loss from discontinued operations		$ (445)	$ (1,185)	$ (473)	$ (663)	$ 0	(2,766)	(1,962)
Metabolix GmbH
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash from sale of assets of discontinued operation	$ 292
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Income Statement Disclosures [Abstract]
Total revenue							1,699	1,616
Costs and Expenses [Abstract]
Cost of product revenue							1,559	1,118
Research and development							260	325
Selling, general and administrative							1,593	2,135
Loss from write-down of assets held for sale							888	0
Other expense							165	0
Total costs and expenses							4,465	3,578
Total loss from discontinued operations							(2,766)	$ (1,962)
Cumulative translation adjustment							$ 165

Restructuring (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Restructuring (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Original Charges and Amounts Accrued	$ 624
Adjustments to Charges	32
Amounts Paid through December 31, 2015	656
Amounts Accrued at December 31, 2015	0
Restructuring charges recognized		$ 624
Employee Severance
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Original Charges and Amounts Accrued	624
Adjustments to Charges	32
Amounts Paid through December 31, 2015	656
Amounts Accrued at December 31, 2015	$ 0

Restructuring - Textual Details (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring Reserve	$ 0
Restructuring charges recognized		$ 624
Adjustments to Charges	$ 32

Geographic Information (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
Geographic Information (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) customer	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)
Geographic Information
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$ 496	$ 709	$ 744	$ 645	$ 856	$ 632	$ 699	$ 613	$ 2,594	$ 2,800	$ 3,778
Revenues									2,594	2,800	3,778
Identifiable long-lived assets	905				456				905	456	793
U.S.
Geographic Information
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers									2,593	2,668	3,505
Revenues									2,593	2,668	3,505
Identifiable long-lived assets	903				441				903	441	752
Canada
Geographic Information
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers									1	132	273
Revenues									770	876	1,067
Identifiable long-lived assets	$ 2				$ 15				2	15	41
Eliminations
Geographic Information
Revenues									(769)	(744)	(794)
Inter-geographic revenues \| Canada
Geographic Information
Revenues									769	744	794
Inter-geographic revenues \| Eliminations
Geographic Information
Revenues									$ (769)	$ (744)	$ (794)
Sales \| Customer One
Geographic Information
Number of Major Customers \| customer									1
Receivables/Sales (as a percent)									37.00%

Geographic Information (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Geographic Information (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Revenue earned
Revenue earned from the REFABB grant	$ 1,350	$ 1,807	$ 2,480
U.S. Department of Energy
Revenue earned
Revenue earned from the REFABB grant	$ 1,028	$ 1,240
Revenues \| U.S. Department of Energy
Revenue earned
Percentage of total revenue	40.00%	44.00%

Summary of Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Total revenues	$ 496	$ 709	$ 744	$ 645	$ 856	$ 632	$ 699	$ 613	$ 2,594	$ 2,800	$ 3,778
Loss from continuing operations	(5,917)	(5,848)	(6,073)	(5,843)	(5,807)	(6,708)	(6,762)	(7,491)	(23,743)	(26,829)	(28,540)
Loss from discontinued operations					(445)	(1,185)	(473)	(663)	0	(2,766)	(1,962)
Net loss	$ (5,917)	$ (5,848)	$ (6,073)	$ (5,843)	$ (6,252)	$ (7,893)	$ (7,235)	$ (8,154)	$ (23,681)	$ (29,534)	$ (30,506)
Basic and diluted net loss per share
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)					$ (0.29)	$ (0.71)	$ (1.16)	$ (1.30)
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)					(0.02)	(0.13)	(0.08)	(0.11)
Basic and diluted net loss per share (in dollars per share)	$ (0.22)	$ (0.22)	$ (0.26)	$ (0.26)	$ (0.31)	$ (0.84)	$ (1.24)	$ (1.41)

- Definition

Amount after tax of income (loss) from a discontinued operation attributable to the parent. Includes, but is not limited to, the income (loss) from operations during the phase-out period, gain (loss) on disposal, gain (loss) for reversal of write-down (write-down) to fair value, less cost to sell, and adjustments to a prior period gain (loss) on disposal.

+ References + Details

- Definition

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

+ References + Details

Subsequent Events (Details) ft² in Thousands	Jan. 20, 2016 USD ($) ft²	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Lease payment due in 2016		$ 1,487,000
Lease payment due in 2017		1,454,000
Lease payment due in 2018		1,488,000
Lease payment due thereafter		$ 0
ARE_MA Region No. 20, LLC \| Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Area of real estate property \| ft²	30
Lease payment due in 2016	$ 216,000
Lease payment due in 2017	725,000
Lease payment due in 2018	785,000
Lease payment due thereafter	7,346,000
Security deposit	307,000
Receivable, leasehold Improvements	889,000
Additional potential receivable, leasehold Improvements	444,000
21 Erie Street Cambridge Massachusetts \| Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Lease payment reduction by 2016	502,000
Lease payment reduction in 2017	1,223,000
Lease payment reduction in 2018	1,252,000
Lease payment reduction in 2019	1,280,000
Lease payment reduction in 2020	461,000
21 Erie Street Cambridge Massachusetts \| Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Loss on Contract Termination	$ 0