Nature of Business	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Nature of Business
Nature of Business	1. Nature of Business Metabolix, Inc. (the "Company") is an innovation-driven bioscience company which is focused on delivering sustainable solutions to the plastics and chemicals industries. The Company has core capabilities in microbial genetics, fermentation process engineering, chemical engineering, polymer science, plant genetics and botanical science, and has assembled these capabilities in a way that has allowed the integration of biotechnology with chemical engineering and industrial practice. The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry including, but not limited to, development by the Company's competitors of new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, the need to obtain additional funding, 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, 2013. As of December 31, 2013, the Company held unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and investments of $19,209. The Company's present capital resources are not 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 will, during 2014, require significant additional funding to continue its operations. Based on current plans and projections, which remain subject to numerous uncertainties, the Company anticipates raising additional funds over the next 12-15 months. The timing, structure and vehicles for obtaining this level of financing are under consideration by the Company and may be accomplished in stages. The Company's goal, however, is to use this capital to build an intermediate scale specialty materials business based on PHA additives that serves as the foundation for its longer range plans and future growth of its biopolymers business. Failure to receive additional funding will force the Company to delay, scale back or otherwise modify its business and its manufacturing plans, its 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. The Company believes that its existing resources and the cash to be generated from existing grants and expected product sales will be sufficient to meet its projected operating requirements into the third quarter of 2014. However, any significant costs incurred to establish a commercial biopolymer manufacturing facility will shorten this liquidity horizon. 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 establishment and start-up of commercial manufacturing operations 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; and (f) other items affecting the Company's forecasted level of expenditures and use of cash resources. In any event, the Company will, during 2014, require significant additional financing to continue to fund its operations and to support its capital needs. Management of the Company will attempt to obtain additional funding through public or private financing, collaborative arrangements with strategic partners, or through additional credit lines or other debt financing sources. However, there is uncertainty regarding whether the Company can successfully execute these actions, and it can provide no assurance that it will. Furthermore, if the Company issues equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, its existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the Company's existing stockholders. 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.

1. Nature of Business

Metabolix, Inc. (the "Company") is an innovation-driven bioscience company which is focused on delivering sustainable solutions to the plastics and chemicals industries. The Company has core capabilities in microbial genetics, fermentation process engineering, chemical engineering, polymer science, plant genetics and botanical science, and has assembled these capabilities in a way that has allowed the integration of biotechnology with chemical engineering and industrial practice. The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry including, but not limited to, development by the Company's competitors of new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, the need to obtain additional funding, 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, 2013. As of December 31, 2013, the Company held unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and investments of $19,209. The Company's present capital resources are not 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 will, during 2014, require significant additional funding to continue its operations. Based on current plans and projections, which remain subject to numerous uncertainties, the Company anticipates raising additional funds over the next 12-15 months. The timing, structure and vehicles for obtaining this level of financing are under consideration by the Company and may be accomplished in stages. The Company's goal, however, is to use this capital to build an intermediate scale specialty materials business based on PHA additives that serves as the foundation for its longer range plans and future growth of its biopolymers business. Failure to receive additional funding will force the Company to delay, scale back or otherwise modify its business and its manufacturing plans, its 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. The Company believes that its existing resources and the cash to be generated from existing grants and expected product sales will be sufficient to meet its projected operating requirements into the third quarter of 2014. However, any significant costs incurred to establish a commercial biopolymer manufacturing facility will shorten this liquidity horizon. 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 establishment and start-up of commercial manufacturing operations 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; and (f) other items affecting the Company's forecasted level of expenditures and use of cash resources. In any event, the Company will, during 2014, require significant additional financing to continue to fund its operations and to support its capital needs. Management of the Company will attempt to obtain additional funding through public or private financing, collaborative arrangements with strategic partners, or through additional credit lines or other debt financing sources. However, there is uncertainty regarding whether the Company can successfully execute these actions, and it can provide no assurance that it will. Furthermore, if the Company issues equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, its existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the Company's existing stockholders. 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.