Collaborative Research and Development Agreements, Government Programs and Licenses - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Thousands			1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended									9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
		Dec. 25, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2013 shares	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	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 ($)	Mar. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Oct. 27, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 t	May. 31, 2011 shares
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Research and development programs						$ 3,348	$ 2,266	$ 3,433	$ 3,784	$ 5,149	$ 5,936	$ 6,917	$ 5,043			$ 12,831	$ 23,045	$ 19,788
Deferred revenue			$ 500			$ 500				$ 150						500	150
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Other																$ 3,052	0	$ 7,126
Archer Daniels Midland Extension Warrant
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Additional warrants to be granted under extension of contract (in shares) | shares				500,000
Warrant vesting period				5 years
Unilever
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Supply agreement (in metric tonnes) | t																				10,000
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Warrant granted to purchase shares of common stock (in shares) | shares				500,000
Warrant vesting period				5 years
Warrant measurement date				Jul. 31, 2013
Common stock issued | shares																1,121,914
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Other																$ 3,100
Warrant Instrument Convertible Trading Days		5 days
Mitsui & Co., Ltd
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Milestone revenue recognized																2,100	$ 1,500
Bunge Ltd
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Research and development programs														$ 2,000
Subsequent Event | Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Payments for Restructuring					$ 1,250
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Other					$ 1,250
Warrant Instrument Convertible Trading Days					5 days
2015 Restructuring Plan
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Payments for Restructuring	[1]															$ 1,182
2015 Restructuring Plan | Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Other			$ 3,100
2015 Restructuring Plan | Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Stock Issued, Value, and Cash Payment During Period					$ 3,400
2015 Restructuring Plan | Scenario, Forecast [Member] | Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Stock Issued, Value, and Cash Payment During Period															$ 2,500
Bunge Ltd
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Deferred revenue																			$ 700
Warrant granted to purchase shares of common stock (in shares) | shares																					1,000,000

[1] The accrued costs as of December 31, 2015 are recorded in the current portion of the consolidated balance sheets under “Accrued liabilities,” as the remaining balance is expected to be paid in 2016.