News & Press

OPX Biotechnologies, Inc. Adds Steve Toon to Executive Leadership

Industry Veteran Further Positions the Company for the Next Stage of Growth

Boulder, Colo.- March 4, 2009 - OPX Biotechnologies Inc., a bioproducts company, announces the addition of Dr. Stephen P. (Steve) Toon as Vice President of Engineering and Operations. Dr. Toon brings more than 20 years of industrial bioprocess development, commercialization and operations experience to his new position. He will lead the bioprocess development, engineering and operation of biorefineries incorporating the highly productive microbial biocatalysts created with the OPX EDGE™ technology to produce economical and sustainable fuels and chemicals from renewable resources.

"We are thrilled that Steve has joined the growing OPX team," said OPX Biotechnologies President and CEO Charles R. (Chas) Eggert. "Steve's deep knowledge, experience, and networks are valuable assets for OPX as we accelerate bioprocess development and engineering on the path to commercialization."

Prior to joining OPX, Dr. Toon served as Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering at cellulosic ethanol and enzyme producer Verenium Corporation in San Diego. From 1996 to 2006 he worked at Cargill as the senior scientist responsible for process development and commercialization of three important bioproducts - erthyritol, lysine, and polylactic acid polymer. Dr. Toon was also a scientist and doctoral fellow focusing on algal production of renewable fuels at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colo. from 1987 to 1996, during which time he completed a Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Denver. He earlier received M.S. and B.S. degrees in Botany and Microbiology from the University of Arkansas.

OPX Biotechnologies is applying its proprietary microbial metabolic engineering platform to refine renewable raw materials into fuels and chemicals with significant cost and sustainability benefits. OPX Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Michael D. Lynch founded the company in 2007 based on his pioneering discoveries at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The proprietary OPX EDGE™ (Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering) technology enables rapid, rational and robust optimization of microbial biocatalysts to minimize capital investment and operating costs of a full-scale biorefinery. OPX has already applied the EDGE platform to achieve production of multiple fuels and chemicals from several different renewable raw materials. The company's growth is funded by the venture capital partnerships of Braemar Energy Ventures, Mohr Davidow Ventures and X/Seed Capital.