Verenium Appoints Kevin Bracken Vice President of Manufacturing

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM), a pioneer in the development and commercialization of high-performance industrial enzyme solutions, today announced the appointment of Kevin Bracken to the position of Vice President of Manufacturing. Bracken will report to Janet Roemer, President and Chief Operating Officer of Verenium's Enzymes Business.

"Kevin brings over 30 years of valuable manufacturing experience from global biotechnology companies," said Roemer.  "His extensive background in manufacturing leadership and breadth of expertise in process engineering, facilities and equipment design, project management, contract manufacturing, and commercial scale-up of novel products will greatly benefit Verenium as we work to optimize and expand our manufacturing capabilities."

Prior to joining Verenium, Bracken was Vice President of Manufacturing at Vical Incorporated, a developer of biopharmaceutical products, where he was responsible for all manufacturing activities, served on numerous product development, validation and technical teams for new product candidates, and supervised all scale-up and optimization operations for the company.

Previously, Bracken was Vice President of Process Engineering and Manufacturing at Universal Preservation Technologies, Inc., and was Director of Engineering for Molecular Biosystems. Prior to that, he held positions of increasing responsibility in process engineering with Gilead Sciences and Baxter International.  He began his career as an engineer with DuPont.

Bracken received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware and a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester.

About Verenium

Verenium Corporation is a pioneer in the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes for use in industrial processes.  Verenium currently sells enzymes developed using its R&D capabilities to industrial customers globally for use in markets including biofuels, animal health and oil seed processing. Verenium has built a world-class R&D organization renowned for its capabilities in the rapid screening, identification, and bioengineering of novel enzymes that act as catalysts for biochemical reactions. The company harnesses the power of nature and uses its unique, patented technology to create products that transform industries by maximizing efficiency while improving environmental performance. For more information on Verenium, visit http://www.verenium.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty.  These include, but are not limited to, statements related to the closing of the sale of the Company's biofuels business to BP, the Company's post-closing lines of business, operations, capabilities, commercialization activities, corporate partnerships, target markets and future financial performance, results and objectives, all of which are prospective.  Such statements are only predictions, and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause or contribute to the differences include, but are not limited to, the failure or inability of Verenium and/or BP to satisfy all closing conditions related to the sale of Verenium's biofuels business, risks associated with Verenium's strategic focus, risks associated with Verenium's technologies, risks associated with Verenium's ability to obtain additional capital to support its planned operations and financial obligations, risks associated with Verenium's dependence on patents and proprietary rights, risks associated with Verenium's protection and enforcement of its patents and proprietary rights, the commercial prospects of the industries in which Verenium operates and sells products, Verenium's dependence on manufacturing and/or license agreements, and its ability to achieve milestones under existing and future collaboration agreements, the ability of Verenium and its partners to commercialize its technologies and products (including by obtaining any required regulatory approvals) using Verenium's technologies and timing for launching any commercial products and projects, the ability of Verenium and its collaborators to market and sell any products that it or they commercialize, the development or availability of competitive products or technologies, the future ability of Verenium to enter into and/or maintain collaboration and joint venture agreements and licenses, , and risks and other uncertainties more fully described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 and any updates contained in its subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.  These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Verenium Corporation