Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), a leading enzyme engineering company,
today announced the appointment of Carole Cobb, MBA, to the
Company’s Strategic Advisory Board (SAB). Ms. Cobb is the former
Chief Operating Officer at GreenLight Biosciences, a
bio-performance company developing RNA-based solutions for
agriculture and pharmaceutical applications. Her deep biotechnology
experience includes leadership roles across fermentation-based
commercial manufacturing, process development, plant operations and
global supply chain management.
“We are honored to have Carole join Codexis as
the newest member of our Strategic Advisory Board,” said Stefan
Lutz, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research at Codexis. “With
nearly four decades of operations and commercial experience, much
of which has been focused on advancing RNA-based solutions, Carole
will prove to be a valuable resource as we continue to make
technical progress on the ECO Synthesis™ manufacturing platform,
build out our ECO Synthesis™ Innovation Lab, and continue
commercial preparations. With our inaugural SAB meeting being held
at month’s end, Carole joins at an opportune time as we prepare for
multiple exciting milestones in 2024 and beyond.”
Ms. Cobb added, “As someone who has spent much
of my career focused on novel product development, manufacturing
technologies and commercialization, I am thrilled to be partnering
with Codexis on the advancement of a truly innovative technology
platform. We have the potential to impact treatment paradigms for
tens of millions of patients by enabling access to emerging RNAi
therapeutics. I look forward to meeting the rest of the SAB in the
coming weeks and working alongside Codexis on the strategy to bring
this technology to market.”
Ms. Cobb has forty years of bio-based industry
experience and is currently a business consultant for biotechnology
companies. Most recently, she served as the Chief Operating Officer
at GreenLight Biosciences where she led the Company’s efforts to
scale their proprietary bioprocessing methods. Prior to joining
GreenLight, Ms. Cobb served as Chief Operating Officer at Cobalt
Technologies. Earlier in her career, Ms. Cobb held senior
leadership roles at Danisco A/S and Genencor International. She
holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of
Rochester and Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering,
Biochemistry and Cell & Molecular Biology from the State
University of New York at Buffalo.
About the Codexis Strategic Advisory
Board
Codexis’ Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) was
established in 2023 and is comprised of experts across
oligonucleotide synthesis, manufacturing and commercialization. The
SAB plays a pivotal role in guiding the Company’s strategic
direction and offers valuable insights to inform the continued
development of the ECO Synthesis™ manufacturing platform. Current
members include John Maraganore, PhD, founder and former Chief
Executive Officer of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals; Masad Damha, PhD,
Distinguished James McGill Professor at McGill University; Jim
Lalonde, PhD, biotechnology consultant for start-up companies in
enzyme engineering and former Senior Vice President of Research and
Development at Codexis; and Carole Cobb, MBA, biotechnology
consultant and former Chief Operating Officer at GreenLight
Biosciences. More information about Codexis’ SAB can be found on
the About Us section of the Company’s corporate website, located
here.
About the ECO Synthesis™ Manufacturing
Platform
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) as a therapeutic modality
has gained tremendous traction in recent years with the growing
number of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and small interfering RNA
(siRNA) candidates advancing in clinical studies. However,
large-scale production of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics
using traditional chemical synthesis faces complex challenges in
nucleic acid quality and quantity, as well as overall economics.
With over 450 RNAi therapies currently in clinical development,
including more than 40 assets in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical
trials targeting disease indications impacting millions of
patients, RNAi therapeutic demand is projected to outpace current
production capabilities by the end of the decade. Codexis’
proprietary ECO Synthesis™ manufacturing platform is being designed
to address these scalability and cost limitations by potentially
enabling the commercial-scale manufacture of RNAi therapeutics
through an enzymatic route. The Company achieved gram-scale
synthesis in December 2023, where it demonstrated the
preparative-scale manufacture of an oligonucleotide, comprised of
the modified nucleotide building blocks typically used in RNAi
therapeutics, under process-like conditions. Codexis remains on
track to initiate early access customer testing in the second half
of 2024.
About Codexis
Codexis is a leading enzyme engineering company
leveraging its proprietary CodeEvolver® technology platform to
discover, develop and enhance novel, high-performance enzymes and
other classes of proteins. Codexis enzymes solve for real-world
challenges associated with small molecule pharmaceuticals
manufacturing and nucleic acid synthesis. The Company is currently
developing its proprietary ECO Synthesis™ manufacturing platform to
enable the scaled manufacture of RNAi therapeutics through an
enzymatic route. Codexis’ unique enzymes can drive improvements
such as higher yields, reduced energy usage and waste generation,
improved efficiency in manufacturing and greater sensitivity in
genomic and diagnostic applications. For more information,
visit https://www.codexis.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,”
“anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,”
“could,” “design,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,”
“may,” “objective,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “predict,”
“seek,” “should,” “suggest,” “target,” “on track,” “will,” “would”
and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate
future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or
other comparable terminology. To the extent that statements
contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical
facts, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current
beliefs and expectations of management, including but not limited
to statements regarding whether Codexis will be able to, and the
timing of it entering pre-commercial testing of its ECO Synthesis™
manufacturing platform with select customers in 2024; other
anticipated technical and commercial milestones related to the ECO
Synthesis™ manufacturing platform; the potential of the ECO
Synthesis™ platform, including its ability to drive improvements
relative to traditional chemical synthesis related to scalability,
cost limitations, waste and overall economics, and it providing an
opportunity for Codexis to efficiently capture meaningful market
share; expectations regarding Codexis’ planned ECO Synthesis™
Innovation Lab; and expectations regarding the potential of and
future demand for RNAi therapeutics. You should not place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are,
in some cases, beyond Codexis’ control and that could materially
affect actual results. Factors that could materially affect actual
results include, among others: Codexis’ dependence on its licensees
and collaborators; if any of its collaborators terminate their
development programs under their respective license agreements with
Codexis; Codexis may need additional capital in the future in order
to expand its business; if Codexis is unable to successfully
develop new technology such as its ECO Synthesis™ platform and
dsRNA; Codexis dependence on a limited number of products and
customers, and potential adverse effects to Codexis’ business if
its customers’ products are not received well in the markets; if
Codexis is unable to develop and commercialize new products for its
target markets; if competitors and potential competitors who have
greater resources and experience than Codexis develop products and
technologies that make Codexis’ products and technologies obsolete;
if Codexis is unable to accurately forecast financial and
operational performance; and market and economic conditions may
negatively impact Codexis business, financial condition and share
price. Additional information about factors that could materially
affect actual results can be found in Codexis’ Annual Report on
Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
on February 28, 2024, including under the caption “Risk Factors,”
and in Codexis’ other periodic reports filed with the SEC. Codexis
expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these
forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
For More Information
Investor ContactCarrie McKim(336)
608-9706ir@codexis.com
Media ContactLauren Musto(650)
421-8205media@codexis.com
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