NEW YORK. The American Chemical Society has honored Dr. James J. Barber, President and CEO of Metabolix, Inc. of Cambridge, MA, with its prestigious Henry S. Whalen, Jr. Award for Business Development. The Society gives this award annually to the individual who best exemplifies successful leadership in the commercialization of new technologies for the chemical industry. Dr. Barber has managed the transition of Metabolix from its development stage to commercialization stage. He has orchestrated overall company strategy and market development, and has developed key industry and government relationships in the area of sustainable materials from biomass.

Metabolix, Inc. uses sophisticated biotechnology to produce environmentally friendly performance plastics and specialty chemicals from renewable resources. These new polymers, called Mirels (or polyhydroxyalkanoates), are being championed globally as an alternative for plastics derived from petrochemicals.

Over the last several years, Metabolix has focused its research and process development, and demonstrated commercial-scale feasibility for Mirel plastics. The company recently signed a collaborative agreement with BASF to identify and develop applications for Mirels. In 2001, the company received funding from the US Department of Energy for the Biomass Biorefinery Project to produce Mirels and fuel using switchgrass, which will create a value-added agricultural crop. In addition, Metabolix recently received a National Institute for Science and Technology Advanced Technology Program grant to develop a "superstrain" of bacteria that will further reduce the cost of Mirels, and a US Department of Agriculture grant to further the production of Mirels in switchgrass.

Before joining Metabolix, Dr. Barber was global business director for Albemarle Corporation’s organometallics and catalysts business. Prior to that, he served as director of business development with Ethyl Corporation; President of Geltech, Inc., a venture-capital backed company focused in the area of precision-molded micro optics; and COO of Hyperion Catalysis International, a development stage company producing carbon nanofibers. Dr. Barber earned the B.S. degree in chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1976, and the Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980.

Founded in 1992, Metabolix is a world leader in applying the advanced tools of metabolic engineering and molecular biology to produce Mirel plastics in microbial systems efficiently via fermentation and, ultimately, directly in non-food plant crops. The company’s current focus is on commercializing Mirels in applications where they provide unique performance benefits. Targets include paper coatings, nonwovens, adhesives, disposable food ware, and performance additives for other polymers. For more information on Metabolix visit the website at www.metabolix.com.

For more information on Metabolix, contact Marcia Miller, Director of Marketing, or visit our website at www.metabolix.com. Further information about the American Chemical Society is available at www.acs.org