Synthetic Genomics Inc. Appoints Chief Financial Officer

LA JOLLA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--Synthetic Genomics Inc., a privately held company dedicated to
developing and commercializing genomic-driven solutions to address
global energy and environmental challenges, today announced the
appointment of Chuck McBride as Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, effective February 12, 2008.

McBride brings more than 30 years of experience in corporate
finance and development, investor relations and operations, and has
been successful in raising more than a billion dollars in his previous
experience. He joins Synthetic Genomics from Capstone Turbine
Corporation (NASDAQ:CPST), the world's leading clean technology
manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, where he served as
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to
Capstone, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer at First Consulting Group (NASDAQ:FCGI), an information
technology services company. Prior to that, McBride served as Chief
Financial Officer at Emulex (NYSE:ELX), Kistler Aerospace, Unplugged
Communication and CalComp.

McBride earned a bachelor's degree in accounting/finance with
honors from Ohio State University and a master's degree in computer
systems management from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a
member of Financial Executives International.

"Chuck's successful track record and solid CFO experience combined
with his direct experience in bringing new emerging and alternative
energy technologies to market make him a significant addition to our
company," said J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., founder and Chief Executive
Officer of Synthetic Genomics.

"Rising energy costs, energy security, climate change, and our
dependency on oil and coal are important issues that we can address
using biotechnology," said McBride. "The ability to biologically
produce new renewable energy sources will change the world. I look
forward to working with the talented team at Synthetic Genomics who
are dedicated to this goal," added McBride.

About Synthetic Genomics

Synthetic Genomics, Inc., a privately held company founded in
2005, is dedicated to developing and commercializing genomic-driven
solutions to address global energy and environmental challenges.
Advances in synthetic genomics present limitless applications in a
variety of product areas including: chemical, pharmaceutical and
energy. The company's main research and business programs are focused
on four bioenergy areas: designing advanced biofuels produced from a
variety of bio-feedstocks; developing new biological solutions to
increase production and/or recovery rates of subsurface hydrocarbons;
conducting in-depth genomic analysis of plants for development of
higher yielding, more disease resistant, and economic feedstocks; and
harnessing photosynthetic organisms to produce biofuels directly from
sunlight and carbon dioxide. For more information, please visit
www.syntheticgenomics.com.

Synthetic Genomics
Melanie Wranaker, 240.238.0808
mwranaker@syntheticgenomics.com
or
Heather Kowalski, 202.294.9206
hkowalski@kowalskicommunications.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008