Ann Dickerson

Ann.dickerson@openvape.com
303-319-4330
National Concessions Group, Inc.
1058 Delaware St. Denver, CO 80204

Meet O.penVAPEs Organa Brands R&D Dream Team

O.penVAPEs team of scientists leads innovation in the cannabis industry as they
produce pure, lab-grade cannabis oil as a safe alternative medicine. Already, they
are creating oils that are consistent, safer without additives, distinctive in taste and
effect, and replicable for a rapidly growing market of medical patients and
recreational cannabis enthusiasts. With licensed manufacturing operations in nine
states and Jamaica, and pending licenses in states where cannabis is being
legalized, O.penVAPEs core research and development team is utilizing plant
forensics, the physics of chemistry and running equipment that can study and
manipulate cannabinoids at the molecular level.
Chris McElvany, co-founder of O.penVAPE and the Chief Technology Officer is
responsible for all production operations at O.penVAPE, leads this team of experts.
Thomas H. King, Ph.D.Team Leader
B.S. Biochemistry (University of New Hampshire, 1986-1990)
Ph.D. Molecular and Cellular Biology (University of Massachusetts, 1995-2001)
King came to Organa Brands after working for GlobeImmune, Inc., for 11 years. In addition, he conducted
research at Harvard University, Schleicher and Schuell (Whatman) Keene, and Sequitur Inc.
King said he joined a marijuana company because of the fascinating opportunities for therapeutics R&D in a
fast growing industry with wide window to make an impact in human health. His current goals for Organa Labs
are to improve the processes and capabilities of the oils, enable detailed analyses, quality monitoring, and new
product development
He supervises a team of five scientists who share the belief that by bringing solid science to the industry, their
work will fuel marijuana legalization. King said he believes his team will be one of the first cannabis companies
to discover and propel human cannabinoid-based therapeutics into FDA regulated human clinical trials in
existing and importantly, novel clinical indications. He especially wants to show that this can be done from the
ground up in the USA.
His team is currently setting up a preclinical therapeutics development laboratory to: i) discover new biological
activities of cannabinoids, ii) improve their in vivo delivery/pharmacokinetics, and eventually, iii) implement
FDA-regulated human clinical trials of cannabinoids and their derivatives for the treatment of cancer and other
diseases.
King predicts very strong growth in recreational use of a diverse array of new products. He said evolving
respect for medical effects by the public already exists. More science, he says, will provide a growing ability to
separate fact from fiction in regards to many medical claims.
Richard K. Kiyomoto, Ph.D. Plant expert
BA, MA, Biology, (San Francisco State University)
Ph.D., Plant Pathology, Washington State University (Pullman, WA)

Dr. Kiyomoto came to Organa Labs following a distinguished 40 year career in plant research for corporations
and state agriculture agencies including Del Monte Corp. and the state of Connecticut. Quite simply, cannabis
provided him an opportunity to work on a new crop. While a student at UC Berkeley, he read Green Medicine

Ann Dickerson
Ann.dickerson@openvape.com
303-319-4330
National Concessions Group, Inc.
1058 Delaware St. Denver, CO 80204
by Margaret Krieg, (1964), which inspired his dream of working for a company that developed pharmaceuticals
from plants.
Kiyomoto said he anticipated cannabis research for Organa Labs would be uncharted territory. In an effort to
contribute to the body of knowledge about cannabis, Kiyomoto is establishing a sophisticated cannabis
breeding program that ultimately would produce cultivars to benefit society and contribute scientific information
on producing this crop.
His work involves producing industrial hemp plants and seed for plantings this spring. Developing industrial
hemp cultivars; developing efficient methods for clonal propagation of cannabis, and developing methods for
DNA fingerprinting of industrial hemp cultivars. Like other members of the scientific team at Organa Labs,
Kiyomoto believes good science and sociological data will counter the negative propaganda surrounding
cannabis. He believes that solid science will inform the direction for the cannabis industry.
Sam Singh, PhD, MBA, MS
Ph.D., Chemistry & Biological Engineering, Emphasis: Biochemistry (University of Colorado, Boulder,
2105)
MBA, Finance, (University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management, 2007 & Leipzig,
Germany Winter 2007)
MS, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, University of California, Davis
BS, Chemical Engineering, Emphasis: Polymer Science, Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Singh is a multidiscipline chemical and biological engineer with experience in

GMP pharmaceutical manufacturing, GLP immunotherapy research, biochemistry,
finance, and product management. His biotech specialties include: Mass
Spectrometry, HPLC, Western Blot, ELISA, Molecular Cloning, Peptide/Organic
Synthesis, Microscopy, Cell Culture, Three Dimensional Cell Culture,
Immunotherapy, Protein Purification, Immunofluorescence, Distillation,
Fermentation, Photopolymerization, Polymers.
In addition to his scientific expertise, he has significant business strategy
experience in the areas of finance and marketing. He brings technical, R&D, project
management, safety and environmental experience that he gained from 12 years of
experience with major corporations such as GlobeImmune, General Mills, Inc., and
Merck & Co., Inc.
G. Jeffery Rathbone, PhD
Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
BS Chemistry, (Wheeling Jesuit College, Wheeling, WV 1996)
Dr. Rathbone joined the Organa Labs scientific team as a research and product
development chemist, specializing in spectroscopy. He is an expert at building and
running mass spectrometers which Organa Labs will use to measure terpene
analysis and potency testing. His ultimate goal is to drive pharmaceutical level
quality, research and product development of oils that are clean, consistent
pesticide free.

Ann Dickerson
Ann.dickerson@openvape.com
303-319-4330
National Concessions Group, Inc.
1058 Delaware St. Denver, CO 80204
During a career spanning 20 years, he successfully drove new products from
research to production across disciplines from chemistry to engineering, and he
coauthored three successful patents in three years. He has worked for universities,
private industry and quasigovernmental agencies such as NCAR.
He played a critical role in the development of the revolutionary 830 Vacuum
Quality Monitor which won the R&D 100 Award, known as the Oscars of Invention.
ART-MS products netted $1 million in sales during their first year of release.
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