George Poste To Be Honored With The Arizona BioIndustry Association Pioneer Award For Lifetime Achievement

CHANDLER, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Arizona Bioindustry Association will honor Dr. George Poste of Arizona State University with the AZBio Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2016 AZBio Awards. Governor Doug Ducey and hundreds of Arizona life science and business leaders as well as guests from across the country will be on hand to applaud Dr. Poste for a body of work that has made life better for people at home and around the world.

With expertise in disciplines as diverse as molecular biology, pharmaceutical development and biosecurity in academia, industry and government, Dr. George Poste is a modern-day Renaissance man.

One of the most respected life science leaders in the world, Dr. Poste serves as chief scientist for ASU Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative and is a Regents’ Professor and the Del E. Webb Chair in Health Innovation at Arizona State University. At ASU, Dr. Poste leverages his experience developed over a lifetime of exploration and discovery to connect and engage experts from across the university and around the world in research on synthetic biology, ubiquitous sensing and health care informatics for personalized medicine.

He has published more than 350 research papers and edited 14 books on pharmaceutical technologies and oncology. He has received honorary degrees in science, law and medicine for his research contributions. In 1999, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II honored him with Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to international health care and security.

Dr. Poste also serves on the board of directors of Monsanto, Exelixis, Caris Life Sciences, and the Scientific Advisory Board of Burrill and Company and Synthetic Genomics. From 1992 to 1999, he was chief science and technology officer and president, research and development of SmithKline Beecham, where he was associated with the registration of 31 drug, vaccine and diagnostic products.

Dr. Poste has been credited as the industrial scientist who introduced genomics to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. As chairman for Research and Development at SmithKline Beecham, he revolutionized the approach to discovery of new drugs by implementing genomics technology.

ASU recruited Dr. Poste to serve as director of the Biodesign Institute at ASU from 2003 to 2009, with a goal to create a different kind of research institution by integrating the most dynamic components of science, including biology, engineering and computing. Dr. Poste made this a reality. The institute’s organizational structure and physical environment were designed to stimulate discoveries and translate these into new drugs, diagnostic products, medical devices and other developments that improve human health and advance national security. In creating this institute, Dr. Poste designed and built 400,000 sq. ft. of new facilities, achieved cumulative research funding of $300 million and recruited over 60 faculty, including three members of the National Academies of Science and Engineering.

The Biodesign Institute is master-planned as four interconnected buildings comprising nearly 800,000 sq. ft. Buildings A and B were built during Dr. Poste’s tenure as director. Currently, the complex houses more than 600 faculty, staff and students. Construction on a new Biodesign C expansion began in June 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2018, bringing a total of 535,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art research space to the 14-acre site.

Dr. Poste has received a number of awards, including Scientist of the Year by R&D Magazine; the Einstein Award from the Global Business Leadership Council, 2006; and the Scrip Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009.

For a lifetime of leadership, vision, and commitment to making life better in Arizona and around the world, Dr. George Poste, chief scientist of the Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative at Arizona State University, is being honored with the 2016 Arizona Bioscience Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement. A ceremony honoring Dr. George Poste will take place at the AZBio Awards on September 21, 2016 at the Phoenix Convention Center. The AZBio Awards ceremony celebrates Arizona’s leading educators, innovators and companies. Each year, AZBio honors bioindustry leaders from across the state of Arizona who are illustrative of the depth, breadth and expertise of the bioscience industry.

Past recipients of the AZBio Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement include: Gordon Steere for his legacy in developing the Medtronic Tempe Campus, Roy Curtiss, III, Ph.D. of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, David S. Alberts, M.D., Director Emeritus at the Arizona Cancer Center, Raymond L. Woosley, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman Emeritus of the Critical Path Institute, and Thomas M. Grogan, M.D., founder of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

For registration and more information, go to www.azbioawards.com.

For more information on Arizona Bioscience Week, visit www.AZBio.org/AzBW.

About AZBio

A key component in Arizona’s life science ecosystem, the Arizona Bioindustry Association (AZBio) is the only statewide organization exclusively focused on Arizona’s bioscience industry. AZBio membership includes patient advocacy organizations, life science innovators, educators, healthcare partners and leading business organizations. AZBio is the statewide affiliate of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and works in partnership with AdvaMed, MDMA, and PhRMA to advance innovation and to ensure that the value delivered from life-changing and life-saving innovation benefits people in Arizona and around the world.

For more information visit www.AZBio.org and www.AZBio.TV.

Photos available upon request.