GAITHERSBURG, Md., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MedImmune, Inc. announced today the appointment of four vice presidents, including the promotion of three employees to newly created leadership posts within the development organization and one new hire within the medical organization. The company has promoted Cynthia N. Oliver, Ph.D., to vice president, process biochemistry and formulation sciences; Kripa Ram, Ph.D., to vice president, bioprocess and manufacturing sciences; and Mark A. Schenerman, Ph.D., to vice president, analytical biochemistry. MedImmune has also hired Jessie R. Groothuis, M.D., as vice president and head, medical and scientific affairs, infectious disease.
"Advancing a robust pipeline of potential therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases requires tremendous support from the development organization, and the promotions of Cindy, Kripa and Mark signify the increasingly integral role of that group while recognizing the outstanding contributions each has made to date," said David M. Mott, MedImmune's president and chief executive officer. "The fact that we have three highly qualified development team members to assume these new leadership roles speaks to the overall depth of talent and experience at MedImmune, which is further augmented by the addition of Jessie Groothuis, who brings to medical affairs vast expertise in pediatric infectious diseases, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs)."
Development Promotions
MedImmune's development organization oversees all cell culture and purification process development, clinical manufacturing, analytical methods development and quality control for investigational products. The three new vice presidents report to Gail Folena-Wasserman, Ph.D., senior vice president, development.
Dr. Cynthia Oliver, vice president, process biochemistry and formulation sciences, is responsible for formulation development and purification for preclinical and clinical products. She is also charged with ensuring that formulation development and purification processes optimized at laboratory volume are scaled-up and the technology is transferred to clinical and commercial manufacturing groups, as well as providing ongoing technical support of commercial products. Since Dr. Oliver joined MedImmune in 1993, the process biochemistry department has grown from three to 45 scientists and expanded to include formulation development. She most recently served as senior director, process biochemistry. Previously she worked in biochemical process research and development at Merck and was a staff fellow and later an arthritis investigator at the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Dr. Oliver has also held a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and authored more than 40 publications. She earned her bachelor's degree from Connecticut College, a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University.
As vice president, bioprocess and manufacturing sciences, Dr. Kripa Ram leads a team of more than 80 scientists in cell culture development and manufacture of clinical products. He has direct responsibility for cell line, cell culture medium and cell culture process development for preclinical and clinical products, as well as process scale-up, technology transfer to clinical and commercial manufacturing, manufacture of clinical trial material and ongoing cell culture development support. He was previously senior director of cell culture, fermentation and manufacturing sciences. Prior to joining MedImmune in 2004, Dr. Ram held a series of positions of increasing responsibility at Merck, Glaxo SmithKline and Biogen Idec. In these roles, he focused on process development, technology transfer, scale-up and licensure of biological products including vaccines, fusion proteins and MAbs. Dr. Ram holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a doctorate in biochemical engineering from Rutgers University.
Dr. Mark Schenerman, vice president, analytical biochemistry, is responsible for structural and biological characterization of preclinical and clinical products, stability and release testing for clinical products, technology transfer to quality control and ongoing product development support. Since joining MedImmune in 1994, Dr. Schenerman has played an integral role in developing the company's analytical biochemistry function and currently leads a team of more than 60 scientists supporting all stages of product development. He most recently served as senior director, analytical biochemistry. Prior to joining the company, Dr. Schenerman held positions in biologics development and research and development at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and as a post-doctoral associate at Cornell University. He earned his bachelor's degree in medical technology at the University of Maryland and his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Florida.
New Medical Affairs Appointment
Dr. Jessie Groothuis has joined MedImmune as vice president and head, medical and scientific affairs, infectious disease, reporting to Frank J. Malinoski, M.D., Ph.D, senior vice president, medical and scientific affairs. In this role, she leads MedImmune's infectious disease and vaccines group within medical affairs, charged with providing medical support for the company's commercial and pipeline products to health care providers and consumers. Dr. Groothuis' responsibilities include directing the development and implementation of late-stage clinical programs and educational materials for MedImmune's marketed infectious disease products, including Synagis(R) (palivizumab) and FluMist(R) (Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal). She also directs the company's team of field-based medical affairs personnel. Dr. Groothuis brings to MedImmune more than 30 years' experience in pediatric infectious diseases, vaccines and antibodies and was a pioneer in early respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) research. Most recently vice president, clinical affairs at Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc., she previously held positions of increasing responsibility at Abbott Laboratories and was a professor with tenure at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Children's Hospital Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Groothuis holds a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and a medical degree from the University of Chicago. She is named as an author of six books and more than 60 peer-reviewed publications.
About MedImmune, Inc.
MedImmune strives to provide better medicines to patients, new medical options for physicians, rewarding careers to employees, and increased value to shareholders. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live better lives, the company is focused on the areas of infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases. With more than 2,500 employees worldwide, MedImmune is headquartered in Maryland. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.medimmune.com.
This announcement contains, in addition to historical information, certain "forward-looking statements" regarding MedImmune's long-term, strategic objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change current expectations and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. In addition to risks and uncertainties discussed in MedImmune's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, no assurance exists that development efforts for the company's pipeline programs will succeed, that these programs will receive required regulatory approval or that, even if regulatory approval is received, products resulting from these programs will be commercially successful. MedImmune undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as may be required by applicable law or regulation.
MedImmune, Inc.CONTACT: Media: Kate Barrett, +1-301-398-4320, or Investors: BeatricePierre, +1-301-398-4905, both of MedImmune, Inc.
Web site: http://www.medimmune.com//
