Cambridgeshire, UK, 09 November 2007 – NextGen Sciences, a leading provider of gene-to-protein products and services, has appointed Dr Mike Pisano as CEO, and has announced the expansion of its portfolio of services to include clinical protein biomarker monitoring.
As recently announced, Dr Pisano joins the Company from Proteomic Research Services (PRS), which was acquired by the NextGen Group in November 2006, where he was cofounder and CEO. With over a decade of senior management experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Pisano’s previous roles include Group Leader, Proteomics and Protein Production, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals; Head, Protein Sciences, Aventis Pharmaceuticals; and Vice-President Proteomic R&D, Genomic Solutions, Inc. Dr. Pisano currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of several life sciences companies and instrumentation manufacturers.
The new protein biomarker services from NextGen Sciences include:
Assay development and validation
Monitoring and verification of protein biomarkers from pre-clinical and clinical samples
Identification of putative protein biomarkers and proteins of interest
The new biomarker services are underpinned by the Company’s core expertise in protein science, as well as investment in leading technologies such as the OrbiTrap and triple quad mass spectrometers from ThermoFisher. Integration of these technologies with the mass spectrometry-based technique of Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) has enabled the Company to develop a high throughput platform for rapid and highly specific biomarker validation. NextGen Sciences is already working on a number of clinical biomarker projects in partnership with major pharmaceutical companies.
Commenting on the new services, Dr. Pisano said: “Our investment in leading technologies, in combination with the expertise of our scientists, enables us to offer customers the best possible services for clinical biomarker discovery and development programs. We are already working with a number of major customers to develop robust, accurate and precise assays to meet the needs of their clinical biomarker projects. Through the acquisition of PRS and also in partnership with Kemp Biotechnologies, we can now offer our customers the most comprehensive range of products and services, which can be tailored to meet individual requirements for successful customer projects.”
