REHOVOT, Israel and NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey, May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDQ: ROSG) announced today the appointment of J. Michael French as the new President of its U.S. subsidiary, Rosetta Genomics, Inc.
Mr. French brings to Rosetta seventeen years of business and operational experience in both the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries most recently as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. At Sirna, Mr. French was responsible for Sirna's corporate development activities, including partnerships, collaborations, product licensing, and mergers and acquisitions. In his eighteen months at Sirna, the company established two major pharmaceutical collaborations and was acquired by Merck & Co in December 2006 for $1.1 billion.
"Rosetta has significant potential and now requires a solid, experienced and innovative management team to take us to the next level," stated Amir Avniel, Rosetta CEO. "Michael brings to Rosetta the expertise and leadership to build that team and advance our technology in multiple areas. We believe his accomplishments in negotiating and closing high value strategic alliances as well as his ability to establish strong investor relationships will be instrumental to our success. We are very pleased to have Michael join us at Rosetta."
"Rosetta is a cutting-edge biotechnology company with tremendous opportunity," said Michael French. "I am extremely excited to be a part of the Rosetta team. I look forward to helping the company further establish its leadership position in the field of microRNAs and to advancing the technology platform across both the diagnostic and therapeutic sectors."
Prior to joining Sirna, Mr. French was the Chief Business Officer at Entelos, Inc where he was responsible for business development, alliance management and corporate communication activities helping to expand Entelos' business from technology-based research partnerships to therapeutic focused co-development collaborations. Earlier in his career, he developed global strategic alliances for Farma Biagini S.p.A. and helped successfully launch Kogenate(R) (a recombinant Factor VIII product) for Bayer AG. Mr. French is a former U.S. Army officer who served as the Senior Medical Intelligence Analyst during Operation Desert
Storm. Among his military decorations are the Bronze Star Medal and Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Mr. French holds a B.S. in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a M.S. in physiology and biophysics from Georgetown University.
About Rosetta Genomics
Rosetta Genomics is a leader in the development of microRNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics. Founded in 2000, the company's integrative research platform combining bioinformatics and state-of-the-art laboratory processes has led to the discovery of hundreds of biologically validated novel human microRNAs. Building on its strong IP position and strategic alliances with leading biotechnology companies, Rosetta Genomics is working to develop a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic products based on microRNAs. The company's primary focus is in the development of microRNA-based products to diagnose and treat different forms of cancer and infectious diseases.
Contact: Media & Investors Ron Kamienchick T: +972-8-948-4785 Ron_Ka@RosettaGenomics.com
Rosetta Genomics LtdCONTACT: Contact: Media & Investors, Ron Kamienchick, T: +972-8-948-4785,Ron_Ka@RosettaGenomics.com
