VIAGENE SET TO NAME PRESIDENT AND CEOViagene Inc. of San Diego is due to announce today that RobertT. Abbott will become the company's president and chiefexecutive officer. Viagene also announced plans to file in 1991its first Investigational New Drug application, to test its AIDSimmunotherapeutic agent.
Abbott has spent close to 16 years in the biomedical arena,most recently as co-founder, president and chief executiveofficer of Seattle-based NeoRx Corp. He also was involved in theformation of the Oncogen division of Genetic Systems Inc., alsoin Seattle. Abbott also held various positions in Dow ChemicalCo.'s biomedical divisions.
The privately held genetic therapy company has beensearching for a president since the departure of Greg Phelpslast June. According to company co-founder and chairmanDavid Hale, the lack of a CEO has hurt Viagene's efforts tocomplete a venture financing round of approximately $8million.
BIO-TECHNOLOGY GROUP NAMES FIRST CFO
Bio-technology Group plc of Oxford in the United Kingdomrecently appointed James Nobel as its first chief financialofficer. It also hired as director of clinical research anddevelopment Dr. Peter Blake, formerly director of research atICI America.
GI'S GREGORY TO SERVE IN THE MASS. STATEHOUSE
Genetics Institute Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., said Tuesday thatformer Greylock Investments managing partner and GI(NASDAQ:GENI) founding member Daniel Gregory resigned hisposition as a director of the company. Gregory was recentlyappointed economic affairs secretary for the state ofMassachusetts. State policy requires public servants to leaveoutside business commitments.
ALPHA-BETA NAMES NEW BOARD MEMBER
Alpha-Beta Technology Inc. of Worcester, Mass., announcedTuesday that Gustav Christensen was appointed to thecompany's board of directors. Christensen was formerlypresident and chief executive officer of ImmunologicPharmaceutical Corp. and senior vice president for commercialaffairs at Genetics Institute of Cambridge, Mass.
ADVANCED POLYMER SYSTEMS LOSES CFO
Advanced Polymer Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:APOS) of RedwoodCity, Calif., said it accepted the resignation of vice president andchief financial officer William Horgan, effective later thismonth.
Horgan will become senior vice president of finance andadministration at Worlds of Wonder Inc. of Fremont, Calif.Advanced Polymer President Alan Bushell said no replacementhas been named at this time. Bushell and APS controller BennetWeintraub will handle Horgan's duties in the mean time.
3I'S SCHNEIDER JUMPS TO DOMAIN ASSOCIATES
Former 3i Ventures Vice President Richard Schneider hasjoined Domain Associates, a venture capital partnership basedin Princeton, N.J., as a general partner. Schneider will manageDomain's newly established West Coast office in Costa Mesa,Calif. While at Newport Beach, Calif.-based 3i Ventures,Schneider served as a director and acting president of a dozenearly-stage biomedical start-ups.
3 NAMED TO WISCONSIN BIOTECH ASSOC. BOARD
The Wisconsin Biotechnology Association elected David Miller,Al Nethery and James Willis to its board of directors.
Miller is currently marketing manager for the Milwaukee-based dairy products division of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE). He wasformerly a Pfizer sales representative and a territorialmanager. In addition, Miller spent six years working in theMilwaukee Health Department as a bacteriologist sectionleader.
Nethery is a vice president of Liphatech of Milwaukee. Prior tothat, he was director of biological evaluation at FMC Corp. ofPrinceton, N.J. Nethery has held a number of other positionswith FMC over a 17- year period.
Willis is a vice president at Pharmacia P-L Biochemicals Inc.,also of Milwaukee, a subsidiary of Pharmacia AB of Sweden.
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