PORTLAND, Ore., March 6, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Znomics, Inc. (OTCBB:ZNOM), a pioneer in the development of the zebrafish as a vertebrate genetic platform to accelerate drug discovery, announced today the appointment of Stephane Berghmans, D.V.M., Ph.D. to Director of Drug Discovery, effective March 10, 2008.
Dr. Berghmans is a world expert and leader in using the zebrafish for drug discovery. He comes to Znomics from Cambridge, UK where his most recent position was head of safety pharmacology at the publicly held biotechnology company, Summit plc. Dr. Berghmans received a doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1994 and a Ph.D. in molecular biology and genetics in 2000 from the University of Liege, Belgium. From 2000-2004 he was a research fellow at the Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School. He is the author of many pioneering papers on the development of human disease models and drug screening in the zebrafish.
"Stephane Berghmans is a recognized industry leader in developing assays and evaluating the therapeutic and safety properties of drug compounds using the zebrafish," said Roger Cone, Znomics president and chief scientific officer. "He successfully led and managed a large automation effort for high throughput compound screening in the zebrafish while at both Danio Labs and Summit. (Danio Labs was acquired by Summit in 2007.) Dr. Berghmans is a first rate scientist and I am excited that he will be developing and managing the drug discovery group at Znomics."
Znomics will carry out its drug discovery effort in recently leased, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in the new Biomedical Research Building at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland. The company is acquiring equipment and will hire additional Ph.D. and technician personnel to work under Dr. Berghmans in the new facility. The new space is in close proximity to the laboratories of Dr. Cone and Znomics Scientific Advisory Board Member, Dr. Thomas Scanlan, Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology and Director of the Program in Chemical Biology at OHSU.
"All of our scientists at Znomics will be working closely with Dr. Berghmans and the drug discovery group," said Stephen Kurtz, Znomics director of operations. "Finding lead compounds for major diseases is the next process for our sophisticated genetics technology and we couldn't have found a better scientist to lead Znomics through this important phase of growth."
About Znomics
Znomics, Inc. is focused on identifying and developing new pharmaceutical products for treatment of human disorders and diseases. The company's drug discovery platform is based on its catalogued library of mutations in the zebrafish, called the ZeneMark Library. The library, the first in a vertebrate, currently contains more than 11,000 strains of fish representing mutations in more than half of the known genome. Zebrafish share 80% - 90% of the same genes as humans. The company is leveraging this technology for its internal drug discovery efforts as well as establishing collaborative partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and universities. For more information, visit www.znomics.com
Forward-Looking Statements
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