Daniel O Shannessy New COO of Targeted Diagnostics & Therapeutics; Wenpei Su Named Director of Genomics Applications at CeMines, and Others

NEW YORK, July 14 (GenomeWeb News) - Targeted Diagnostics & Therapeutics has hired Gen-Probe strategic planning director Daniel O'Shannessy as chief operating officer. O'Shannessy will "spearhead the next phase of clinical and business expansion" for TDT's colorectal cancer diagnostics, imaging, and therapeutics, the company said. He will also oversee new products and technologies at the company.

Before taking a stint at San Diego-based Gen-Probe, O'Shannessy was chief scientific officer at Fujirebio Diagnostics, of Malvern, Pa.He received a BSc in biochemistry from the Universityof Queensland, Australia, and a PhD in biochemistry from the Universityof Auckland, New Zealand.

Ken Welsh has been appointed to the scientific advisory board of Health Discovery Corporation, a biotechnology company focused on biomarker and pathway discovery for diagnostic markers and drug targets. Welsh is currently a professor of clinical genomics at RoyalBromptonHospitaland Imperial College in London. He is also a science advisor to the West London Transplant Center, and a visiting professor at OxfordUniversity and the Universityof Utrecht. He received Bsc, PhD, and DSc from NewcastleUniversity.

Health Discovery Corporation also has named Vladimir Vapnik to its scientific advisory board. Vapnik, who won the Humboldt Research award in 2003, is currently a senior researcher at NEC Research. He has worked for AT&T Bell Laboratories and AT&T Labs-Research.

CeMines has appointed Wenpei Su as the company's first director of genomics applications. Su joins CeMines from the Dow Chemical Company, where he led an effort to produce therapeutic proteins. Prior to this, he was employed by Torry Mesa Research Institute, where as project leader he applied proteomic and gene-profiling technology to isolate genes involved in complex biological traits. Su has also served as a genomic group leader with Monsanto. He holds a PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry from Cornell University.

Marcus Conant has been named to the board of directors at Enzo Biochem. Conant is currently a clinical professor at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, where he has been on the staff since 1967. Conant served as prinicipal investigator for Enzo's Phase I clinical trial of its gene-based treatment for HIV-1. He earned his BS and MD from DukeUniversity.

Syrrx has promoted Jeffrey Stafford to vice president of chemistry. Staffordjoined the company in 2002 as senior director of chemistry following an 11-year tenure at Glaxo SmithKline, where he held the position of director of chemistry in oncology.