Life Technologies has named Alan Sachs to head of global research and development. Sachs was formerly the vice president of exploratory and translational sciences for Merck Research Laboratories. He was previously an associate professor in the division of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Whitehead fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He holds a PhD in cell biology from Stanford University, an MD from Stanford School of Medicine, and a BA in biochemistry from Cornell University.
Roche Diagnostics has appointed Dan Zabrowski as head of Roche Applied Science, in the company's diagnostics division in Penzberg, Germany. He succeeds Paul Brown who has led Roche Applied Science since September. He will report to Daniel O'Day, chief operating officer of Roche Diagnostics.
Zabrowski recently served as global head of Roche Partnering and was a member of Roche's executive committee and the board of Chugai. He joined Roche in 1994 through the acquisition of Syntex. He has held a number of management positions in regulatory affairs and development. He holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Indiana.
Marc LePage has been appointed president and CEO of Genome Quebec. Most recently, LePage was a special advisor on climate change and energy for the Embassy of Canada. Previously, he served as consul general at the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco/Silicon Valley. He also helped found Genome Canada in 2000 and served as executive vice president of corporate development.
Edwin Southern, founder of Oxford Gene Technology, has been awarded the 2011 Medical Research Council Millennium Medal, which recognizes an MRC-funded scientist whose research has made a major contribution toward society. Southern was given the award for his work in developing the technology that underpins DNA microarrays.
Southern founded OGT in 1995 and currently serves as the company's chairman and chief scientific officer. He is also a professor emeritus of biochemistry at Oxford University and previously held the Whitley Professorship of Biochemistry at Oxford.
In line with its hostile bid to acquire Illumina (see related story, this issue), Roche has nominated six individuals for election to the company's board of directors.
Bary Bailey is the president of 4B Management and an operating partner at Cressey & Company. Previously, he served as chief financial officer at AMN Healthcare Services and also as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. He is a certified public accountant and holds a BS in accounting from California State University.
Earl Collier has served as executive chairman of Arsenal Medical, CEO of 480 Biomedical, and as a senior advisor to Polaris Venture Partners since 2010. Previously, he was executive vice president of Genzyme, interim CEO of Decode Genetics, and president of Vitas Healthcare. He holds a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and a BA from Yale University.
Dwight Crane has been a self-employed consultant to financial institutions since 2007. Previously, he was a faculty member at Harvard Business School. He is also currently the lead director of the Legg Mason Partners Equity Funds. He holds a PhD in economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an MS in economics from Carnegie Mellon, an MBA in management science from the University of Michigan, and a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
David Dodd is co-founder of VaxyGen Holdings and CEO of RiversEdge BioVentures, which he also founded. He has previously served as president, CEO, and chairman of BioReliance; non-executive chairman of Stem Cell Sciences; president, CEO, and director of Serologicals Corporation; and president and CEO of Solvay Pharmaceuticals. He is a current director of GeoVax Labs. He holds a BS and an MS in math/economics from Georgia State University and an Advanced Management Program degree from Harvard Business School.
Michael Griffith has served as CEO and a director for Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services since April 2010. Previously, he was founder and CEO of Aptuit. He holds a master's of management from the JL Kellog Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in business administration from the University of Kansas.
Jay Hunt is president and co-founder of the Development Group. He is also a director of DDi and BMC Select. Previously he was a member of the advisory board of Joie De Vivre Hospitality, a director of Gentiae Clinical Research, and a chairman of the Ischemia Research & Education Foundation. He holds a JD from the University of Michigan Law School and a BA in political science from Indiana University.