PHENOMIX EXPANDS EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM
Chris Burnley Named Chief Business Officer,
David Campbell, Ph.D. Named Vice President of Drug Discovery
San Diego, CA - May 29, 2003 — The Phenomix Corporation, a privately held discovery company integrating highly developed mouse genetics capabilities with in vivo phenotyping expertise to rapidly discover new treatments for disease, strengthened its executive leadership with the addition of Chris Burnley as Chief Business Officer and David Campbell, Ph.D. as Vice President of Drug Discovery. These appointments are significant to Phenomix' growth as the company enters its second year of operation.
"I am really excited to have Chris and David join the management team," commented Laura K. Shawver, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "Phenomix' technology has so much to offer the industry as well as investors, and Chris will spearhead getting our message to potential partners. I am also delighted that our first year's work has led to a proprietary pipeline which, with David's leadership, gives an outlet for the Phenomix technology engine."
"Chris is a respected professional in the biotechnology and business marketplace and I look forward to his contributions to Phenomix," stated John Diekman, Phenomix Chairman of the Board. "The addition of David to the team will also be extremely valuable to both our scientific and management development. His distinguished track record clearly demonstrates keen insights and accomplishments that make him a perfect fit for this position."
Chris Burnley
Mr. Burnley joins Phenomix with more than 15 years of experience with Monsanto Company and Boston Consulting Group. As Chief Business Officer, Mr. Burnley will assume responsibility for overall business leadership as Phenomix enters the next phase of its development. A major initial focus will be establishing collaborations and alliances with pharmaceutical, biotech and technology collaborators.
Prior to joining Phenomix, Mr. Burnley was the Vice President of Business and Operations for Monsanto's Genomics organization, an agricultural genomics organization based in St. Louis, MO. There he provided senior strategic, operational and transactional leadership in building the organization from inception to over 600 scientists and in executing over $250M in closed research collaborations. Prior to joining Monsanto, Mr. Burnley spent nine years with Boston Consulting Group where he advised senior business leaders on matters of corporate strategy, operational effectiveness and corporate development. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BS in Economics and Political Science from Southern Methodist University, graduating magna cum laude.
David Campbell, Ph.D.
Dr. Campbell will oversee Phenomix drug discovery efforts spanning assay development, compound screening, medicinal chemistry and discovery biology. He joins Phenomix from ActivX where he served as Senior Vice President of Chemical Sciences, directing the design and optimization of ActivX's activity-based chemical probes for labeling and capture of members of several key protein families. Dr. Campbell was also responsible for directing ActivX's drug discovery programs employing targets and technologies developed by the company.
Prior to joining ActivX, Dr. Campbell held the position of Director of Discovery Chemistry at Bayer Corporation where he led the drug discovery efforts of 40 researchers in the cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes therapeutic areas. Dr. Campbell previously held numerous positions with Affymax Research Institute. Dr. Campbell received a BS in Chemistry with Honors from Harvey Mudd College, and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Cornell University as an NIH pre-doctoral fellow. He then received post-doctoral training under the supervision of Dr. Peter Schultz at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Campbell has co-authored 22 original papers and is a co-inventor on 14 patents.
About Phenomix Corporation
Phenomix is a discovery company integrating highly developed mouse genetics capabilities with in vivo phenotyping expertise to rapidly and cost-effectively discover new treatments for disease. At the core of Phenomix' platform is a broad suite of proprietary, disease-specific animal models initially developed by three leading mouse genetics organizations: Australian National University, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Genomic Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation.
Combined with genome-wide mutagenesis, these models give Phenomix the unique ability to scan the entire genome for targets demonstrated in vivo to be causative or curative in disease. Combined with siRNA-based knockdown techniques, they enable rapid turnaround in vivo target validation and characterization. The same models also enable Phenomix to rapidly test drug leads for in vivo effects - for early demonstration of efficacy, pharmacology, preclinical analysis and compound reprofiling.
By generating detailed pathophysiological data directly in a mammalian system, Phenomix provides relevant, informative and cost-effective inputs at multiple points across the drug discovery process. Phenomix has already identified novel disease pathways and drug targets that the Company is advancing into its internal drug discovery program.
Phenomix actively seeks collaboration partners in the areas of CNS disorders, respiratory disease, metabolic syndrome and immune modulation. The company closed its first $32M financing in February of 2002, and has assembled an experienced, talented team of management, Board, SAB, and 47 employees. For additional information, visit www.phenomixcorp.com.
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