LAS VEGAS, Nov. 30, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Samaritan Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AMEX:LIV) a developer of innovative drugs, is pleased to announce today that Dr. Vassilios Papadopoulos, the lead scientist in the Georgetown U./Samaritan research collaboration, has been appointed as the new Director of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Papadopoulos has an international reputation as a scientist and a proven track record of leadership in biomedical research and administration.
Montreal Gazette -- Nov. 23, 2006: http://tinyurl.com/ydrgb4 McGill University Heath Centre -- Nov 22, 2006: http://tinyurl.com/ye4haq
Dr. Papadopoulos will assume his new role officially on July 1, 2007. Between now and then he expects to be at the Research Institute of the MUHC on a regular basis, working on development and operational issues.
Dr. Janet Greeson, CEO of Samaritan Pharmaceuticals, stated, "Samaritan intends to transfer its research collaboration with Dr. Papadopoulos to MUHC and expects to initiate a research collaboration with McGill officially on July 1, 2007, as well. We are excited about the potential benefits of having a Canadian presence."
As Director of the Research Institute of the MUHC, he will oversee one of Canada's largest hospital-based research institutes with over 500 researchers and 1000 graduate and post-doctoral students. The MUHC-RI operates more than 300 laboratories devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental and clinical research. With this appointment, Dr. Papadopoulos has also been named a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, as well as Associate Executive Director for Research at the MUHC.
Dr. Papadopoulos comes to the MUHC from Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington DC, where he served as Associate Vice President and Director of the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization. A native of Greece, he received his Diploma of Pharmacy at the University of Athens, Greece, and his PhD in Health and Life Sciences at the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, in Paris, France. He went on to complete postdoctoral research in both France and Australia, before moving to Georgetown University in the United States. Dr. Papadopoulos has authored over 200 research publications and holds over 30 scientific patents. Among his awards for research excellence, Dr. Papadopoulos holds the Gold Medal Award from the City of Athens, the Sandoz Award from the Endocrine Society of Australia, and the Biotechnology Leadership Award from Georgetown University. He is a member of the National Academy of Pharmacy in France.
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The company disclaims any information that is created by an outside party and endorses only information that is communicated by its press releases, filings and Website. This news release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current beliefs about the potential for its drug candidates, science and technology. However, as with any biopharmaceutical under development, there are significant risks and uncertainties in the process of development and regulatory review. There are no guarantees that products will prove to be commercially successful. For additional information about the factors that affect the company's business, please read the company's latest Form 10-K/A filed November 2, 2006. The company undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.