PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 25, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Znomics, Inc. (OTCBB:ZNOM), a pioneer in the development of the zebrafish as a vertebrate genetic platform to accelerate drug discovery, announced today that it has named Ofir Moreno, Ph.D., as the company's new senior director of chemistry, a newly created position.
Dr. Moreno is an experienced medicinal chemist with more than 14 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a rare track record of successful drug discovery. He has held research positions at Merck, Amgen, Corvas International, and Dendreon where he served as senior director of chemistry. He is an expert in leading outsourced research projects from the earliest stages of discovery through clinical candidate identification.
"We are all very excited to have Ofir join our drug discovery team," said Dr. Bruce Beutel, Znomics chief scientific officer. "He brings a depth of experience leading outsourced medicinal chemistry programs, ranging from concept to clinical candidate, including everything from creating intellectual property, formulating chemistry strategy, interfacing with biologists, negotiating external contracts, writing patents, and contributing to business development. We look forward to leveraging Ofir's strong expertise and experience as we work toward advancing our three drug discovery programs."
Dr. Moreno received his doctorate in organic chemistry from Harvard University where he worked with Professor Yoshito Kishi and a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry and biology from Cornell University.
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 approximately 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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