Rick Williams Joins The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences Board of Directors

Research Triangle Park, NC, February 18, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences has announced that Chief Business Officer Rick Williams has been named to The Hamner’s Board of Directors. As chief business officer, Williams has piloted and launched The Hamner Bioscience Accelerator to generate additional opportunities for universities, The Hamner, and other research institutions as they seek to transfer technologies and spin out new companies. Mr. Williams has also played a leading role in creating The Hamner-China Biosciences Center including agreements with the Shanghai Center for Disease Control, China Medical City, and Newsummit Biopharma to create a Global Biosciences Gateway by which partners in China and Europe can access expertise and resources in North Carolina to advance the development of bioscience technologies for the U.S. market. The partnership also allows companies in North Carolina to access new and growing markets in China.

The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences board of directors is responsible for guiding the success of the organization’s mission — to serve as a neutral and independent fourth party, bringing together key stakeholders in academia, industry, and regulatory agencies to proactively collaborate on the development of improved chemical risk assessments, as well as new and safer medicines.

Quotes:
“Rick has done an excellent job of helping me to create the new Global Biosciences Gateway for Translational Research and Business Development,” said Dr. William F. Greenlee, president and CEO of The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences. “He will provide the Board with a unique perspective on what The Hamner needs to fulfill its vision.”

New Media Content:
The Hamner’s Twitter page
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Details:
- Working in conjunction with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, CED (formerly the Council for Entrepreneurial Development) and university business schools and entrepreneurial programs, Williams provides guidance to emerging companies as they develop their initial technology, commercialization and funding plans.

- Greenlee and Williams have also developed strategies to utilize The Hamner’s translational research and business development model in building new global partnerships.

- Williams has more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical field, having worked at a leading pharmaceutical company, the first biotechnology company, a commercial-outsourcing company and a venture capital-backed scientific startup.

About The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences:
The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences is a nonprofit research organization located in the heart of Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC. For 35 years, scientists at The Hamner have conducted preeminent research in environmental health sciences and chemical risk assessment. The Hamner is now leveraging its heritage to perform traditional GLP and R&D small animal studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs. The two flagship institutes at The Hamner, the Institute for Drug Safety Sciences and the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences, build upon this expertise by developing and validating cutting-edge tools for safety assessment. Novel technologies include in silico models for predictive toxicology, in vitro models that utilize human cells or cell lines to evaluate perturbations of cellular responses, and in vivo models to elucidate genes that play a role in susceptibility to drug-induced toxicities. The Hamner continues to grow its campus through partnerships with academia, industry, and government and remains dedicated to positively impacting public health. For more information, please visit www.thehamner.org.

Ryal Curtis
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
ryal@mmipublicrelations.com
http://twitter.com/MMIPR
www.mmipublicrelations.com

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