Lille (France), Cambridge (Massachusetts, United States), October 17th, 2011 - GENFIT (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111), a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of drug discovery and development, focusing on the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of cardiometabolic and associated disorders, today announces the appointment of Dr. Catherine Larue as Executive Vice-President, Biomarkers.
Before joining GENFIT, Catherine Larue spent eleven years within the Bio-Rad group, where she occupied various management positions, ranging from an R&D department to the direction of a Business Unit (R&D, strategic marketing and business development, in/out-licensing). During this period, she participated in the discovery of several innovative biomarkers and in the market launch of a dozen diagnostic products. Prior to this, she directed the Immunology Department of Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur Inc. (Minnesota, US).
Catherine Larue has filed 13 international patents and is the co-author of more than 80 scientific publications. She holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Biology (Rouen University), a diploma in Clinical Cancer Biology (Paris VI University), and an MBA (St. John's University, New York).
Jean-François Mouney, CEO & Chairman of GENFIT's Management Board, declared: « We are delighted by the arrival of Catherine Larue at GENFIT. Her experience, particularly in development, and her dynamic nature will enable us to significantly intensify our biomarker activity, for which our principal research programs are advancing rapidly and for which we expect to have numerous commercial prospects. »
« I am very enthusiastic about joining GENFIT which, through its clinical research approaches and its progress in microparticle technologies, appears to be one of the most promising players in diagnostics and personalized medicine in the field of diabetes and its associated diseases. Indeed, GENFIT has just been chosen to take part in several European consortia that are FP7* candidates, thanks to these technologies and know-how. » declared Doctor Catherine Larue.
* Seventh European Commission Framework Program for Research and Technological Development.
About GENFIT:
GENFIT is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the Discovery and Development of drug candidates in therapeutic fields linked to cardiometabolic disorders (prediabetes/diabetes, atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, inflammatory diseases.). GENFIT uses a multi-pronged approach based on early diagnosis, preventive solutions, and therapeutic treatments and advances therapeutic research programs, either independently or in partnership with leading pharmaceutical companies (SANOFI, SERVIER, .), to address these major public health concerns and their unmet medical needs. GENFIT's research programs have resulted in the creation of a rich and diversified pipeline of drug candidates at different stages of development, including GENFIT's lead proprietary compound, GFT505, that is currently in Phase II. With facilities in Lille, France, and Cambridge, MA (USA), the Company has approximately 100 employees. GENFIT is a public company listed on the Alternext trading market by Euronext(TM) Paris (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111). www.genfit.com