Gerald Kovacs, Ph.D. Joins ABL, Inc. as Scientific Director
ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ABL, Inc. (ABL), a biomedical contract research and manufacturing organization to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, today announced the hiring of Dr. Gerald Kovacs as Scientific Director. In this role, Dr. Kovacs will lead ABL's scientific operations supporting U.S. government and commercial preclinical programs and oversee the continued expansion of its clinical testing capabilities.
"Dr. Kovacs' demonstrated leadership in all facets of research and development will be an invaluable asset to ABL, and we're delighted to have him on board as we continue to provide critical scientific and technical support to our government and commercial clients."
Dr. Kovacs brings over 20 years of experience in biomedical research. He most recently served as Scientific Director for the Division of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Medical Countermeasures at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Among many accomplishments during his tenure at BARDA, Dr. Kovacs directed a $5.6 billion portfolio of over 80 vaccine and therapeutic projects spanning preclinical studies to Phase IV clinical trials. In 2013, Dr. Kovacs was honored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with the Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service for obtaining FDA approval of two biodefense products. He also designed and implemented the BARDA Contract Research Organization Network for development and qualification of animal models, assays and reagents to support product testing/evaluation and proof of concept studies.
Dr. Thomas VanCott, President and CEO of ABL commented, "Dr. Kovacs' demonstrated leadership in all facets of research and development will be an invaluable asset to ABL, and we're delighted to have him on board as we continue to provide critical scientific and technical support to our government and commercial clients."
Dr. Kovacs stated, "I am very excited about joining ABL, an organization that shares the enduring commitment of its parent company, the Institut Mérieux, to serve medicine and public health worldwide. ABL is a unique fully-integrated biomedical contract research and manufacturing organization that excels in both preclinical and clinical development of vaccines and biologics against a number of infectious diseases."
Prior to his work at BARDA, Dr. Kovacs managed the smallpox and botulism medical countermeasures programs as Program Director at the Office of Research and Development Coordination (ORDC), HHS, and served on U.S. government teams that licensed the ACAM2000 second generation smallpox vaccine. His industry experience includes developing a second generation, Vero cell-based smallpox vaccine candidate based on DryVaxTM , and evaluating proprietary vaccine candidates for parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, herpes simplex virus type II, HIV, and papilloma virus while at Wyeth.
Dr. Kovacs received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, and was awarded post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard Medical School and National Institutes of Health.
About ABL
Advanced BioScience Laboratories, Inc. (ABL) is a Maryland-based biomedical contract research and manufacturing organization dedicated to advancing vaccines, therapeutics and other biologic products. ABL has extensive experience working with diverse organizations, including government and academic entities and commercial bio/pharmaceutical companies. Notable services include basic research, process and assay development, preclinical in vivo studies, in vitro laboratory services including immunogenicity testing, and Phase I/II cGMP biologics manufacturing. Since 2001 ABL has been a part of the Institut Mérieux, a group of companies dedicated to developing translational science for better patient care globally. For more information on ABL and our services, please visit our website at www.ablinc.com.
Contacts
ABL, Inc.
Andrew Arrage
Vice President, Business Development
301-816-5209