A molecular biologist and Merck veteran, Sachs will drive technology strategy and product innovation
CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced that Alan B. Sachs, M.D., Ph.D., former Vice President, Exploratory and Translational Sciences for Merck Research Laboratories, has joined the company as Head of Global Research and Development. Sachs brings more than 20 years of experience as a research scientist and a leader in developing innovative scientific platforms.
Sachs will play a key role in driving technology strategy and further shaping Life Technologies' culture of high-performance R&D and product innovation. He will also lead the company's Global Science and Innovation Office and serve as the principal liaison to the external scientific community.
"Alan brings strong leadership qualities in research and development that's grounded in a deep understanding of biology – attributes that will be paramount to drive our efforts in developing innovative products for our customers," said Mark Stevenson, President and Chief Operating Officer at Life Technologies.
A former Associate Professor in the Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of California, Berkeley, and Whitehead fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Sachs has published more than 70 papers in scientific journals. After a nine-year career in academia, he spent 10 years in leadership roles at Merck Research Laboratories, where he oversaw projects that included all aspects of molecular profiling, the development of RNA therapeutics, biomarker discovery for the pre-clinical and clinical markets, and human disease modeling.
Sachs received his Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Stanford University in 1987, his M.D. from the Stanford School of Medicine in 1989, and his B.A. in Biochemistry from Cornell University in 1982.
"Life Technologies has a strong legacy of being on the leading edge of technology that's designed to help researchers around the world move science forward," Sachs said. "I'm looking forward to being a part of that legacy and contributing new strategies to advance it even further."
About Life Technologies
Life Technologies Corporation is a global biotechnology company dedicated to improving the human condition. Our systems, consumables and services enable researchers to accelerate scientific and medical advancements that make life even better. Life Technologies customers do their work across the biological spectrum, working to advance the fields of discovery and translational research, molecular medicine, stem cell-based therapies, food safety and animal health, and 21st century forensics. The company manufactures both molecular diagnostic and research use only products. Life Technologies' industry-leading brands are found in nearly every life sciences lab in the world and include innovative instrument systems under the Applied Biosystems and Ion Torrent names, as well as, the broadest range of reagents with its Invitrogen, GIBCO, Ambion, Molecular Probes and TaqMan® products. Life Technologies had sales of $3.6 billion in 2010, has a workforce of approximately 11,000 people, has a presence in approximately 160 countries, and possesses one of the largest intellectual property estates in the life sciences industry, with approximately 4,000 patents and exclusive licenses. For more information on how we are making a difference, please visit our website: http://www.lifetechnologies.com.
Life Technologies' Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements about Life Technologies' anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies' plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words "believe," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "target," "estimate," "expect" and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions ("will," "may," "could," "should," etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
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Life Technologies Contact:
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SOURCE Life Technologies Corporation