PixarBio Promotes Xi Chen to Director, Analytical Chemistry and Adds Haining Dai as Director, Pre-Clinical Neuroscience

MEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PixarBio Corporation today announced the promotion of Xi Chen to Director, Analytical Chemistry. In addition, Haining Dai has joined PixarBio as Director, Pre-Clinical Neuroscience.

"As we grow our platform and expand our Analytical Chemistry team, we believe Xi's 20+ years of industry expertise will lead to important scientific advancements"
Xi Chen

Xi Chen joined PixarBio in February 2014 and quickly developed procedures to evaluate various biomaterials and agents providing PixarBio with a jump start to all four program areas, including those in epilepsy, pain management, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's disease. "As we grow our platform and expand our Analytical Chemistry team, we believe Xi's 20+ years of industry expertise will lead to important scientific advancements," said PixarBio CEO Frank Reynolds.

In 1993, Xi Chen joined PixarBio's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley at Geltex Pharmaceuticals as an analytical chemist. Through significant scientific achievements Xi quickly rose through the ranks to senior scientist and supported multiple FDA approved, biomaterials based products. After Genzyme's acquisition of Geltex for $1.2B in 2002, Xi continued to support the development of new products and remained a key scientist on several of Genzyme's biomaterials/drug combo products. Xi retired from Genzyme Drug and Biomaterials R&D in Waltham in 2012. After joining Semprus Biosciences in 2012, Xi was recruited to join PixarBio in early 2014. According to Dr. Holmes-Farley, "Xi has a long track record of successfully developing and implementing analytical methods for polymeric drugs and devices. We have worked together for the past twenty years on many highly successful programs, and our promotion of her into this new position reflects our confidence that her continued efforts will benefit PixarBio greatly in the future."

Haining Dai

Haining Dai has collaborated with PixarBio's co-founder Frank Reynolds on some of the most important spinal cord injury research in history. Their work has advanced through the FDA and has led to an approval to begin clinical studies in 2013. They were co-authors and co-recipients of the prestigious 2011 Apple Award from the American Spinal Association for breakthrough spinal cord injury research. Haining joins PixarBio from InVivo Therapeutics where he was Director, Pre-Clinical Spinal Cord Injury Research 2011-2014, after consulting with InVivo Therapeutics 2007-2011. "It's not every day a champion crosses your path and is available to jump in to create and capture value right away, so we are thrilled to have Haining join PixarBio," said CEO Frank Reynolds. Haining Dai will lead all pre-clinical neuroscience involving epilepsy, pain, Parkinson's and spinal cord injury. In addition, he'll lead PixarBio's vivarium team in all aspects of research.

Haining is an accomplished neuroscience researcher with over 25 years of experience in the field, including small animal surgery, behavioral training, testing, data collection and subsequent tissue processing for light microscopy (LM) histological analysis and electron microscopic (EM) tissue preparation, sectioning, and stereological analysis. He has considerable expertise in tissue processing for LM and EM such as perfusion, cryostat, vibratome and ultramicotome sectioning, immunocytochemistry, histochemistry, photomicroscopy, digital image analysis and preparation. Haining mastered his neuroscience skills as lab manager in the lab of renowned SCI researcher Dr. Barbara S. Bregmann at Georgetown University School of Medicine from 1986-2011.

About PixarBio Corporation

PixarBio Corporation is dedicated to developing new therapeutic options for Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, pain, and spinal cord injury. Cofounded by Frank Reynolds, Dr. Robert S. Langer from MIT's Langer Lab, Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley, and Katrin Holzhaus the company is developing novel smart materials to achieve sustained release of agents. Research is focused on a platform for chronic neurological applications. For more information visit www.pixarbio.com.

Contacts

PixarBio Corporation
Katrin Holzhaus, 617-401-0041
Chief Operating Officer
[email protected]