Febit has taken an axe to its operations in Lexington, MA and Heidelberg, Germany, paring away 60 percent of its staff as it narrows its focus to microRNA biomarker discovery in the blood that can be used in drug research and diagnostics. The restructuring also claimed the job of CEO Cord Staehler.
Staehler is being replaced by a team that includes CFO Jochen Kohlhaas and the newly appointed Hartmut Voss. They're charged with managing the company's Geniom platform to produce human miRNA biochips "to further expand its leadership in miRNA biomarker profiling, a promising field of large-scale diagnostics for severe diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and multiple sclerosis."
"The restructuring will allow febit to focus on its most successful business segment at the intersection of nanotechnology and future molecular diagnostics," said Professor Christof Hettich, chairman of febit's supervisory board and managing director of febit's main investor, dievini Hopp BioTech holding. "For biotech technology platform companies, a transition is often difficult and requires a change in management, strategy and operations. Our decision is based on analysis of a number of factors including what we believe is the best course of action for the company and will also be in the interest of our shareholders."
- check out the Febit release