Roche is plucking its new head of small molecules research from the ranks of a biotech company. The pharma giant announced this morning that it has recruited Rainer Metternich, the CSO and proteomics expert at Berlin-based Caprotec. Metternich will now head up a broad network of 800 scientists beavering away at labs in the U.S. and Europe, all working for a unit operating under Roche's pharma research and early development group (pRED).
"His outstanding track record across a broad range of modalities related to both small and large molecules and his comprehensive drug discovery expertise make him an ideal fit for this important role in pRED," says Metternich's new boss at pRED, Jean-Jacques Garaud.
Metternich has a long history of work at big pharma companies. Before joining Caprotec in 2010 he had enlisted in the R&D arms of Novartis (formerly Sandoz), Schering AG and Merck. At Caprotec he's been working with pharmas and academics on understanding small molecules' interaction with proteins.
- see the Roche release