ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, Dec. 19, 2012 – BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Central Maryland, announced today the appointment of Emergent BioSolutions Inc. President and CEO Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi and SR One President Jens Eckstein, Ph.D., to the BHI Board of Directors.
“It is an honor to welcome two additional life science industry leaders to the BHI Board of Directors,” said BioHealth Innovation’s President & CEO Richard Bendis. “Dan brings a unique perspective from his role at the helm of one of the leading specialty pharmaceutical companies while Jens will provide important insight as the head of the corporate venture capital arm of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). I’m also incredibly pleased that GSK, after having acquired Human Genome Sciences (one of the original investors in BHI), will continue to support BHI and has expressed an understanding of the importance of the mission of our organization.”
About Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi
Mr. Abdun-Nabi is the president and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions, positions he has held since March 2007 and April 2012, respectively. He has also served as a board member since May 2009. Mr. Abdun-Nabi’s former roles at Emergent include serving as chief operating officer from May 2007 to March 2012, senior vice president corporate affairs and general counsel from December 2004 to April 2007, secretary from December 2004 to January 2008, and vice president and general counsel from May 2004 to December 2004. Prior to joining Emergent, Mr. Abdun-Nabi served as general counsel for IGEN International, Inc., a biotechnology company, and its successor BioVeris Corporation and as senior vice president, legal affairs, general counsel and secretary of North American Vaccine, Inc. Mr. Abdun-Nabi received a Master of Laws in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.A. in political science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“I am pleased to be afforded this opportunity to help advance the Maryland life sciences and business community by serving on the Board of BioHealth Innovation,” said Mr. Abdun-Nabi. “Emergent espouses the corporate values of innovation and collaboration, which are building blocks of BHI’s vision and mission to facilitate growth within the region. I look forward to working with my peers to this end.”
About Jens Eckstein, Ph.D.
Dr. Eckstein comes to SR One from TVM Capital where he was a Venture Partner, Entrepreneur-in-Residence and appointed CEO and President of SelectX Pharmaceuticals. Prior to that, he was a General Partner in TVM’s Boston life sciences practice where he focused on earlier-stage investments. Previously, he served as a member of the Board of Directors for CoNCERT Pharmaceuticals, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, SelectX Pharmaceuticals, Rapid Micro Biosystems, Anchor Therapeutics, and as an Advisor to Sirtris Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Eckstein was the founder of Akikoa Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology start-up company focusing on hearing loss, and North Haven Systems, a life science IT company. Prior to joining TVM Capital, Dr. Eckstein led drug discovery programs at Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Mitotix, Inc.
Dr. Eckstein has authored more than 25 scientific publications and holds several issued and pending patents. He was managing editor of Frontiers in Biosciences Current Topics in Lead Discovery and served as an editorial board advisor for IDrugs. He is an Advisor to the Alzheimer Research Forum (ARF), founding member of the Cure Dystonia Initiative Advisory Council (CDIAC) and a Kauffman Fellow.
“I’d like to thank BHI for my appointment to the BHI board and believe this supports SR One’s goal of pursuing innovative science to significantly impact medical care. I look forward to the opportunity,” said Dr. Eckstein.
About BioHealth Innovation, Inc.
BioHealth Innovation, Inc., is a regional innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant bio-health innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland. Learn more at www.biohealthinnovation.org.