Business Development Executive David Miller Joins Leadership Team of Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute

Jan. 29, 2008

Contact:

David Miller 413/794-0757

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — David W. Miller, a biotechnology professional and entrepreneur with over 20 years of successful company-building and management experience in life sciences businesses has joined the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute as its first director of business development. In this newly created position, Miller will be responsible for creating and implementing broad-based business and economic development programs for the institute. A key focus will be on programs related to the Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research (CEAR). This and other efforts are expected to be integral to the institute’s growth and to regional efforts to develop a life sciences industry cluster in the Pioneer Valley.

While working in the biotechnology industry in eastern Massachusetts and New Jersey, Miller has lived in western Massachusetts since 1988. He was vice president of research at EcoScience, one of the first biotechnology companies originating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During his career as a research scientist and business development executive, he has served on government advisory groups for the National Research Council and the Office of Technology Assessment. Miller is an inventor on six patents for platform technologies that created unique product opportunities. His business experience includes domestic and international collaborations, contract negotiations, intellectual property management, product development, and establishment of commercial partnerships. He holds a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard University.

Reflecting upon his appointment, Miller observes, “I look forward to being part of the institute’s efforts to create new commercial and translational research opportunities for itself and its partners. Having worked far from home in the biotechnology sector for a number of years, it is especially gratifying to join the effort to grow the PVLSI as the hub for biomedical research and economic development in western Massachusetts.”

Paul Friedmann, executive director of the institute, remarks, “We are delighted that David has chosen to come to the institute. His business and research expertise are very complementary with PVLSI’s approach to business development based on the strengths of our research enterprise as well as our unique ability to link resources from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Baystate Medical Center. Using the Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research as the starting point, there will be many new opportunities and bright prospects for the institute, its founding partners and the Pioneer Valley region.”

About the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute
and its Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research

PVLSI was created in 2002 as a joint venture of Baystate Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Amherst with the dual missions of biomedical research and economic development. Drawing on each of the founding organizations as well as its own researchers, the Institute brings together physicians, scientists and engineers to create interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams focused on the molecular mechanisms of disease and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

The Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research is part of the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute. CEAR’s membership includes 45 researchers from the Institute, Baystate Medical Center and UMass Amherst. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a genetic program resident in all of our cells that allows the body to effectively dispose of defective or surplus cells. Aberrations in apoptosis have been estimated to play a role in approximately 70 percent of human disease including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular disease. The John Adams Innovation Institute of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative supports CEAR’s innovative programs.

#177-08

E-mail story to a friend Printer-friendly version