PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 23, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Znomics, Inc. (OTCBB:ZNOM), a pioneer in the development of the zebrafish as a vertebrate genetic platform to accelerate drug discovery, announced the appointment of Thomas S. Scanlan, Ph.D., Director of the Chemical Biology Program at Oregon Health and Science University, to its Scientific Advisory Board. Professor Scanlan's leading work in drug compound discovery and biological research has been recognized by the American Chemical Society, which awarded him the prestigious Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in July, 2007. His appointment expands Znomics's SAB to five members.
"Dr. Scanlan is a leader among a new generation of organic chemists harnessing the power of designed molecules to interact with biological target proteins," said Roger Cone, president and chief scientific officer of Znomics. "We believe his expertise and direction will be instrumental in advancing our drug discovery efforts."
Dr. Scanlan studies the chemical and biological aspects of steroid and thyroid hormone action and has been a Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology and Director of the Program in Chemical Biology since 2006. Prior to that, he was a faculty member of the University of California, San Francisco.
"Professor Scanlan has been successful in helping to take newly designed compounds from the university setting to commercial development and into clinical studies," said Znomics Chief Executive Officer, Richard Sessions. "We look forward to his many contributions as a member of our Scientific Advisory Board."
Dr. Scanlan joins an outstanding board of Znomics scientific advisors. Other members include: Howard Hughes Professor Len Zon, M.D., of Harvard University; Professor Alex Schier, Ph.D., also of Harvard; Roy Smith, Ph.D., Director of the Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine and formerly Vice President for Basic Research at Merck, Inc.; and Robert Tanguay, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University.