Ampeak Energy Regulatory News (AMP)

14 Sep 2006 07:00

Amphion Innovations PLC14 September 2006 Amphion Innovations plc Partner Company WellGen Appoints Dr Kathleen Mullinix as new CEO NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., September 14, 2006 - Amphion Innovations plc (LSE: AMP), adeveloper of companies in life sciences and technology, today announces that oneof its Partner Companies, WellGen, Inc., has appointed Dr. Kathleen P. Mullinixas its new Chief Executive Officer. WellGen is a biotechnology company usingnutrigenomics to discover and develop food ingredients for wellness products. Effective immediately, Dr. Mullinix succeeds Dr. David A. Evans, who passed awaysuddenly on June 1, 2006. Dr. Mullinix brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the CEOposition at WellGen. Her background encompasses significant achievements in thebiotechnology industry and considerable management experience in the government,academic and corporate sectors. She has been a successful entrepreneurthroughout her career and has launched multiple successful ventures. "We are truly fortunate to have Dr. Mullinix join our company at this juncture,"said Richard C.E. Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of Amphion Innovations plc, aleading investor in WellGen. "She is a proven executive with an exceptionalblend of strategy and leadership skills, and experience in building and leadingbiotechnology companies that make her the right person for the job as thecompany enters its next stage of growth." WellGen holds exclusive licenses to technology that can identify health andwellness benefits of foods and food ingredients related to the expression ofcertain genes. WellGen also has license to a wide range of food and plant-basedbioactive substances for the prevention and treatment of disease. The companyhas a growing intellectual property estate that includes issued patents andnumerous pending patent applications, all related to its mission of using itsnutrigenomics technology platform to identify proprietary dietary compounds thataffect certain genes the company has targeted. WellGen is developing itscompounds that are based on scientific evidence for multiple uses related toenhancing and maintaining wellness. Dr. Mullinix added: "This is a tremendous time to be joining WellGen and I amhonored to be a part of the organization. I am very excited to lead this companyas we pursue the significant market opportunities that lie ahead." Prior to joining WellGen, Dr. Mullinix advised investors on biotechnology andpharmaceutical business opportunities with her company Kathleen P. Mullinix &Associates, which she founded in 2002. Before that, Dr. Mullinix served as thefounder, chairman, CEO and president of Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation.There she led the company from its inception as she developed and implementedits strategies for scientific research, business, and intellectual property,making it a research-driven public biotechnology company and then an emergingpharmaceutical company. Before founding Synaptic Pharmaceutical, Dr. Mullinix served for six years asvice provost for Columbia University. In this role, she brought Columbia to aleadership position in the commercial development of university intellectualproperty assets. Additionally, she was instrumental in the development of TheAudubon Research Park, which has transformed the Columbia Presbyterian MedicalCenter's Washington Heights neighborhood. From 1972-1981, Dr. Mullinix held two positions with the National Institutes ofHealth, and served the organization by assisting with strategic mattersinvolving the scientific direction of the NIH intramural program andimplementing a novel research program in molecular biology. Dr. Mullinix holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Trinity College,a Ph.D. in chemical biology from Columbia University and was a NationalInstitutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. She currentlyserves on the Board of Directors of The Jackson Laboratory, Cylex, a privatelyheld diagnostics company, and Intellect Neuroscience, a privately heldbiotechnology company. WellGenPatricia Lucas-Schnarre732-214-8834 ext. 319 Amphion Innovations plcJosh Berkman646 747-7158 Financial DynamicsJohn Gilbert44 207 269 7169 About WellGen WellGen, Inc., based in New Brunswick, NJ, is a biotechnology company that isdiscovering and developing products for food, therapeutics, and dietarysupplement markets. WellGen's technical platform is a method of screening theeffect of food and related substances on the expression of genes associated withhuman health conditions. The company has developed proprietary substances thathelp reduce risk and severity for a variety of diseases. Please visit ourwebsite at www.wellgen.com for more information. About Amphion Innovations plc Amphion Innovations plc is listed on the AIM Exchange in London under the symbolAMP. Amphion's business is the formation, financing, management and developmentof life sciences and technology companies, working in partnership withcorporations, governments, universities and entrepreneurs seeking tocommercialize their intellectual property. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange