Magellan Laboratories Welcomes New Director of Drug Discovery, Ana Menendez, Ph.D.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - With an anticipated increase in business demand of at least 25% this year, Magellan Laboratories continues to attract some of the most accomplished talent in the industry. Magellan Laboratories welcomes Ana Menendez, Ph.D. as Director of Drug Discovery for its Research and Bioanalytical Division.

Established by leading pharmaceutical scientists, Magellan exists solely to serve the ever changing needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries by providing a complete range of analytical and development services. The company has won numerous awards during its ten-year history and has facilities in Research Triangle Park, NC and San Diego, CA.

Reporting to Dr. Anthony Chilton, Vice President of Magellan's Research and Bioanalytical Division, Dr. Menendez will be responsible for building and leading the Drug Discovery Group. The group will offer expertise on all aspects of pre-clinical drug and surrogate marker development, including: target validation and HTS, model development and mechanism of action, lead optimization, in vitro and in vivo ADME and pharmacogenomics.

In 1995, Dr. Menendez joined Bristol-Myers Squibb as Senior Research Investigator where she advanced to Associate Director. She previously held positions of progressive responsibility during her 14 years at American Cyanamid/Wyeth-Ayerst.

Among Dr. Menendez's most notable accomplishments are the in vitro evaluation of monoclonal antibody calicheamicin conjugates which led to the recently approved immunoconjugate, Gemtuzumab Ozagamicin; her management of a team that identified, optimized and characterized several compounds currently in the clinical pipeline; and her management of four external and international drug discovery collaborations. Additionally, Dr. Menendez represented Bristol-Myers Squibb in a team of scientists from academia and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to promote innovative natural product use in oncology. Perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that Dr. Menendez obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology/Immunology from New York Medical College in only five years while maintaining a full time supervisory position with American Cyanamid/Wyeth-Ayerst.

Work by Dr. Menendez has been published in the Journal of Natural Products, Pure and Applied Chemistry, and the Journal of Antibiotics among other publications. Dr. Menendez is a frequent presenter at meetings of the American Association of Cancer Research, an organization in which she has been actively involved for several years.

"Dr. Menendez's extraordinary work ethic, drive and experience are extremely compelling," declared Dr. Chilton. "At Magellan we seek out individuals who lead by example. Dr. Menendez is a pioneer with proven expertise in target identification and lead optimization. I am looking forward to working with her as she helps us to take our Drug Discovery Group to the next level."