Press Releases
Appointment of LITMUS Molecular Design President
03 July 2007
LITMUS LLC, a leading global technology innovations company, today announces that Dr. Bill W. Massey has been appointed as President of its wholly owned subsidiary, LITMUS Molecular Design (“LMD”).
LMD is dedicated to the discovery and development of new molecular entities for the pharmaceutical, chemical and materials science industries. LMD’s technology dramatically improves the efficiency and predictive accuracy of the discovery and development process thereby substantially reducing the associated time and costs. Consequently LMD is able to generate significant value for users of its technology in their commercialization of new molecular entities.
LMD creates new molecular entities designed to have specified desired properties and characterizes the activity of existing molecules through the use of LITMUS Spectral Modeling, the application of its patented, cutting edge methodology called Spectral Data Activity Relationship (SDAR). The method uses computer modeling techniques to predict the properties that a molecular structure will exhibit based solely on spectral analysis (LITMUS Spectral Modeling). This removes the need to physically create the molecule and exhaustively test for which individual properties it possesses. LMD can also screen existing molecules for desirable, or undesirable, activity. As all of these capabilities are assessed in silico (on the computer), the time and cost are greatly reduced. Developed by scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s National Center for Toxicological Research, LITMUS Spectral Modeling can predict a wide range of a given molecular structure’s scientifically important properties, including chemical reactivity, carcinogenicity, biological activity, receptor-binding affinity, toxicity, metabolism, absorption, and chemical and physical properties. LMD owns the worldwide license on LITMUS Spectral Modeling.
LMD offers both products and services to its customers. LITMUS Molecular Entity Design (“L-MED”) is focused on creation of new chemical entities with specific biological activity, while LITMUS Molecular Analysis Services (“L-MAS”) is focused on the development of custom predictive models of biological activity.
Dr. Massey has had a successful 15 year career in the pharmaceutical industry, spanning a variety of areas including pre-clinical research, clinical research, regulatory affairs, marketing, and business operations/planning. He has held senior management positions at Astra Merck Inc., Quintiles Central Nervous System (CNS) Therapeutics Inc., Scirex Corporation, and AstraZeneca plc. He has actively managed the preparation and submission of a number of original investigational new drug and product marketing applications, and has leadership experience in international drug development programs in the cardiovascular and CNS therapeutic areas. Dr. Massey received his PhD from the Department of Pharmacology and Interdisciplinary Toxicology of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He currently holds two adjunct faculty appointments in pharmacology, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and psychiatry, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he lectures on the pharmacology of anti-psychotics and antidepressants, and on development of drugs for neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Mark Diggs, Chief Executive Officer of LITMUS, commented: “This is a significant milestone in the development of LITMUS Molecular Design. With Dr. Massey’s appointment, LMD becomes fully operational and LITMUS Spectral Modeling will now be commercially available to the pharmaceutical, chemical, and materials sciences industries.”
For further information:
Litmus LLC |
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Mark Diggs, Chief Executive Officer |
Tel: +1 501 442 1237 |
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Litmus Molecular Design LLC |
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Dr. Bill Massey, President |
Tel: +1 760 443 3782 |
For media enquiries:
Abchurch |
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Henry Harrison-Topham / Gareth Mead |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7700 |
NOTES TO EDITORS
About LITMUS LLC
LITMUS, LLC is a global technology innovator which identifies disruptive technologies and services that can provide unique commercial solutions to significant unmet market needs. The Company’s alternative approach to traditional funding and business development models enables it to then create revolutionary technology companies before scaling each one towards a liquidity event.
The LITMUS management team has rigorously applied its business methodology to create the following portfolio of divisions and subsidiaries: LITMUS nanoTechnology, LITMUS FQI, LITMUS RAPID-B and LITMUS Molecular Design. LITMUS has also created two subsidiaries that complement the Company’s technology portfolio and enhance the execution of LITMUS’ business methodology in LITMUS Defense and LITMUS Consulting.
Founded in 2002, LITMUS, LLC is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas USA, and has offices across America and in London, England.
About LITMUS Molecular Design
LITMUS Molecular Design applies its proprietary technology, LITMUS Spectral Modeling, to design new molecular entities and characterize existing molecules for customers in the pharmaceutical, chemical and materials sciences industries. www.litmusmoleculardesign.com.