Biocom Announces Two New Board Members

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocom, the association representing the California life science industry, today announced the appointment of two new directors to its board. David Weitz, Head of Takeda California and Global Research Externalization for parent company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Limited, and Wolfgang Glaesner, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Eli Lilly and Company, were appointed to the board, bringing total board membership to 60.

"Our board of directors is essential for us to understand what our member organizations want from Biocom and how we can implement programs that meet the needs of our members, and David Weitz and Wolfgang Glaesner will bring an unparalleled depth and breadth of experience to our board," said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom. "With the largest board of any life science association in the state, Biocom will continue its leadership role in accelerating the growth of California's life science ecosystem."

David Weitz, J.D., is the Head of Takeda California and Global Research Externalization for parent company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd. As the leader of Takeda California, David works to maintain the San Diego site's agile, collaborative and entrepreneurial approach to drug discovery research. As Head of Global Research Externalization, David uses his 24 years of experience in research, business, legal, and intellectual property, as well as a proven track record of alliance formation, to increase the agility of Takeda's Research Division in securing external partnerships and collaborations as a key source of innovation. David began his career as a patent attorney and in 2000 became the first patent attorney to be elected to partnership at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. David joined Syrrx, the earliest predecessor to Takeda California, as its General Counsel in 2002. Following Syrrx's acquisition by Takeda in 2005, David has been heavily involved with the integration of Syrrx, Takeda San Francisco and Envoy and numerous business development efforts for Takeda both locally and for the parent company. David earned his B.S. in chemistry from M.I.T, an M.S. in chemistry, as well as a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Wolfgang Glaesner is Chief Scientific Officer at Lilly in San Diego. Dr Glaesner first joined Lilly in Indianapolis, working as a protein biochemist in the protein optimization team. In 2009, Dr. Glaesner moved to California to head Lilly's San Diego-based research group. His research interests include the biology of glucagon-like peptide -1, time extension strategies of proteins and peptides, as well as alternative protein scaffolds and their applications in treatment of human disease. He received his diploma in molecular genetics from the University of Göttingen, Germany, and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Friedrich-Miescher Institute (Novartis) in Basel, Switzerland.

About Biocom

Biocom is the largest, most experienced leader and advocate for California's life science sector. We work on behalf of more than 750 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.

Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy.  Our goal is simple: to help our members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to its San Diego headquarters, Biocom operates a core office serving the Los Angeles market, satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, and has a continuous staff presence in Sacramento. Our broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, clinical research organizations, investors and service providers. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (@BIOCOMCA).

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