TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana), a member of the Roche Group, announced today the appointment of Mara Aspinall to the role of President, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.  Aspinall was most recently Founder, President, and CEO of On-Q-ity, a start-up diagnostics company focused on circulating tumor cell technology.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110801/LA44346)

Prior to this, Aspinall spent twelve years with Genzyme Corporation where she held senior leadership roles such as President of Genzyme Genetics and President of Pharmaceuticals.  While at Genzyme, her considerable international experience spanned operations, R&D, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, product and market positioning and expansion, as well as financial planning and performance.

"Mara brings a track record of success at Genzyme and a wealth of diagnostics industry experience to this important role," said Daniel O'Day, COO, Roche Diagnostics.  "In line with Ventana's mission to improve the lives of all patients afflicted with cancer, she will be working closely across Roche divisions and with our business partners with a focus on enabling our customers to deliver the absolute highest standards of patient care and business performance available globally."  

A frequent industry speaker, Aspinall has spearheaded industry-wide outreach initiatives to better educate the health care community and policymakers about genetics, genomics, and personalized medicine. She was a member of the Secretary of Health and Human Services' former Advisory Council on Genetics in the Obama and Bush Administrations. She is also a Co-Founder of the European Personalized Medicine Association.  Aspinall holds an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and a Bachelor's of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University.  She begins her new role at Ventana in September 2011.  

About Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. ("VMSI") (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), a member of the Roche Group, innovates and manufactures instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and slide staining for cancer diagnostics. VENTANA solutions are used in clinical histology and drug development research laboratories worldwide. The company's "Smart Systems" – intuitive, integrated staining and workflow management platforms that optimize laboratory efficiencies to reduce errors – support diagnosis and inform treatment decisions for anatomic pathology professionals. Together with Roche, VMSI is driving personalized medicine through accelerated drug discovery and the development of "companion diagnostics" to identify the patients most likely to respond favorably to specific therapies. Visit www.ventana.com to learn more.

VENTANA and the VENTANA logo are trademarks of Roche.

VMSI Media Relations
Jacqueline Bucher
Director, Corporate Communications
Phone: 520-877-7288
e-mail: jacquie.bucher@ventana.roche.com

SOURCE Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

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