Laureate Biopharma Appoints Ann M. Daus, Ph.D. Vice President, Quality

PRINCETON, N.J., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc., a full-service biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization, today announced the appointment of Ann M. Daus, Ph.D., as Vice President, Quality. Dr. Daus will lead the implementation of Laureate's strategic quality plan, recruit new leaders to supplement the quality management team, lead the strategic expansion of testing services and improve companywide systems. These efforts support Laureate's promise to deliver quality right-first-time as Laureate invests to expand its capacity and range of services.

"Ann has the proven leadership experience, personal energy and technical skills required to drive our quality organization and quality processes to the next level as we continue to invest in the business," said Michael A. Griffith, Chief Executive Officer. "Ann has extensive experience managing change in complex organizations and possesses strong quality and technical management skills."

Laureate's strategic quality plan is designed to improve compliance and extend the range of services offered by its testing and analytical development units. Some elements of the plan are to:

• Enhance Quality Systems through new processes and software including Trackwise
• Extend our range of scientific skills and testing instrumentation to include protein characterization, cell-based assays, LC-MS and multi-angle light scattering among others
• Review and update the environmental monitoring program to meet evolving global regulatory standards
• Combine Analytical Development and QC testing disciplines under one leader to give clients a single point-of-contact to deliver both assay development and routine testing
• Establish a dedicated Formulation Development business unit to handle increasing demand
• Bring critical outsourced tests in-house to enhance control of timelines and expedite more efficient capture and integration of client data

Dr. Daus has over 20 years of experience, including 15 years of management of quality and technical functions including quality assurance, quality control, protein characterization and methods development.  Prior to Laureate, she served as Vice President of Quality Control & Bioanalytical Sciences for ImClone Systems, Inc., where she built and led this department which supported the manufacture of both pilot plant and commercial biopharmaceuticals.  Earlier in her career, Dr. Daus held the position of Associate Director of QA for Smith Kline Beecham, where she managed QA of bulk biopharmaceutical agents through all phases of clinical development.  Dr. Daus started her career with Johnson & Johnson holding a series of Quality Assurance and Quality Control functions of increasing responsibility including QA Manager in support of commercial parenteral pharmaceuticals and diagnostic products.  She holds a B.S. from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and earned both an M.S. in Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Microbiology & Molecular Genetics from Rutgers University.

For more information related to Laureate Biopharma's capabilities and ongoing improvements please visit www.LBioS.com.

About Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc.

Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc. is a full-service biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization. Laureate Biopharma's scientists are expert in process development and cGMP production of therapeutic proteins including monoclonal antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins. In addition, the company's portfolio of services includes aseptic filling, cell line development, analytical and stability testing, and regulatory support. Laureate Biopharma has served a global client base from its Princeton, New Jersey facility since 1981 and is a portfolio company of Saints Capital, LLC.  For more information, please visit www.LBioS.com.

About Saints Capital, LLC

Saints Capital is a leading direct secondary acquirer of venture capital and private equity investments in emerging growth companies around the globe. It also makes traditional direct venture capital investments on a primary basis and in special situations in technology, healthcare, consumer and industrial companies in the United States. Founded in 2000, Saints provides liquidity for private investors in such markets as investment and commercial banks, buyouts, corporate venture capital and hedge funds. Saints has more than $1 billion of committed capital under management, over 50 completed portfolio transactions and investments in more than 200 companies. For more information, please visit www.saintsvc.com.

For more information, contact: Imara Charles, Ph.D., Director of Project Management, Laureate Biopharma, at (609) 919-3367, or [email protected] or visit www.lbios.com or Jennifer Vollaro at Integrated Marketing Services at (609) 683.9055 ext. 247, or [email protected].

SOURCE Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, Inc.