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Kissinger new interim leader of Inproteo
By Phillip Fiorini, Lafayette Journal and Courier
An
industry-university consortium formed to develop and commercialize proteomics
tools in Indiana has named the top executive of a West Lafayette company
its top interim executive, too.
Peter Kissinger, who founded Bioanalytical Systems Inc. in 1974 and remains its chief executive officer, will become CEO of Inproteo, the commercial name for the Indiana Proteomics Consortium LLC. Kissinger succeeds John Hurrell, who leaves to pursue other interests in the life sciences.
“Pete Kissinger’s extensive business experience and scientific knowledge will keep Inproteo moving forward while we plot a course for its future leadership and success,” said Sally Mason, chairman of the Inproteo board and Purdue’s provost.
As interim president and CEO, Kissinger will help Inproteo spawn new
Indiana firms based on proteomics, the study of proteins for discovering
new drugs and other protein-based products.
“Inproteo has made great strides under John Hurrell and has the
potential to become a tremendous asset for Indiana,” Kissinger said.
“I am excited about the challenge of leading its efforts on an interim
basis, and I look forward to working with the many talented people involved
in its work.
“It has raised $16 million in three years, and that’s a tidy sum.”
BASi, which provides contract research services and monitoring instrumentations
for drugmakers, employs 190 workers at its Purdue Research Park facility
and 180 more worldwide.
Earning his doctorate at the University of North Carolina, Kissinger was
on the faculty at Michigan State University from 1972-75 before joining
Purdue, where he still works part-time as a chemistry professor.
Indianapolis-based Inproteo was established in 2002 as a joint effort by Eli Lilly and Co. and Purdue and Indiana universities. Since, it has organized two startup companies to commercialize technologies developed through the consortium’s efforts:
- Tienta Sciences Inc. develops and manufactures products for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
- Prosolia Inc. commercializes mass spectrometry technology.
Hurrell said he is proud of what Inproteo has achieved to date and thanked those who supported the vision of the board.
“It was an inspired decision to combine Purdue’s and IU’s world-class research in proteomic tools and analytical methods with Eli Lilly’s strength in protein therapeutics,” he said in a statement. “I believe Inproteo is positioned to help Indiana develop a very important segment of the life sciences sector.”
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