Alan Schafer to head Population Genetics

Population Genetics Technologies Ltd., creator of innovative methods for genetic analyses and biomarker discovery, has appointed Alan Schafer, PhD to the post of Chief Executive Officer.

Schafer brings deep experience in research, “big pharma” management and building new businesses. He is Adjunct Professor of Innovation at Imperial College London Business School and was previously the Wellcome Trust’s Director of Science Funding. Before that he served as Global Vice-President of Technology Development at GlaxoSmithKline and co-founded Hexagen, a functional genomics company and subsequently acquired by Incyte. He will continue to serve on a number of research and venture capital advisory boards.

“We have validated our technology platforms and built important collaborations with world class clinical research groups and now look forward to the next phase in our development with Alan at the helm,” said Sam Eletr, a co-founder and Chairman of Population Genetics. “Our aim is to provide an efficient route for population-scale genetic analysis and biomarker discovery for application in medicine and agriculture”.

Commenting on his appointment as CEO Schafer added: “I am devoted to excellence in research and its application to improve health and human welfare and am pleased to be joining Population Genetics where the company’s talented staff, solid investor group, established capabilities and intellectual property portfolio will allow us to accelerate the application of genetics to improve human health by providing actionable information, not just sequencing data”.