Calypte Biomedical Corp. (ticker: CALY, exchange: NASDAQ) News Release - 10-Jan-2003
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J. Richard George, CDC and HIV Veteran Joins Calypte as VP of Government Affairs
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2003--
HIV and Infectious Diseases Expert Now Responsible for Calypte's
Expanding Global Government Relations Programs
Calypte Biomedical Corporation (OTCBB:CALY), the developer and marketer of the only two FDA-approved HIV-1 antibody tests that can be used on urine samples, as well as an FDA-approved serum HIV-1 antibody Western Blot supplemental test, today announced that Dr. Richard George has joined Calypte as Vice President of Government Affairs. In this newly created position, Dr. George will be responsible for working with a variety of public sector and government-sponsored agencies around the world to increase awareness of the importance of HIV testing, highlight the benefits of urine-based testing, develop HIV testing programs and secure capital to fund programs.
Prior to joining Calypte, Dr. George worked for OraSure Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OSUR) as Senior Vice President of Research and Development for infectious diseases. During his tenure at OraSure, he supervised the successful development of the recently FDA-approved OraQuick Rapid HIV-1 blood test, including product development, product support, and clinical trials. Previously, he was Chief Scientific Officer for Epitope, Inc., now OraSure, where he was responsible for all scientific programs relating to new products including those focused on testing for HIV/AIDS.
Prior to joining Epitope, Dr. George spent 34 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in positions of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as the Chief of Developmental Technology Section in the AIDS Program where he provided laboratory support and coordination for the CDC's international HIV/AIDS projects. These projects included maintaining global surveillance of emerging strains of HIV, conducting tests on genetic variations of HIV, and developing new antibody-based methods for identifying HIV strains. Dr. George used the results of his efforts to collaborate with such entities as the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to strive for standardized HIV testing in developing countries.
"We are thrilled to have a professional of Richard's caliber join Calypte, and his scientific and global government relations expertise will prove invaluable to our team," stated Nancy Katz, president and CEO of Calypte. "We look forward to significant progress in securing relationships with several influential organizations to demonstrate the merits of our urine-based HIV tests. His career and core competency in HIV at the CDC and at OraSure will propel a dynamic synergy in advancing relations between Calypte, government agencies and global health organizations."
Dr. George is a past and present member of several scientific societies such as the American Society of Microbiology and continues to be a consultant to the WHO and the University of Pennsylvania. He has won numerous awards for scientific excellence throughout his career, has more than 100 scientific publications to his credit and has served as a Scientific Reviewer for the international journal AIDS and the Journal of Medical Virology.
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