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Bernard Brigonnet Joins Baylor Research Institute as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Posted on: Friday, 30 January 2009, 16:32 CST

DALLAS, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Officials with Baylor Health Care System announced today that Bernard Brigonnet will join the Baylor Research Institute (BRI) as vice president and chief operating officer, effective Feb. 1.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090130/DC65143)

Under his leadership, the institute will further pursue the development of its unique research technologies in areas such as immunology, transplantation, metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease and colon cancer, to name a few.

In addition, Brigonnet will oversee the institute's more than $40 million a year budget which has grown in just ten short years to become a major clinical research program.

"Baylor is increasingly becoming a leader in medical research and we hope to license our advanced technologies in the marketplace to reach even more patients who need them," says Michael Ramsay, M.D., president, Baylor Research Institute. "Mr. Brigonnet has a tremendous vision of where BRI can take the Baylor Health Care System and we are very excited to have someone of his caliber take us to the next level."

A native of France, Brigonnet has more than 30 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries where he has served in a senior leadership capacity for a number of international organizations.

Most recently as CEO of Medicen Paris Region, he helped create one of the largest collaborations of research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as public and private universities following an initiative by the French government to support world-competitive clusters for innovation in life sciences. Prior to that, he served as president and CEO of Serono France S.A., a leader in the development and manufacturing of biopharmaceutical treatments.

As executive vice president and chief operating officer of Immuno-Designed Molecules S.A., he negotiated one of the largest partnerships with a global pharmaceutical company in Europe and subsequently opened the company's headquarters in the U.S.

He also has held executive positions with internationally-known pharmaceutical companies such as Bristol-Myers-Squibb and Merck & Co., Inc. Because of his expertise in these industries, Brigonnet has been recently called on to negotiate strategic alliances between other international corporations in the U.S. and Europe.

"BRI is currently pursuing partnerships with international companies in these industries and because of Bernard's extensive experience in this arena, he will be leading these negotiations," adds Dr. Ramsay. "Our goal is to accelerate this advanced science so that it is available to all who need it and Mr. Brigonnet will help us achieve that."

Additionally, Brigonnet will partner with the Baylor Health Care System Foundation to facilitate the development of more philanthropic support for research at Baylor.

Dallas-based Baylor Research Institute, an affiliate of Baylor Health Care System, promotes research bringing innovative treatments from the laboratory to the patient bedside. The Institute focuses on basic and translational science, clinical trials, health care effectiveness and quality of care research. Currently, investigators at Baylor are conducting 800 active research protocols spanning more than 20 medical specialties. Opened in 1996, Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, a component of BRI, focuses on developing new therapies to treat conditions that involve the immune system, such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and organ transplantation.

For more information about the Baylor Research Institute visit www.BaylorHealth.com.

SOURCE Baylor Health Care System

Source: PR Newswire

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