Former AstraZeneca R&D Head appointed New Chairman of Gyros AB
Former AstraZeneca R&D Head Appointed New Chairman of Gyros AB Gyros AB announced today the appointment of Dr. Claes Wilhelmsson as chairman of the board. Dr Wilhelmsson is the former Executive Director and Head of Research and Development at AstraZeneca and currently Senior Adviser to Investor Growth Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Investor AB. The appointment is effective immediately. "With our first commercial products already in the marketplace and more in the pipeline, it is invaluable for us to have the experience of such a renowned leader on our board," commented Maris Hartmanis, President and CEO of Gyros AB. "Dr. Wilhelmsson's extensive knowledge and in-depth understanding of the pharmaceutical industry's needs will be of tremendous advantage to us as we continue to develop our technology platform." Dr. Wilhelmsson began his academic career in 1969 at the Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. He joined Astra in 1985 as Medical Director for cardiovascular diseases and was appointed Executive Vice President, Research and Development in 1991. Following the merger of Astra and Zeneca in 1999, he was appointed Executive Director, R&D, and member of the Board of Directors of AstraZeneca. "Having retired from AstraZeneca as recently as June 2002, I hope that my insight into the needs of the drug discovery market can contribute significantly to Gyros's development plans," said Dr. Wilhelmsson. "I consider it an exciting challenge to be involved in pioneering a platform technology with the potential to provide radical new solutions for the industry." About Gyros AB Gyros miniaturizes and integrates laboratory applications, enabling scientists to generate more information from less sample and to improve lab performance. Using our proprietary technology platform, we increase productivity by streamlining the many steps of conventional applications into single, nanoliter scale procedures. Optimal environments are created for each application. A Gyrolab microlaboratory, in the form of a compact disk, can process hundreds of samples in parallel, under the control of Gyrolab Workstation. Our company will realize the full potential of the Gyros technology platform in the fields of drug discovery and diagnostics. Initial product offerings are focused towards the growing area of proteomics. Gyros has more than 90 employees working at its headquarters in Uppsala Science Park, Sweden and in sales offices in the USA and Europe. For further information, visit www.gyros.com or contact: Maris Hartmanis, President and CEO, Gyros AB Tel: +46 (0)18 566 330 Mobile: +46 (0)70 562 8617 Email: maris.hartmanis@gyros.com Per Sjöberg, Executive Vice President Commercial Operations, Gyros AB Tel: +46 (0)18 566 318 Mobile: +46 (0)70 544 4799 Email: per.sjoberg@gyros.com Sue Cresswell, Marketing Communications, Gyros AB Tel: +46 (0)8 54472620 Mobile: +46 (0)70 551 9520 Email: sue.cresswell@gyros.com Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical may be forward-looking and include risks and uncertainties. Therefore, though based on Gyros' current expectations, it should be duly noted that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experiences to differ materially from what is herein expressed. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the management of growth and international operations (including effects of currency fluctuations), variability of operating results, unforeseen changes in the diagnostic and pharmaceutical markets, market competition, rapid or unexpected changes in technologies, fluctuations in product demand, difficulties to successfully develop, adapt, produce or commercialize products, the ability to identify and develop new products and to differentiate products from those of competitors, as well as various legal hazards. Gyros, Gyrolab and the Gyros logo are registered trademarks of Gyros AB. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/10/07/20021004BIT00420/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/10/07/20021004BIT00420/wkr0002.pdf