Tanox has appointed Zhengbin "Bing" Yao, Ph.D., as its Vice President of Research. In this position, Dr. Yao will lead Tanox's research team, with direct responsibility for discovery programs, providing support to process and clinical development projects, and managing the company's external research alliances. Dr. Yao, who most recently held the position of Senior Director of Discovery Biology at Tanox, will succeed Matthew Moyle, Ph.D., who has decided to resign to pursue other career interests. "We are grateful for the contributions Matthew made toward implementing a focused research department within Tanox, and we wish him the best," said Nancy Chang, Ph.D., Tanox president and chief executive officer. "For the past four years, Bing has worked very closely with Matthew in providing leadership and strategic direction for our research group. His firsthand knowledge of the research operation, combined with his experience and accomplishments both at Tanox and in the industry, make him the ideal person to lead our research program." Dr. Yao joined Tanox in October 2000 as Associate Director of Genomics and was promoted twice during the past four years. He has 11 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and has led the development of two preclinical compounds while at Tanox. He also has guided efforts at the company to establish several technology platforms for faster product candidate generation. Prior to joining Tanox, Dr. Yao led the division of Molecular Biology and Genomics in the Central Nerve System Diseases Group at Aventis Pharmaceuticals in Bridgewater, N.J. As department head, he was responsible for identification and validation of innovative new targets using genomics approaches, led the evaluation of in-licensing product, target and technology opportunities, and directed a research group that included molecular biologists, protein chemists, and bioinformatics scientists. While at Aventis, Dr. Yao's team led the development of two compounds that are currently in early stage development. Before joining Aventis, Dr. Yao was a Research Scientist at Amgen in Boulder, Colo., where he was responsible for identifying and validating novel targets, and managing a research laboratory. "This is an exciting opportunity to lead a strong and talented research team," said Dr. Yao. "I look forward to contributing to the future success of Tanox in my new role." Dr. Yao earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology/Immunology from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and completed post-doctoral training at Immunex Corp. in Seattle, Wash. He is the inventor or co-inventor on more than 20 issued patents and patent applications and has had more than 40 articles published in peer-reviewed journals.