Bangalore, Sept 3, 2010: US based Gene Logic, an Ocimum Biosolutions company, a leading provider of genomic solutions with operations in Hyderabad, India, has announced the appointment of Dr Norrie J W Russell as President of the company.

With more than 30 years of experience in drug discovery, Dr Russell has a long history of success driving innovation in pharma discovery and development. He also has experience leading entrepreneurial biotechnology companies, raising capital, and developing pioneering new technologies. Earlier,, Dr Russell has held leadership roles with NovaRx, Invitrogen, Aviva Biosciences, and Lynx Therapeutics.

Prior to moving to the United States, Dr Russell had a long career at AstraZeneca, where he was Global Head, Biological Science and Technology, with responsibility for the application of genomics, genetics and proteomics to both target discovery and the entire research and development process. Dr Russell  has also headed several functions, including target discovery, international genomics and biotechnology. Dr Russell holds a PhD in Physiology from Glasgow University, Scotland,UK.

“We are extremely excited about getting Dr Russell on board as we progress our Research as a Service (RaaS) offerings. Norrie brings leadership that is a unique blend of experience, education and enthusiasm to take Ocimum Biosolutions to the next level,” said Ms Anu Acharya, CEO of Ocimum Biosolutions.

Dr Russell commented, “Ocimum’s vision to be the premier global provider of seamless quality support across the research, pre-clinical, and clinical spectrum is compelling. Their capabilities include a recent expansion of clinical trial support and GLP/CLIA compliant offerings. This vision resonates with me and is reflected in our customer base. I look forward to joining the team and helping make Gene Logic and Ocimum the ‘go-to’ company in genomics, genetics and informatics outsourcing.”