Pacific Biomarkers Announces New Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Sethi will succeed the current CSO and co-founder Elizabeth Teng Leary, PhD. Dr. Leary will assume a senior scientific advisory role while remaining active in scientific and business development activities at PBI.

Prior to joining the company, Dr. Sethi trained as a physician at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark (1996). In 2003 he was awarded a PhD in genetic epidemiology at the same institution, and in 2005 he became board certified in chemical pathology by the National Board of Health, Denmark. During 2005-2008 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Pulmonary and Vascular Medicine Branch, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in 2008 he commenced a clinical chemistry fellowship in the Department of Laboratory Medicine, NIH, overseeing the Immunology Section while continuing his research. Dr. Sethi holds numerous awards and honors in both Denmark and the US, has presented extensively at international scientific meetings, and has published widely in international, peer-reviewed journals. His research has focused on genetic variations related to cardiovascular disease, and, most recently, on composition and function of HDL in patients with ischemic heart disease, and on apo-AI mimetic peptides in animal models of atherosclerosis. Currently, Dr. Sethi is focusing on innovative biomarkers to elucidate the role of HDL in cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Sethi was recently honored by R&D Directions as one of the "Most Notable People in R&D." R&D Directions' selection of the "Most Notable People in R&D" pays tribute to those who have led and made the significant breakthroughs in the discovery and development of drugs that indelibly change the ways in which particular diseases are treated.

"We are extremely pleased that a physician-scientist of Dr. Sethi's stature will be our CSO," commented Ron Helm, the company's CEO. "Amar is one of the leading scientists in the field and his work continues to reinforce our standing and reputation in the industry as the premier provider of esoteric testing services to pharma and diagnostic companies in the areas of cardiovascular, metabolic, and bone and joint diseases."