Willem van Weperen was named CEO of to-BBB (Leiden, the Netherlands). van Weperen joins to-BBB after a long career at Genzyme, where he was involved in the development and commercialization of innovative therapies in several European and Global leadership roles. to-BBB is a biotechnology company in the field of brain-targeted drug delivery which uses its platform technologies to synergize with established and marketed drugs.

Steven Auerbach was named president of Connextions (Orlando, Florida). Most recently, Auerbach was the executive VP of provider/member operations at UnitedHealth Group. Connextions specializes in a client-centric approach to business process, technology and CRM outsourcing

• Gen-Probe (San Diego) said that Eric Lai, PhD, has joined the company as senior VP of R&D. Lai was most recently VP of pharmacogenetics experimental project coordination and analysis at GlaxoSmithKline. Gen-Probe makes rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid tests that are used primarily to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood.

• Jorge Leon, PhD, has joined the scientific ParagonDx (Morrisville, North Carolina). As one of the founders of the Molecular Diagnostics and Applied Genomics business at Quest Diagnostics, Leon spent 12 years developing the company's molecular diagnostic strategy. ParagonDx makes applied molecular diagnostic products.

Melina Jampolis, MD, was named chief medical officer of SmartNow.com (San Francisco). Jampolis is a board-certified internist and physician nutrition specialist (one of only 200 in the country). SmartNow.com launched in June 2008 with the mission of providing women over 30 the best expert health and beauty information and combining that with community.