A Medical Device Daily

Lumera (Bothell, Washington) reported that it has formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Plexera Bioscience , to serve as the operations unit of Lumera's bioscience business. The subsidiary will be led by Joseph Vallner, PhD, as CEO and chairman; and Tim Londergan, PhD, who is the division's current manager, as president/COO. Lumera said it has engaged Robert W. Baird & Co., to assist the company in evaluating partnering and financing alternatives over the coming months.

In early 2006, Lumera created a separate bioscience operating unit within the company to facilitate its drive toward successful market commercialization and the transition from a research and development company. Plexera will remain focused on providing the life sciences market with tools, content, and methods to simplify and accelerate proteomic discovery for therapeutic antibodies as well as predictive biomarkers, the company said.

"The formation of Plexera clarifies the purpose, business requirements and market opportunities of both Plexera and Lumera to our investors, customers, and prospective partners," said Tom Mino, president/CEO of Lumera.

Vallner brings extensive bioscience experience to the job, having worked for 32 years in the pharmaceutical industry as both an academician and as a business leader, the company said.

Londergan will lead the subsidiary's day-to-day operations. In 2000, Londergan became Lumera's first employee as a senior chemist, the company noted. Over the past six years he has been a key driver in the development and marketing of Lumera technology and bio-related products to both research and commercial institutions, Lumera said. As director of the bioscience business unit, he has also played an important role in establishing Lumera partnerships with the key institutions such as Harvard Medical School (Boston), the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, South Carolina), and the Institute for Systems Biology (Seattle).

Other members of the new Plexera team include: Michael Cicirelli, director of application development; Ronald Dudek, director of business development; and Todd Schwoerer, director of operations.

Lumera designs molecular structures and polymer compounds for the bioscience and communications/computing industries. The company also has developed processes for fabricating such devices.