• Dennis Bucceri has been named senior VP of regulatory affairs for Acusphere (Watertown, Massachusetts), the hire made, Acusphere said, as it prepares for regulatory evaluation stage of its lead product candidate, Imagify, a cardiovascular drug for screening of coronary artery disease, and evaluates development of other potential product candidates. Bucceri previously was VP in charge of regulatory affairs at Genzyme. The company also reported that Nancy Wetherbee, formerly senior VP of business development, is no longer with the company. Acusphere develops drugs and improved formulations of existing drugs using its microparticle technology.

Steven Owings has been named to the newly created position of VP of commercial development, Prenatal Diagnostics, at Sequenom (San Diego). Owings will lead commercialization of Sequenom's noninvasive prenatal diagnostic technology now in development. The company said it expects application of its noninvasive technology for fetal Rhesus D (RhD) typing to become available first through a licensed clinical laboratory during the first half of this year. Sequenom says that Owings previously held managerial and sales positions at Roche Diagnostic Systems. Sequenom develops products that translate genomic science into solutions for biomedical research, molecular medicine, agricultural applications, and non-invasive prenatal testing.

Edward Northup has been named VP, chief operating officer, at Mentor (Santa Barbara, California). Northup most recently was president of the Pain Management business of Boston Scientific. Mentor develops products for the global aesthetic market.