MUSICAL CHAIRS IN EXECUTIVE SUITESPresidents, chief executives and other ranking officials playedmusical chairs last week as several companies made executivepersonnel changes.

Netherlands-based Affymax N.V., a developer of therapeutics,appointed John Diekman, Ph.D., president and chief operatingofficer. Diekman, who joined Affymax as a managing directorin 1990, was formerly president of Monoclonal Antibodies Inc.Gordon Ringold, Ph.D., previously vice president and director ofthe Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology at SyntexResearch, has joined Affymax Research Institute, the PaloAlto, Calif. research and development arm of Affymax, asscientific director and president.

Dr. Thomas J. Russell Jr. has stepped down as chairman ofApplied Bioscience International Inc. (NASDAQ: APBI), a NewYork producer and marketer of pharmaceutical, agrochemicaland food products. Dr. Kenneth H. Harper, who had beenpresident, will add the title of chairman and remain CEO.Grover C. Wrenn, CEO of Environ, an ABI subsidiary specializingin environmental and chemical risk management, has assumedboth president and chief operating officer positions at ABI.Russell, who will serve as an outside director, said thechanges were planned.

Bio-Technology General Corp. (NASDAQ: BTGC), a New Yorkmanufacturer of genetically engineered health care products,said Brooks Boveroux, senior vice president of finance, hasresigned to accept a senior management position at ImcloneSystems Inc. of New York.

Dr. Robert Kamen, formerly senior vice president of researchat Genetics Institute Inc., has become the president of BASFBioresearch Corp., the North American subsidiary of BASF AGof Germany. Kamen was also elected to the board of BASF, adeveloper of cancer and immune system therapies.

Dr. Mark Ptashne has resigned as a director of GeneticsInstitute Inc. (NASDAQ:GENI) of Cambridge, Mass. Ptashne, aco-founder of GI and a board member since 1980, resigned forpersonal reasons but will remain on GI's scientific advisoryboard.

Marrow-Tech (NASDAQ: MAROA), a La Jolla, Calif., producer oftoxicology screening kits, has named Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D.,executive vice president and CEO. Naughton, a company co-founder, had been senior vice president and chief scientificofficer. Michael V. Swanson, previously director of finance, hasbeen named vice president of finance.

Dannie H. King, Ph.D., president of Vical Inc., a San Diegodeveloper of new drug delivery techniques, has added the titleof CEO. -- Jeff Hutkoff

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