Quintiles appoints Nobel Prize-winner to advisory board

Quintiles has announced the appointment of Nobel Prize-winning expert Dr Aaron Ciechanover to its Translational Research and Development Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr Ciechanover becomes the 11th member of the board, which also includes representatives of leading medical institutions such as Harvard Medical School, Sloan-Kettering and Johns Hopkins.

The Israel-based expert was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 for helping to discover ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, a key component of modern cancer research.

His appointment is designed to improve Quintiles' standing in the oncology sector, particularly in the areas of targeted therapies and biomarker research.

Dr Sarah Bacus, Quintiles senior vice-president and chief scientific officer for translational oncology research and development, said: "We look forward to Dr Ciechanover's involvement in our efforts to bring more effective oncology drugs to patients in need."

Earlier this month, Quintiles announced plans to open a state-of-the-art new European headquarters, which will be located in Green Park, Reading.