Tony Hill to head up meningitis test developer HiberGene
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Irish firm HiberGene Diagnostics, which is developing rapid molecular diagnostic tests for meningitis, has appointed Tony Hill CEO. Mr Hill was most recently global sales director at Belgian diagnostics company Innogenetics, which became part of Fujirebio when the Japanese group bought it from Abbott in 2010 (www.clinica.co.uk, 24 September 2010). Before this, he was vice-president at OraSure Technologies (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), which focuses on oral fluid tests for conditions such as HIV and hepatitis. Dublin-based HiberGene, founded in 2009, is developing two tests, using its novel amplification platform, for the most common forms of meningitis: one to detect Meningococcus; and the other to pinpoint Pneumococcal meningitis. They can provide results in under 40 minutes; conventional culturing methods can take several weeks. The firm is currently looking for funding to progress these diagnostics through to commercialisation, and develop new infectious disease tests.