Lifera Omics Appoints Prof. Fowzan Alkuraya, a Renowned Genomics Expert as Chief Medical and Genomic Officer
September 10 2024 - 5:48AM
Lifera Omics, a subsidiary of Lifera that was launched in January
2024, announced the appointment of renowned Saudi human geneticist,
Prof. Fowzan Sami Alkuraya, as its Chief Medical and Genomics
Officer, who will be also added to the Board of Lifera Omics. Prof.
Alkuraya’s deep experience in human genomics built over 17 years
will contribute significantly in enabling Lifera Omics’ objectives.
Prof. Alkuraya, a former Chairman of
Translational Genomics at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and
Research Centre in Riyadh and current Professor of Human Genetics
at Alfaisal University, has significantly contributed to the field
of genomics, through over 590 scientific publications in
prestigious international journals and as a frequent speaker at
international scientific conferences on genomic medicine and
precision health.
Prof. Alkuraya garnered numerous prestigious
awards, including the William King Wilson Prize in Genetics from
Harvard Medical School, the King Salman Award for Disability
Research, and the Curt Stern Award from the American Society of
Human Genetics – the first non-US based recipient of this honor. He
also won Kwiat Prize for Basic Medical Science Subject Area and
Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Award for Medical Sciences.
Prof. Alkuraya was granted his post graduate
board certification from Harvard University, in addition to several
other board certifications. His contributions to human genetics
have been instrumental in elucidating the physiological and
structural roles of hundreds of genes, resulting in the diagnosis
of many genetic disorders. His discoveries have significantly
advanced the understanding of the intricate relationship between
human genes and health.
"We are delighted to welcome such a trusted and
respected leader to the Lifera Omics Executive Leadership team,"
said Dr. Ibrahim Juffali, Chairman of Lifera. "Dr. Fowzan’s deep
clinical and scientific expertise will be instrumental in helping
Lifera achieve its mission to improve Saudi Arabia’s biopharma
resilience and to enable the National Biotech Strategy."
About Lifera
Lifera is a biopharma contract and development
manufacturing organization (CDMO) wholly owned by the Public
Investment Fund (PIF), launched in 2023 based in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. Lifera’s mission is to improve Saudi Arabia’s biopharma
resilience and enable the National Biotech Strategy. Lifera’s goal
is to commercialize, develop and manufacture advanced therapeutics
and other life-saving and essential medicines and vaccines. In
January 2023, Lifera completed a majority stake investment in
SaudiBio, a brownfield biologics drug product manufacturing plant
in Riyadh. Lifera is currently upgrading this plant to be
commissioned in 2026 to global standards to contract manufacture
insulins, biosimilars and other biologics for leading global
pharmaceutical companies serving the KSA and regional markets.
Lifera is in the process of developing additional biomanufacturing
capacity and through its subsidiary Lifera Omics, further enables
Lifera’s customers to develop and commercialize advanced
therapeutics.
About Lifera Omics
Lifera Omics, a subsidiary of Lifera, was
established in January 2024 to develop at-scale multiomic dry and
wet lab capacity to the highest global standards and to help enable
the genomics goals of Saudi Arabia’s National Biotech Strategy.
Lifera Omics partners with customers to serve their clinical,
population health and R&D needs. Lifera Omics aims to enhance
the speed and accuracy of clinical diagnoses across health systems
in Saudi Arabia, and to enable precision medicine for rare and
common diseases through innovative, data-driven solutions,
leveraging industry-leading diagnostic expertise and
partnerships.
contact@liferaomics.com.sa
A photo accompanying this announcement is
available
at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3b2d5898-1176-4073-a7c7-4e7891ab6d3e