Aldevron, the leading plasmid DNA manufacturing company, has expanded its leadership team by appointing James Brown PhD President of its Research Grade nucleic acids business unit.
James Brown PhD will oversee Aldevron’s strategy to provide plasmids and other nucleic acids for research and preclinical applications. He will also collaborate with Aldevron’s other business units, including GMP nucleic acids, to ensure clients benefit from the company’s full spectrum of capabilities.
“Aldevron’s goal is to enable industry, academic, and government scientists with the highest quality of plasmids and RNA, regardless of their research stage,” stated Brown, adding that Aldevron is currently supporting many healthcare and agriculture research programs. “Aldevron’s service provides a strong foundation to support the great research our clients are doing.”
Aldevron has multiple facilities located in Fargo, N.D., for nucleic acid production and is adding a 189,000 square-foot facility to its existing 120,000 square feet that will be operational in the first half of 2021.
“James joined Aldevron in 2015 and has held the roles of Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief of Staff. His 25 years of biotechnology experience include over a decade in gene and cell therapy and he is a recognized expert in the field,” said Michael Chambers, founder and CEO of Aldevron. “James brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this role and we look forward to growing with our existing clients and expanding the reach of our research solutions to new markets.”
Brown has held many leadership roles in biotechnology, and prior to Aldevron served as Vice President of Technical Operations at Regenxbio, an AAV gene therapy company. His breadth of experience includes leadership roles at MedImmune (now AstraZeneca), Meso Scale Discovery, and IGEN International.
“It has been exciting and rewarding to be part of Aldevron’s growth over the past five years and contribute to the first approvals of treatments in gene therapy,” Brown continued. “I am honored to serve in this new role with an outstanding team and we look forward to enabling the breakthrough discovery research that will lead to products and services that will make lives better.”
Brown was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and received his Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from Stanford University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Butler University.