Taconic Biosciences Announces New Scientific Advisory Board Member

RENSSELAER, N.Y., Oct. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in providing drug discovery animal model solutions, announces the addition of Frank Sistare, PhD to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).  Dr. Sistare joins existing SAB members Andrew Goodman, PhD, David Hill, PhD, and Robert Rosenthal, PhD. 

The SAB will continue to collaborate with Taconic’s management in providing scientific insight and guidance on the evolution of the company’s product and service portfolio.  Dr. Sistare’s extensive career and expertise in the field of toxicology complements the standing board members.  The SAB members provide expertise in microbiome, oncology, and toxicology spaces, helping to drive Taconic’s innovation in these and other research areas.

“Animal models continue to evolve as critical tools for drug discovery efficacy and safety testing applications. We welcome Dr. Sistare and his deep experience as Taconic continues developing solutions that are more precise and relevant to human clinical outcomes,” shared Nancy J. Sandy, chief executive officer of Taconic Biosciences. 

Dr. Frank Sistare has served for the past 16 years as executive director, associate vice president, and then scientific associate vice president within safety assessment and laboratory animal resources at Merck Research Laboratories. He served previously for 15 years in several leadership and management positions with the laboratory research component of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.  Dr. Sistare is a retired captain from the Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps.  He is a recipient of the Merck Presidential Fellowship Award, and has received several PHS Unit Commendations, as well as PHS Meritorious Service, Commendation, and Achievement Awards, and CDER and FDA awards for excellence in laboratory research. 

He earned his BS in Pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island, his PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Virginia, and was awarded a postdoctoral PRAT Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.  He has served as President of the Regulatory and Safety Evaluation Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology, as Co-Director of the Critical Path Institute's Predictive Safety Testing Consortium (PSTC), as Co-Chair of the PSTC Nephrotoxicity Biomarker Working Group, and currently serves as Rapporteur of the International Conference on Harmonization S1 Carcinogenicity Expert Working Group, Chairperson of the PhRMA Clinical and Preclinical Development Committee's Carcinogenicity Key Issue Working Group, and Chairperson of the FNIH Biomarker Consortium's Clinical Kidney Safety Biomarker Qualification Project Team. 

To learn more about Taconic’s products and services, please call 1-888-TACONIC (888-822-6642) in the US, +45 70 23 04 05 in Europe, or email info@taconic.com.

About Taconic Biosciences, Inc.

Taconic Biosciences is a fully-licensed, global leader in genetically engineered rodent models and services. Founded in 1952, Taconic provides the best animal solutions so that customers can acquire, custom-generate, breed, precondition, test, and distribute valuable research models worldwide. Specialists in genetically engineered mouse and rat models, microbiome, immune-oncology mouse models, and integrated model design and breeding services, Taconic operates three service laboratories and six breeding facilities in the U.S. and Europe, maintains distributor relationships in Asia and has global shipping capabilities to provide animal models almost anywhere in the world.

Media Contact:
Kelly Owen Grover
Director of Marketing Communications
(518) 697-3824
kelly.grover@taconic.com