Chromatin Inc. announced today that Michael Pauly, Ph.D., an 18-year veteran of the plant biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries, has accepted the position of chief scientific officer for the company.

"There are very few people who have the scope of experience that Michael has in directing science in this sector, in moving traits into germ plasm, getting them tested and commercialized," said Mich Hein, president and CEO of Chromatin. "Part of the skill base he brings is his ability to understand the regulatory environment that has been shifting significantly over the past three or four years. Michael has been at the table with the various agencies and understands what it takes to move product through the regulatory pipeline."

As CSO, Pauly will have responsibility for planning and execution of Chromatin's technical objectives and will be responsible with other senior management for setting the company's strategic and business objectives, including business development and partnerships.

"Chromatin's mini-chromosome technology has the potential to change the way we think about agriculture," said Pauly. "The boosts in agricultural output and nutritional value, combined with the benefits to the environment, make Chromatin potentially one of the most influential companies in this space. I am very happy to be part of the team."

Pauly's experience includes research, product development, public outreach and regulatory affairs at some of the largest companies in the plant biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries.

He began his career in plant breeding and molecular biology at Sandoz, and subsequently managed plant breeding, genetics and biotechnology programs at Novartis. While at Novartis, Pauly was responsible for global technology programs for the U.S., Europe and Asia, including plant breeding, transformation, trait selection, health and nutrition.

In 2001, Pauly joined Epicyte Pharmaceutical, where he was executive director of biotechnology. In this position, Pauly managed internal antibody product development programs of more than 10 monoclonal antibodies and directed external relationships with major strategic partners, including Advanta and Dow Chemical.

Pauly has managed research, regulatory and public outreach strategies for plant biotechnology and designed and implemented regulatory programs, including U.S. Department of Agriculture field release and permits, and formal meetings with the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration.

Pauly has a Ph.D. in plant genetics and plant breeding from the University of Minnesota, an M.S. in plant genetics and plant molecular biology from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in biology from Lewis and Clark College.

Chromatin Inc., develops and markets novel proprietary technology that enables entire chromosomes to be designed and incorporated into plant cells. These engineered chromosomes make it possible for the first time to simultaneously introduce multiple genes into a plant cell while maintaining precise control of gene expression. Chromatin is employing these new genetic tools to design and market products that confer commercially valuable traits in plants, including improved nutritional and health characteristics, and can be used for industrial, agricultural and pharmaceutical product development.