ZURICH, Switzerland, Sept. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BC Platforms (BCP), a global leader in healthcare data management and analytics, today announces the appointment of Dr. Ben M. W. Illigens, an experienced clinician and neuroscientist, as the company’s Chief Medical Officer.
BCP’s CMO will be overseeing the operational work underpinning the company’s rapidly expanding global patient data sourcing and data network development, which provides customers with valuable insights across the entire R&D spectrum from target identification through to fulfillment of post-marketing requirements.
Dr. Ben M. W. Illigens, newly appointed Chief Medical Officer at BC Platforms, commented on his appointment, “I am delighted to join the BC Platforms team. I’ve long been fascinated by, and closely involved with, ways to optimize, accelerate, and innovate drug discovery and development using a data-driven, evidence-based, patient-centered approach. Which is exactly what BC Platforms does as it supports a wealth of pharmaceutical and healthcare collaborators on their journey as data partners, whether they are at the drug discovery stage or improving patient care in clinic.”
Tero Silvola, Chief Executive Officer at BC Platforms, said, “Ben is another great addition to our team as he brings high-level medical & data science experience from not only the biotech industry but also from the public sector and academia, including his work during the Corona pandemic as a medical director in Berlin’s main government vaccination centers, and a lecturer in the US and Europe on clinical research. Data is at the heart of our healthcare solutions. Ben will lead, from Boston, on our data-driven clinical development programs for our customers. This is part of our work to enhance, and complete frameworks for the delivery of personalized medicine using Real World Data and analytics.”
Dr. Illigens will be based in Boston with global responsibility as Chief Medical Officer, and a focus on the US market for BCP’s services. He is a neuroscientist with industry and academic experience, with positions including VP of Medicine US at NOVA Discovery, VP of Data Science at Germany’s Odysseus Data Services, CEO of Germany’s UniMedIT and Instructor of Neurology at the Beth Israel Lahey Health, Harvard Medical School (HMS). He has also been a long-standing lecturer on clinical research for Dresden’s International University, and for HMS. Dr. Illigens trained in biostatistics and biomedical informatics. He conducted clinical practice and research at HMS, and has over 60 peer-reviewed publications, including editing a core medical textbook on Clinical Research (1). He has received his MD Degree from the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany, one of Europe's leading research universities, in addition to qualification from HMS including in Applied Biostatistics, Neurology and Neuroscience, Cardiac Surgery, and a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Informatics from HMS.
This role will operate in addition to the existing CMO, Dr. Carolin Bender, who will shortly be going on maternity leave.
References
(1) Critical Thinking in Clinical Research – Applied Theory and Practice Using Case Studies. Edited by Felipe Fregni, and Ben M. W. Illigens. Available here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=0199324492
Notes to Editors
About BC Platforms
BC Platforms is a global leader in building data networks for the life sciences industry and provides versatile technology platforms for personalized medicine, accelerating the translation of innovations into clinical practice. We convert complex biological information collected in the healthcare setting into actionable insights. With our innovative technology we are creating a patient centric infinity loop between the life sciences and healthcare sectors. Data we generate, harmonize, and manage, from diverse biobanks and healthcare institutions, is made accessible for pharmaceutical and biotech companies to enhance their core strengths in research and development. In parallel, we enable stratification of patients towards targeted therapies, delivering on the promise of more personalized healthcare.
Our high performing genomic data discovery and analytics platform enables flexible data integration, secure analysis, and interpretation of molecular and clinical information. We have developed a Global Data Partner Network, BCRQUEST.com, which allows access to high-quality real-world data. This rapidly growing network has a footprint across many sites, including networks of major hospitals, covering 20 countries on five continents, providing standard of care data for over 23 million patients. Our platforms seamlessly facilitate access to highly enriched data for pharmaceutical research and development.
Founded in 1997 from a MIT Whitehead project spinoff, we have a strong scientific heritage underpinned by over 25 years of working in close collaboration with a network of leading researchers, developers, and industry partners. We have global operations with our headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, R&D in Espoo, Finland, and Singapore, as well as a presence in London, UK, Lund, Sweden, and Boston, USA. For more information, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
BC Platforms AG
Tero Silvola, CEO
Tel: + 358 40 590 5733
tero.silvola@bcplatforms.com
Scius Communications
Katja Stout
Tel: +44 7789 435 990
katja@sciuscommunications.com
Daniel Gooch
Tel: +44 7747 875 479
daniel@sciuscommunications.com
