NIEL, Belgium, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Multiplicom NV, a specialist in the development, production and commercialisation of innovative molecular genetic tests, today announces that Dr Ian Gilham has been appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

"We are delighted that Ian has decided to join our team, strengthening the Board at this important time in the company's development," said Dirk Pollet CEO of Multiplicom. "Ian has worked with many companies, providing them with valuable experience in research, development and the commercialization of products. We look forward to working with him and have every confidence that his expertise will help us grow the company and deliver value for both new and existing investors."

Dr. Gilham was Chief Executive Officer of Axis-Shield plc, a public in-vitro diagnostics company, until Alere acquired it in November 2011. Whilst at Axis-Shield, Dr. Gilham held the position of Chief Operating Officer and became Chief Executive Officer in January 2008. Before joining Axis-Shield, Dr. Gilham was VP Pharmacogenetics at GSK where he was responsible for the delivery of pharmacogenetic tests, as well as novel diagnostic tests used in targeting GSK's medicines. Prior to joining GSK, Dr. Gilham held international general management, marketing, business development and R&D positions with Abbott Laboratories, Celltech and Amersham, gaining wide expertise in the fields of clinical diagnostics and pharmaceuticals.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr Ian Gilham said: "It is with great pleasure that I have accepted the opportunity to become Chairman to the Board of Multiplicom. The molecular diagnostics market is undergoing rapid growth, fuelled by the decreasing cost of DNA sequencing and increased availability of genetic information that links genes to health and disease. The outlook is very promising for the genomic and somatic mutations that Multiplicom is focused on. I look forward to working with the Board to make sure the company fulfills its clearly evident potential."

About Multiplicom

Multiplicom (http://www.multiplicom.com) is a Belgian biotech company focused on human molecular diagnostics. The company originated from the research team of Dr. Jurgen Del-Favero at the VIB Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Antwerp (UA), headed by Dr. Christine van Broeckhoven. In April 2011 Gimv, Gimv-managed Biotechfonds Vlaanderen, VIB and UA invested a total of 2 million Euro in the series A financing.  In February 2013, Multiplicom closed its series B financing raising 5.5 million Euro from a consortium composed of the series A and new investors (PMV, RMM and Qbic ARKIV Fund) to expedite development of additional diagnostic tests, fund international validation studies and expand sales channels.

For more information, please contact:
Dr Dirk Pollet, CEO Multiplicom
T +32-478-376-369 - e-mail: dirk.pollet@multiplicom.com
Mary-Jane Elliott, M:Communications
T +44(0)20-7920-2345 - e-mail: elliott@mcomgroup.com

SOURCE Multiplicom