WuXi NextCODE, the global standard platform for genomic data, today announced the appointment of Rob Brainin as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Brainin joins the company from Illumina, where he was vice president and general manager of life sciences and applied genomics.

"We are truly thrilled to welcome Rob on board. He is a key addition to our team and brings quite uniquely relevant experience for leading our global operations and commercial effort as we embark on the next phase in the growth of our platform," said Hannes Smarason, CEO of WuXi NextCODE. "Rob understands genomics intimately and is skilled at listening to users and helping them to take advantage of sequence data to achieve their goals. I can't think of a better person to build out our business and to leverage that growth to deliver ever more powerful consumer solutions – creating a network effect that enables everyone to benefit from the genome."

"WuXi NextCODE is at the center of the next phase of the genomics revolution, focusing on turning genomic data into actionable information that makes a difference to people's lives," said Rob Brainin. "I am excited to be helping to enable all kinds of people everywhere to do just that, from the pharmaceutical company that is trying to discover new drugs, to doctors diagnosing rare diseases, and to individuals planning a family or just trying to understand what the future might hold for their health. That is what this platform is all about."

Mr Brainin has fifteen years' experience leading the product development, market development and commercialization of life sciences and genomics technologies. At Illumina, he served as VP for the arrays business before becoming general manager of life sciences and applied genomics. Mr Brainin also led business units at Invitrogen, Life Technologies and Thermo Fisher, and prior to that held leadership positions at Gateway Computing. He holds a BA in economics from Emory and began his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Co after attending Harvard Law School.

Alex Fowkes, who has served as COO since joining WuXi NextCODE from WuXi AppTec earlier in the year, has been named chief strategy officer and EVP for innovation. Having significantly built out the company's global operations over the past six months, he will now oversee the growth and execution of key large-scale strategic projects that are expected to underpin much of the growth of the global platform. He will also focus on adding to add to the company's portfolio of innovation and technologies, ensuring WuXi NextCODE stays at the forefront of the most advanced methods and approaches.

About WuXi NextCODE 

WuXi NextCODE is a fully integrated contract genomics organization (CGO) building the global standard platform for genomic data. With offices in Shanghai; Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Reykjavik, Iceland, we serve the leading population genomics, precision medicine, diagnostics and wellness initiatives and enterprises using the genome to improve health around the world. Our capabilities span study design, sequencing, secondary analysis, storage, interpretation, scalable analytics, and AI and deep learning – all backed by the most proven and widely used technology for organizing, mining and sharing genome sequence data. We are also applying the same capabilities to advance a growing range of sequence-based tests and scans in China. WuXi NextCODE is a WuXi Group company. Visit us on the web at wuxinextcode.com.