[Updated: 6:45 pm, 2/23/11] Plenty of ink has been devoted over the years to how San Diego’s biotech family tree can be traced back to Hybritech. The company was born in biotech’s halcyon days in the ’70s, and it quickly became the magnet for young scientific and business talent in San Diego. After Eli Lilly bought the place for more than $400 million in 1986, many of the young turks went on to plant seeds at new ventures all around San Diego and other biotech hubs around the world.
That story has been told well over the years, including this piece from 2003, and another in 2008 from the San Diego Union-Tribune. So instead of focusing on the well-known characters who made it happen—Ivor Royston, Howard Birndorf, Ted Greene and others—I wondered what I might find if I used modern social networking tools to dig deeper and assemble an updated directory of where Hybritech alumni are today, encompassing bigshots and rank-and-file. Getting to know the history also seemed like a good idea as I prepare to host the big event Xconomy is organizing on the 20-year outlook for San Diego life sciences on March 31.
The methods here, I must say, are pretty basic. I sought to include anybody who worked at Hybritech at some point. I looked around in the archives of other publications like the Union-Tribune, and The Scientist. I cited biographies from Forbes.com. I made heavy use of employment histories people have posted on LinkedIn. And of course, I’m citing some of my own original reporting from Xconomy. It should be noted that I can’t guarantee that all the information is up to date, especially the user-generated content from LinkedIn. The list has 196 names at last count.
Now’s where I hope you can step in to help. If you see anything that’s out of date, or incorrect, please let me know and I’ll fix it. Over time, I hope this story can become a richer and more valuable resource for Hybritech alumni to connect and re-connect.
With that, here’s the list I’ve put together in alphabetical order, with the most updated titles and affiliations I found online. If you have any questions, comments, or new information, please send me a note at [email protected] or [email protected].
Barbara Adams (McCampbell), retired, formerly director of human resources [Added: 2:05 pm, 6/4/10]
Tom Adams, chief technology officer, Iris International
Clarence Ahlem, vice president, Harbor Biosciences (formerly Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals) [Added: 10:10 am, 3/12/10]
Roger Alsop, lead scientist, Prozyme
Tony Alvarez, biotechnology/medical device supply chain professional
Kim Aposporos, chemistry supervisor, Alvarado Hospital Clinical Laboratory [Added: 7:40 am, 3/15/10]
Glenn Armstrong, Senior Manager Clinical Affairs, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics [Added: 8:05 pm, 3/14/10]
Kelley Asselmann, vice president, Cast Glass Images [Added: 9:25 am, 3/15/10]
Ronald Backes, director of business development, Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics
