RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – John Ryals, the long-time chief executive officer of life science firm Metabolon and one of the best known biotech executives in the Triangle, has retired.
He will be replaced by a familiar face – Rohan Hastie, Metabolon’s chief business officer.
The changes were announced Wednesday.
Ryals will remain involved with Metabolon, however, keeping a seat on its board of directors.
Metabolon is a global leader in the study of biological data based on metabolomics.
Metabolon, which launched in 2000, defines metabolomics as the study of small molecules called metabolites and is a powerful phenotyping technology for precision medicine. It measures changes in metabolite levels and maps them to the appropriate biochemical pathways to give clinicians a better understanding of health and the influences of genes, microbiome, diet, lifestyle and drug treatment.
Metabolomics is seen as a tool to be used in delivery of precision medicine.
Ryals is a co-founder of Metabolon.
“We started Metabolon in earnest in 2002, and over the past 16 years Metabolon has grown into the world’s most advanced metabolomics technology company,” said Ryals. “What began as ideas on a white board has grown into a valuable clinical technology that will be essential for precision medicine. In my role as a board member and chair emeritus, I will continue to help Metabolon wherever I can and give my full support to Rohan as he transitions into his new role.”
Hastie has worked at Metabolon since September 2017. He had worked previously at Arrow Life Sciences & Healthcare, Hologic, and PA Consulting Group. He earned a PhD in molecular genetics from Queen Elizabeth Medical School in Birmingham UK and a degree in biological sciences from the University of Birmingham.
“Metabolon is at the forefront of the industry, having performed more studies and generated more data than any other company in our space, which will be key to unlocking systems biology and enabling the translation of diverse biological and multi-omics data sets,” said Hastie in the announcement.
“John has been instrumental in building the technology that will empower us and our clients to continue making discoveries that will lead to better health outcomes. It is a very exciting time for Metabolon as we begin to apply artificial intelligence to the data. We envision shaping metabolomics into one of the most valuable technologies impacting life sciences research, drug discovery and development, diagnostics, wellness and therapy response.”
John Ryals bio
Dr. Ryals served as president and CEO at Metabolon from 2002 until 2018. Prior to founding Metabolon, he was CEO, president and founder of Paradigm Genetics, Inc., a publicly traded agriculture biotechnology company focused on industrializing the process of gene function discovery. Dr. Ryals has 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, including senior research positions at Novartis and Ciba-Geigy. He currently serves on the board of directors of AgBiome, a provider of early-stage R&D for agriculture, and the advisory board of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. He earned a B.A. in biology and chemistry from the University of North Texas and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Source: Metabolon
