Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> March 29, 2004
HOWARD C. BIRNDORF is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of
Nanogen, Inc. He has served as Chairman of the Board since 1993 and from
1993 to April 2001 served as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Birndorf was a
co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Ligand Pharmaceuticals,
Incorporated, where from January 1988 to November 1991 he was President
and Chief Executive Officer. He was also a co-Founder, Director and
Executive Vice President of Gen-Probe Incorporated, co-Founder and Vice
President of Corporate Development at Hybritech, Incorporated, co-
Founder and Director of IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation and was
involved in the formation of Gensia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (currently
known as Sicor Inc.) where he was a founding Director. From November
1991 to September 1993, Mr. Birndorf was President of Birndorf
Technology Development, an investment and consulting company. He was a
founding Director of Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., and served as
Director from 1992 through 1997, and is a founding Director of Graviton,
Inc. Mr. Birndorf is currently a Director of the Cancer Center of the
University of California, San Diego. He received a BA in Biology from
Oakland University, an MS in Biochemistry from Wayne State University
and received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Oakland
University in 1999. Profile
Mr. Birndorf: Nanogen was started over 10 years ago with a vision to
develop and commercialize diagnostic tools and services to
