Berlin, Germany and Seattle, WA, USA, September 12, 2001 lll Dr. Alexander Olek, Chairman of the board of directors of Epigenomics (Berlin & Seattle) is the winner of the \'Entrepreneur of the year 2000\' competition organized and sponsored by the SAP, Manager Magazin, Deutsche Bank, Deutscher Börse, and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, as well as media partner Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 79 out of over 300 applicants were nominated as finalists for the five categories Industry, Commerce, Services Sector, Information Technology and Start-Up.
The winners, selected by a top-class independent jury, were honored in the Old Opera House in Frankfurt am Main by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the President of the Bundesbank, Ernst Welteke, and the leader of the Federal German state of Hessen, Roland Koch. \"I am proud to be selected as Entrepreneur of the Year\" declared Alex Olek. \"However, my colleagues on the board deserve the honor just as much as the entire team in Berlin and Seattle.\"
Epigenomics, which he founded in 1998 in Berlin, grew in only two and a half years from a five-member founding team in a Berlin backyard to a transatlantic Biotech concern with a total of over 100 staff in three locations in Berlin and Seattle. Epigenomics uses as world-wide pioneer a certain digital DNA pattern to enable the early detection and improved classification of complex diseases. Epigenomics is therefore a forerunner in molecular diagnostics and in new attempts at tomorrow\'s personalized medicine. The chairman of the supervisory board, Dr. Jörg Neermann (DVC), congratulated the entrepreneur and commented on the selection committee\'s decision with the words: \"I am very happy about the success of Epigenomics in being selected outside the VC world, which confirms our predictions about the company\'s prospects of success and our ongoing commitment to it.\"
The prize has now been awarded for five years in Germany by the auditing and consulting firm Ernst & Young to rapidly growing medium-sized enterprises that have been able to achieve above-average increases in turnover and staff numbers. Among the winners in recent years were top-entrepreneurs such as Dr. Metin Colpan (Qiagen) and Dr. Friedrich von Bohlen and Halbach (Lion Bioscience).
Epigenomics is a transatlantic biotechnology company, with headquarters in Berlin, Germany and its wholly owned subsidiary in Seattle, Washington, USA, pioneering tomorrow\'s personalized medicines. By detecting DNA methylation patterns, the \"on\" and \"off\" signs for genes, Epigenomics can create a digitized readout (Digital Phenotype®) for each tissue. The comparison of healthy and sick tissue enables an exact diagnosis of disease at a very early stage and reveals new therapeutic opportunities. The combination of diagnosis and therapy, based on this epigenetic information and our robust proprietary technology, is leading the way to improving patients\' quality of life. Epigenomics is the world\'s first and only company focusing exclusively on DNA methylation and its importance in the post-genomic age, and is supported by the world\'s premier network of academic researchers and clinicians with expertise in the field of cancer and DNA methylation. For further information, please visit our website at www.epigenomics.com.
