VioQuest Pharmaceuticals, a Basking Ridge-based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cancer therapeutics, has announced that Cytogen Chief Executive Officer Michael D. Becker will join it as president and CEO.
Mr. Becker, who was president and CEO of Plainsboro-based Cytogen since joining the company in Dec. 2002, had announced he would be stepping down. Cytogen, which develops and markets cancer related therapies such as Caphosol, which counters dry mouth from chemotherapy, announced recently that it had retained San Francisco-based investment advisor ThinkEquity Partners LLC to explore strategic options for the company. Mr. Becker is Chairman of BioNJ, which was founded in 1994 by New Jersey biotechnology industry CEOs to serve as the voice of and advocate for the biotechnology industry in New Jersey.
The Research & Development Council of New Jersey has recognized two researchers from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals’ South Brunswick facility. Wyeth Pharmaceticals is headquartered in Madison.
Li Di, principal research scientist, and Edward H. Kerns, associate director, have been awarded a 2007 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award in the category of enabling technologies, for the development of a laboratory test to help speed the development of new and effective treatments for central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. The Research & Development Council of New Jersey is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating an environment that supports the advancement of research and development throughout New Jersey.

