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Aug. 14, 1999
Contact:
Dr. Mervyn Jacobson
CEO/President, XY Inc.
970-491-4764
or
Dr. Duane Garner
VP/Research & Development, XY Inc.
970-491-4764
XY Inc. HIRES RENOWNED RESEARCHER TO LEAD TEAM OF PIONEERS
FORT COLLINS, COLO. - XY Inc., the fast-growing Colorado
firm that expects to commercialize semen-sorting techniques in cattle,
horses and pigs worldwide in the coming years, has hired Dr. Duane
Garner as vice president of research and development.
Garner, former professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University
of Nevada-Reno, leads a scientific team featuring researchers from around the
world who have pioneered sperm-sorting technology.
" Under Dr. Garner's leadership, XY Inc.,
is accelerating its mission to bring scientifically proven sperm-sorting
technologies to market," said Dr. Mervyn Jacobson, CEO and president
of XY Inc. "Our success in the market depends on the solidity of our
science and the quality of scientists behind our work. XY Inc., is unique
in that we've assimilated the best scientific team possible, led by
Dr. Garner--one of the industry's top researchers."
Garner, the world's leading expert in sperm metabolism, viability and freezing,
began developing advanced sperm-sexing technology 20 years ago.
"
Dr. Garner has influenced the majority of breakthroughs in sperm-sorting technology
over the years," Jacobson said. "He was there in the early 1980s when scientists
first saw the possibility of sorting semen based on X and Y chromosomes in
sperm. Later, Dr. Garner worked side-by-side with top U.S. Department of Agriculture
scientists who actually began separating sperm. Today, he's leading efforts
to bring the technology to markets worldwide."
Prior to his eight years as professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine
at the University of Nevada-Reno, Garner served as professor and chairman of
the university's department of animal sciences. In 1981, he was a guest scientist
at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. From 1972-85, he served
as a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University.
Garner's extensive research background includes serving as author
or co-author of 87 scientific publications and 78 abstracts on animal
reproduction and sperm physiology. He also has served as senior author
on 45 publications and given 85 presentations or lectures throughout
the world.
In 1997, Garner was recognized as the outstanding researcher in the College
of Agriculture at the University of Nevada-Reno.
At XY Inc., Garner leads a research team that includes Dr. George Seidel,
XY Inc.'s director of science and a world-renowned Colorado State University reproductive
physiologist; Dr. David Cran of Scotland, a leading researcher in sperm sorting
since the early 1990s; John Schenk, a well-regarded reproductive physiologist
at Colorado State; and engineers from Cytomation, the biotech instrumentation
company that co-founded XY Inc.
XY Inc.'s success continues to build. The recent birth of Britain's first-ever
calves whose sex was determined before conception using artificial insemination
techniques was credited to XY Inc. In addition, the company recently announced
plans to bring first products to market in late 1999 that offer sex selection
in cattle combined with in-vitro fertilization techniques.
In August 1998, XY Inc. announced the birth of Call Me Madam, the first horse
in the world to have her sex selected prior to conception.
Industry experts predict sex-selection techniques will revolutionize the cattle,
horse, sheep and pig-breeding industries worldwide. Applications of sperm sorting
in the United States cattle industry alone could exceed $300 million a year.
The cattle market outside the U.S. could more than double those projections,
XY Inc. officials believe
For more information, call XY Inc. at (970) 491-4764.