MDS Appoints Dr. Ping Li as Laboratory Director for Beijing Central Lab

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, April 8, 2009-MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, has appointed Ping Li, M.D., to the position of Laboratory Director for its Global Central Lab facility in Beijing.

The appointment of the widely known and highly regarded Dr. Li supports the contract research organization’s well-established and growing presence in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region, and strengthens its ability to serve clients in an increasingly important geographic area. 

“Dr. Li brings many years of extensive and relevant global experience that will drive further improvements in efficiency and client service,” said MDS Pharma Services President David Spaight. “She is a highly respected medical and academic professional; her appointment reflects our commitment to provide our clients unsurpassed scientific expertise and the highest levels of quality to support their drug development programs.”

Dr. Li has more than 22 years of experience in the areas of laboratory medicine and clinical laboratory management. Prior to joining MDS Pharma Services, she spent nine years as Director of the Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine for the Medical College of Sichuan University (formerly West China University of Medical Sciences). During her tenure, she also served as Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Director of Postgraduate Students.

Previously, Dr. Li worked at West China Hospital, the world’s largest hospital with 4,400 beds, where she was Clinical Lab Director for seven years. In that role, she led the successful initiative to achieve full College of American Pathologist (CAP) accreditation for the hospital’s lab, making it the first hospital lab in mainland China to receive full CAP accreditation. (MDS Pharma Services’ central lab facility in Beijing was the first CAP-accredited lab in China.)  She began her career as a Lecturer in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine at the Sichuan Postgraduate College for Medical Staff.

Dr. Li’s work has been published in dozens of books and journals, and she has received numerous government awards. Most recently, in 2008, the Sichuan Province Government recognized her work in “Setting up a Clinical Laboratory Quality Control System and Promoting Method Comparison.” She received her medical degree from the Medical College of Sichuan University.

MDS Pharma Services provides central laboratory services in key geographic areas around the world, including Singapore, China, Canada, the United States, France and Germany.

About MDS Pharma Services
MDS Pharma Services, a business unit of MDS Inc., is committed to delivering quality service on-time. We offer a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug-discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically located around the world, we apply advanced scientific and technological expertise throughout the drug discovery and development process - from lead optimization, pre-IND research, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis through to global clinical development (phases IIb-IV), central lab and centralized cardiac services. For more information, visit our website at www.mdsps.com.

About MDS Inc.
MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ) is a global life-sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs, and the diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 5,000 highly skilled people in 29 countries. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.