30 January 2012 - US in vitro diagnostic company LipoScience Inc said today it had appointed Timothy J Fischer, currently vice president of research and development, to serve as chief operating officer of the company.

In the new role, Fischer will be in charge of research and development, commercial operations and medical affairs, the company said.

Fischer has over 25 years of in vitro diagnostics industry experience with close insight on the design, development and commercialisation of over 90 products in haematology, oncology and pathology.

Before joining LipoScience in 2010, Fischer served as vice president of development for the women's health and cancer business at medical technology company Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Indiana University.

LipoScience's flagship product, the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) LipoProfile test, analyses blood samples and assesses the levels of lipoprotein particles in the blood. The company has so far received orders for over 6.5m NMR LipoProfile tests.