NanoImaging Services Appoints John Rigg as Chief Executive Officer

San Diego, California, January 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NanoImaging Services (“NIS”), the leading provider of cryo-electron microscopy (“cryo-EM”)services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology communities, announced today the appointment of John Rigg as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Brian Conkle, who served as interim CEO in 2023, will remain at NIS as Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Rigg brings over 20 years of leadership experience within the pharmaceutical and biomanufacturing industries to NIS. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Exelead Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in complex injectable formulations, including lipid nanoparticle (LNP) based drug delivery.  Previously, he held various leadership positions at Ventria Bioscience and Eli Lilly and Company. He is a graduate of Liverpool John Moores University, where he earned a B.A.Sc. inChemistry.

On his appointment as CEO, Mr. Rigg comments, “I am incredibly excited to be joining such a technically progressive company, one that is a global leader in the field of Cryo Electron Microscopy.I look forward to continuing to harness the power of cryo-EM to accelerate the development and commercialization of new drug products and seek other ways in which we can provide expertise and value to new and existing partners.”

Peter Glick, Chairman of NIS adds, “Over the past 15 years we’ve built the industry’s largest commercial cryo-EM laboratories. With seven microscopes and dozens of scientists in California and Massachusetts, we’ve enabled hundreds of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to map complex proteins for structural biology and characterize nanoparticles for manufacturing quality control. John’s arrival positions us well to broaden our service offerings and build an even stronger team for the future.” 

In June 2023, NIS received a growth equity investment from Ampersand Capital Partners to support its worldwide growth initiatives, including expanding microscope capacity and adding complementary services to further serve the needs of existing and future customers. Recent advances in cryo-EM technology have enabled the technique to become an essential tool used in structure-based drug discovery as well as in later stage drug development applications, including antibody development, virus and vaccine studies, characterization of drug delivery vehicles, and biomanufacturing QA/QC.

“As the largest commercial provider of cryo-EM services today, NIS is at the forefront of innovation and new application development for this powerful technique. John brings extensive experience partnering with pharma and biotech customers, andI’m confident he will provide fresh insights to drive continued growth for NIS”,says David Parker, General Partner at Ampersand Capital Partners and member of the NIS Board of Directors.

About NanoImaging Services, Inc.

NanoImaging Services, Inc. was launched in 2007 to provide imaging services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nanotechnology communities.  We have since built a client-focused organization with a reputation for expertise, reliability, and collaboration. NIS is committed to expanding our service capacity through microscope acquisition, workflow automation, recruitment and training of top talent, and development of new service offerings. Our state-of-the-art facilities include a range of electron microscopes, sample preparation equipment, and computational infrastructure to support structural biology and nanoparticle characterization workflows. NIS is the largest and most comprehensive provider of TEM and cryo-EM services to the industrial life science market. For more information, visit www.nanoimagingservices.com.

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Ampersand Capital Partners, founded in 1988, isa middle-market private equity firm with $3 billion of assets under management, dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston, MA, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ampersand leverages a unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm's core healthcare sectors. For additional information, visit www.ampersandcapital.com or follow us on LinkedIn.