MAJOR GENERAL (RET.) BARBARA R. HOLCOMB JOINS BOARD AT HUMANETICS

 

General Holcomb (U.S. Army) served 33 years as a leader in Nursing, Healthcare, Medical Research, and Logistics

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Humanetics Corporation (Humanetics), a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company pioneering radiation countermeasures, adjunctive oncology therapies, and pulmonary protective therapies, has announced the addition of Major General (Ret.) Barbara R. Holcomb, RN, BSN, MSN to its board of directors.

“General Holcomb brings a wealth of knowledge and relevant experience that strengthens our Board,” said Ronald J. Zenk, Chief Executive Officer at Humanetics. “Her experience as Commanding General of US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and Fort Detrick brings significant insights that align with our mission to develop medical countermeasures for the Department of Defense.”

“I’m excited to start my service on the board of directors and to begin working alongside my fellow directors and the management team at Humanetics,” Ms. Holcomb said. “From my first interaction with the company, I understood the potential to solve urgent and unmet medical needs for our armed forces, first responders, civilian populations, cancer radiation therapy patients, and those experiencing inflammatory lung diseases such as COVID-19. The management team has done great work developing BIO 300 for these important missions.”

General Holcomb served in command positions at every rank from Captain onward. Over 33 years of service, she deployed to Iraq during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Kosovo during Operation Joint Guardian, and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Her last military assignment was as the 25th Chief, Army Nurse Corps, and as Commanding General, Medical Research and Materiel Command and Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. She retired on June 1, 2020.

She is a 1987 Distinguished Military Graduate of Seattle University Army ROTC, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She earned a master's degree in Nursing Administration from the University of Kansas, a master’s level Certification in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University, and a master's in Military Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA. As a Veteran, Barb continues to serve by volunteering a clinical nursing shift once a week in the Brooke Army Medical Center Emergency Department.

A significant focus of Humanetics is developing the new drug candidate, BIO 300, as a medical countermeasure to prevent radiation damage. BIO 300 has received considerable attention, funding, and research from the Department of Defense (DOD) for its potential to mitigate the harmful effects of radiation among warfighters and civilians in the event of a nuclear attack or radiological incident. The need for such a product has escalated significantly, given current world events. Humanetics is currently working under a contract with DOD to position BIO 300 for Emergency Use.