Applied DNA Sciences' Dr. James A. Hayward is Network Magazine David Award Honoree: 'Can David Slay the Counterfeiting Goliath?'

Stony Brook, NY (PRWEB) January 29, 2014

Applied DNA Sciences (OTCQB: APDN), (Twitter: @APDN), a provider of DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology and product authentication solutions, is proud to announce that Dr. James A. Hayward, CEO and President, was honored on January 16 by Networking Magazine as one of eight of Long Island's most accomplished individuals. The awards were presented at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, Long Island.

Networking Magazine, which reaches leaders in business, the professions, and networking associations on Long Island, supports women's business interests and publicizes their achievements. Each January the magazine honors men at the David Awards, recognizing each recipient's professional achievements, giving, and service to the Long Island community.

The eight honorees of the Award did indeed embody extraordinary spirit and achievement. Many had overcome daunting obstacles in their lives, going on to influence and change the world for the better.

Dr. Hayward was honored for his achievements in medicine and biotechnology, entrepreneurship, and a lifetime of charitable giving and support for his community.

In his remarks, Dr. Hayward credited his wife and family, along with "the most giving mentors, and the most talented generous and committed colleagues."

Dr. Hayward commented that "our small public company and I face a challenge quite worthy of David." The comment, Dr. Hayward said later, described not the royal David, but the earlier legendary warrior who challenged and prevailed over a seemingly invincible force.

Applied DNA Sciences, managed by Hayward since 2006, has challenged a global shadow economy of counterfeiters which threatens the lives, health and safety of literally millions worldwide.

With impacts approaching $1.7 trillion globally, the black market of counterfeit goods employs child indentured servants in Asia, willingly sells defective medical devices, and purveys useless fake medicines posing as drugs for malaria and cancer.

The company's SigNature® DNA markers - unique, botanical, "green" DNA sequences - are patented and used to protect against counterfeiting and theft in over 600 million products throughout the world.

But can a small company in Long Island, however advanced its technology, even think about challenging and defeating such a powerful and complex global threat?

Dr. Hayward is supremely confident that it can, and he has his reasons.

"Our DNA markers that are used to prove originality, are the equals to David's stone. As Malcolm Gladwell recently detailed, Goliath never stood a chance. The lumbering Luddite did not see it coming: David's newer technology, tenacity, agility, speed and precision, embodied by Applied DNA's technology, caught Goliath by surprise and changed the world. We will do the same to the counterfeiting juggernaut, our Goliath."

Twice named Entrepreneur of the Year, Dr. Hayward counts nearly 30 years of experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, life science and consumer product industries. He received a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from State University of New York at Oneonta. He earned a PhD in Molecular Biology from SUNY at Stony Brook, and was also bestowed an honorary doctor of science from that institution.

In 1990 he founded The Collaborative Group, providing products and services to the biotech, pharmaceutical and consumer product industries.

Dr. Hayward has poured time and effort into encouraging innovation in support of the bioscience and technology community and culture on Long Island. He served for three years on a task force to establish business incubator policy for New York State and the George Pataki administration. He credits the Long Island High Technology Incubator and the Center for Excellence in Wireless Information Technology, both on the campus of the University at Stony Brook with nurturing the growth of Applied DNA Sciences, Inc.

About Applied DNA Sciences

APDN is a provider of botanical-DNA based security and authentication solutions that can help protect products, brands and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. SigNature® DNA and DNANet, our principal anti-counterfeiting and product authentication solutions that essentially cannot be copied, provide a forensic chain of evidence and can be used to prosecute perpetrators.

The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature. Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 20, 2013 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.