SALT LAKE CITY, July 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sera Prognostics, Inc., a women's health company developing diagnostic tests for early prediction of preterm birth and other pregnancy complications, today announced the appointment of Sherree Frazier as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Ms. Frazier will lead the commercial activities of the organization, including the development and launch of ProNid™, Sera's novel diagnostic test to predict preterm birth risk.
"We are delighted to have Sherree join the Sera team as we prepare for the commercial launch of ProNid," said Gregory C. Critchfield, M.D., M.S., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sera Prognostics. "Her experience, knowledge and passion for women's health will help drive Sera to achieve its mission to improve the health of infants as well as gain significant health care cost savings."
Before joining Sera, Ms. Frazier served as Senior Director of Molecular Diagnostics and Head of North American Clinical Sales at QIAGEN, Inc. She has extensive experience in the Women's Health field, serving in a number of key leadership capacities including sales, marketing and business development. Prior to QIAGEN, Ms. Frazier served as Women's Health Manager at Adeza Biomedical, where she focused on demand creation for the company's preterm delivery test prior to Adeza's acquisition by Cytyc Corporation in 2007.
"I am very excited to join this extraordinary group of scientists and industry leaders with such a proven track record. Together we will passionately advocate for the reduction of preterm births to improve the health of newborns," says Ms. Frazier.
About Preterm Birth
Of the 4.1 million babies born annually in the U.S., approximately one in eight, or 12 percent, is born premature. Preterm birth is the leading cause of illness and death in newborns and is associated with a significantly increased risk of major long-term medical complications including learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, chronic respiratory illness, mental retardation, seizures and vision and hearing loss. According to a study by the March of Dimes, the annual public healthcare cost of caring for preterm infants in the U.S. exceeds $26 billion. Additional lifetime costs for children with preterm birth-related medical complications are estimated at approximately $500,000 per child.
About Sera Prognostics, Inc.
Sera Prognostics is a private biotechnology company developing diagnostic tests that use proprietary biomarkers that are predictive of preterm birth and other pregnancy complications. In November 2011, Sera completed a Series A financing round of $19.3 million to develop its preterm birth predictor. The company has assembled a strong management team and Board of Directors with significant clinical development and women's healthcare diagnostic experience. Sera is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.seraprognostics.com.