SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 9, 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 Jay Boniface, Ph.D., as Vice President of Research & Development. Dr. Boniface will lead the discovery, translation and development activities for Sera's preterm birth predictor and other products the company is pursuing in maternal-fetal medicine.
Dr. Boniface previously served as scientist and program director for a number of biotechnology companies focused on protein discovery and small molecule and immunotherapeutic drug development, including Myrexis, Inc., Myriad Genetics, Inc., Prolexys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eos Biotechnology, Inc. Dr. Boniface earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Albany Medical College and was a postdoctoral scholar in molecular immunology at Stanford University.
"We are very pleased to have Jay join our team to develop and launch Sera's proprietary technology," stated Gregory C. Critchfield, M.D., M.S., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sera Prognostics. "Jay's technical and management expertise provides Sera with the strong scientific leadership needed to commercialize our lead product: an innovative test designed to help physicians objectively and accurately assess a woman's individual risk for preterm birth. Jay's experience will further our goal of fulfilling an unmet need to potentially reduce the number of premature births and associated care at a high cost to insurers and our healthcare system."
"I am excited to join this accomplished team of innovators and to translate novel scientific discoveries into useful tests to address significant unmet needs in women's healthcare," said Dr. Boniface. "Unlocking the power of proteomic technology to produce a meaningful early predictor of preterm birth risk has the potential to enable physicians to intervene more effectively and improve the health of children worldwide."
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. Sera recently 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.