BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Oct. 13, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clinical Genomics, a private company developing innovative healthcare solutions for cancer diagnosis, today announced the appointments of Laurie Huard as Chief Operating Officer; Karol Ford as Vice President, Sales & Marketing; Tania Obranovich, B.Sc. (Hons), Ph.D., L.L.B, as Vice President, Intellectual Property, Legal Affairs & Compliance; and John Alsobrook II, Ph.D., DABCC, FACB, as Clinical Laboratory Director. The addition of these highly experienced individuals further strengthens the leadership team as the Company prepares to launch a two-gene circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) blood test for post-surgical monitoring of colorectal cancer.
“We are excited to announce these appointments and we are confident that our expanded leadership team will enable us to realize the significant clinical and commercial potential of innovative healthcare solutions we develop starting with our two-gene test for cancer recurrence monitoring we expect to launch later this year,” said Lawrence LaPointe, Ph.D., President and CEO of Clinical Genomics. “Each of these talented individuals brings decades of experience, demonstrated skills and insights that will help us fulfill our mission to reduce the impact of colorectal cancer through early detection of disease and clinically actionable recurrence monitoring tools.”
Laurie Huard brings more than 30 years of experience in laboratory operations and lab informatics to Clinical Genomics. She previously served as Vice President of Operations at Helomics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company focused on personalized healthcare. Her previous roles include serving as a director for a large integrated hospital laboratory and as a laboratory information systems manager. Ms. Huard operated a laboratory informatics consulting practice for more than 10 years and has worked with numerous clients ranging from a nationally recognized academic medical system laboratory (where she oversaw the implementation of a new LIS system) to large and small independent laboratory operations. She has extensive experience in all aspects of laboratory operations and lab informatics.
Karol Ford is an accomplished sales professional with more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience specializing in national account management, business development and sales and marketing management. She has a proven track record of successfully working with development stage companies from the ground up, leading the growth and expansion of sales teams to generate positive revenue. Ms. Ford previously held positions of increasing responsibility with Progenity, a private genetics reference laboratory, where she successfully launched a new division and sales force to promote genetic carrier screening for intellectual disabilities and developmental delays.
Dr. Tania Obranovich has more than 20 years of private practice experience in developing and managing global IP portfolios in the biotechnology sector, with a focus on molecular, cellular and genomic technologies as they relate to diagnostics and therapeutics. She practices as both a lawyer and a patent attorney and spent ten years as a partner at a top tier Australian intellectual property firm before joining Clinical Genomics. Dr. Obranovich has deep experience related to gene patents and she also speaks widely in relation to IP issues for biotechnology.
Dr. Alsobrook most recently served as the Chief Science Officer of DermTech, where he invented a two-gene non-invasive assay for melanoma and led the establishment of their CLIA laboratory. He held several leadership roles at Exagen Diagnostics, including Director of Discovery, VP Clinical Laboratory Operations and CEO, where he took the company from R&D to its first commercial clinical revenue. He is board-certified in molecular diagnostics by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and is a Fellow of the Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. Dr. Alsobrook is an inventor on numerous biomarker patents and has published extensively in the biomedical literature. Dr. Alsobrook received B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and in Physics from California State University Los Angeles, an M.Phil. in Human Genetics from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Quantitative Genetics from Yale University.
About Colorectal Cancer
CRC is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for more than 600,000 deaths each year. When diagnosed early, before cancer has spread, the relative five-year survival rate for CRC is 90 percent, but only approximately four out of 10 CRC cases are detected early. Among individuals undergoing surgical treatment for CRC, recurrence occurs in 30 to 40 percent of all cases, the majority of which present in the first two to three years following initial diagnosis and treatment.
About Clinical Genomics
Clinical Genomics is a privately held biotechnology company developing innovative products for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis. With a broad intellectual property portfolio consisting of more than 20 patents, Clinical Genomics, via its wholly-owned subsidiary Enterix Inc., currently offers the user-friendly, patient-preferred colorectal cancer screening InSure® FIT™ assay, a fecal immunochemical test that detects blood in the stool. InSure is also marketed as a lab-based test in Australia and other countries (ColoVantage Home). Building on an established history in the field of CRC screening and diagnosis, Clinical Genomics developed a sensitive and specific blood-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) test for colorectal cancer based on methylated DNA from two genes, BCAT1 and IKZF1. The Company plans to make its two-gene test for recurrence monitoring available prior to the end of 2016.
Clinical Genomics has offices and laboratories in Bridgewater and Edison, New Jersey and Sydney, Australia, and operates as an FDA-registered and TGA-licensed manufacturer and a NATA-accredited laboratory.
For more information, please visit www.clinicalgenomics.com.