PRESS RELEASE
IRVINE, CALIF., U.S., and AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – 31 May 2019 – Agendia, Inc., a world leader in precision oncology, announced today the appointment of industry veterans Laurie Heilmann and François Ferré, Ph.D. to its board of directors.
With more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, Laurie Heilmann is the former president of the Global Life Science and Diagnostic Solutions Division of Crown Bioscience International, where she led the strategic development and commercialization of products and services to treat oncology, cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases. Prior to that position, she also served as CrownBio’s chief business officer in global commercialization for oncology and diagnostics, after a number of leadership roles at Strong-Bridge Consulting, Image Metrix-American College of Radiology and the Ockham Development Group.
Dr. François Ferré has been at the forefront of genomics and molecular diagnostics for more than 30 years. As a recognized scientist, he developed one of the first quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in the late 80s and co-edited a best-selling book on the subject with Nobel Prize winner and noted biochemist Kary Mullis, Ph.D. François is also the founder, former CEO and chairman, and current director at AltheaDx, a commercial-stage precision medicine company. Dr. Ferré currently serves on the Board of La Jolla Institute and the Chopra Foundation. He received his doctorate in molecular oncology from the Pasteur Institute, France, and completed his post-doctoral training at the University of California, San Diego.
“We are very pleased to welcome both Ms. Heilmann and Dr. Ferre to the Agendia board,” said Chief Executive Officer Mark Straley. “Laurie’s synthesis of business, clinical research and technological acumen combined with François’ proven experience in developing and commercializing companion diagnostics is exactly the type of leadership we need to enhance our position in the global marketplace today and for the future.”
About Agendia
Agendia is a privately-held, leading precision oncology company focused in breast cancer that develops and markets genomic diagnostic products, which help support physicians with their complex treatment decisions. Agendia’s breast cancer tests were developed using an unbiased gene selection by analyzing the complete human genome. The company’s offerings include the MammaPrint® Breast Cancer Risk-of-Recurrence Test, and the BluePrint® Molecular Subtyping Test, both on microarray technology, whereas the new MammaPrint® BluePrint® Breast Cancer Recurrence and Molecular Subtyping Kit, is on NGS technology. The MammaPrint® BluePrint® next-generation sequencing-based kit is a CE-marked device currently available for use in cancer centers in select regions of the world. In addition, Agendia has a pipeline of other genomic products in development. The company collaborates with pharmaceutical companies, leading cancer centers and academic groups to develop companion diagnostic tests in the area of oncology. For more information on Agendia or the MammaPrint® and BluePrint® tests, visit agendia.com.
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