Thursday, September 20, 2007
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Sep. 20, 2007 (Business Wire) -- Preparing for growth, Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.(TM) today announced that it moved into larger office space in Austin and hired two directors in newly-created positions in advance of the commercial launch of its first genomic diagnostic test product, which will predict the likelihood of breast cancer metastisis in early-stage patients.
As Exagen continues developing genomic tests for a variety of diseases, the company named Barbara Preisel-Simmons, Ph.D. to serve as Senior Director of Clinical Affairs. As part of Exagen's Medical Affairs Department in Albuquerque, Dr. Preisel-Simmons will oversee the clinical studies conducted across the U.S. necessary to provide scientific and medical validation for the company's products. Dr. Preisel-Simmons brings 18 years of clinical investigation experience to Exagen, having previously held positions at Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics, Bayer HealthCare, Chiron Diagnostics, Abbott Laboratories and Baxter HealthCare.
'We are thrilled to have someone of Dr. Preisel-Simmons' caliber and experience joining our team,' said Luc Van Hove, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer and VP of Quality, Regulatory, and Medical Affairs. 'Over the next two years, Exagen will be submitting at least six products for 510(k) and PMA review, and each one of those products will be validated by medical centers nationally. As our number of products grows, so does our need for experienced medical professionals to manage them.'
Exagen also added to its leadership team Human Resources Director Angela Marquez, SPHR who will manage the strategic operations of Human Resources and oversee the expansion of the company's employee base in Albuquerque and Austin. Ms. Marquez brings a diversity of experience from the public and private sector managing human resources most recently at Avila Retail Development and Management, LLC, and previously at MCI WorldCom and CVI Laser Corporation.
Exagen's team in Austin, which primarily directs the company's sales and marketing functions along with Customer Care and Regulatory Affairs, will nearly double and will now be housed in 8,500 square feet of office space at 4005 Banister Lane, near the intersection of Ben White and Lamar Boulevards. For the past two years, the company's Austin staff was located at 1250 Capitol of Texas Highway in a 4,500 square-foot space.
'Immediately, this is good news for Exagen and its employees who made this growth possible. Ultimately, this is great news for patients and physicians who will benefit from the genomic tests we produce,' said Chief Executive Officer James A. McClintic. 'Genomic diagnostic tests are the foundation of 'personalized medicine,' giving patients and doctors a new look at the genetic make-up of a particular disease in a particular patient, and the employees at Exagen are proud to be at the forefront of this emerging field in healthcare.'
About Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.
Exagen Diagnostics is a leader in discovering, developing, validating and delivering genomic marker test kits for use in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases in the areas of cancer, gastroenterology, infectious disease and general medicine. Exagen designs diagnostic test kits so that they can be performed in any qualified clinical laboratory in the U.S. Because Exagen conducts its gene selection research on a supercomputer platform cross-referencing multiple genetic databases, called Coperna(TM), their test kits are develop faster and more affordably than traditional genetic research allows. Exagen's first test, eXagenBC, is currently pending 510(k) review at the FDA and assesses the risk of breast cancer recurrence. The company now has five more genetic test kits in development. www.exagen.com
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