BALTIMORE, MD – Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. (PGDx), a leader in cancer genomics, today announced the appointment of Mark Sausen, Ph.D., as Vice President, Technology Innovation. Dr. Sausen previously spent six years with PGDx and returns from Bristol Myers Squibb, where he gained invaluable experience leading several clinical genomics oncology programs. In this role, Dr. Sausen will lead the identification and development of new genomic sequencing technologies and applications to expand PGDx’s elio™ product line.
“I am so excited to welcome Mark Sausen, an experienced and versatile genomics and diagnostics professional, back to the PGDx family,” said Megan Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of PGDx. “Mark’s tremendous scientific expertise, coupled with his deep understanding of the diagnostics and therapeutic landscape, will serve as a catalyst for innovation as we work to expand the availability and impact of NGS diagnostics across the cancer care continuum.”
Dr. Sausen has driven the planning, development and execution of projects in genetics and genomics for life sciences companies and academic research centers over the past fifteen years. Previously, as Vice President, Research and Development at PGDx, he led the development of NGS-based in vitro diagnostic platforms, achieving proof of concept for plasma-based detection capabilities which contributed to an FDA breakthrough device designation. Dr. Sausen was most recently Scientific Director, Clinical Genetics and Genomics, at Bristol Myers Squibb. In this role, he co-led platform development and partnered strategies for liquid biopsy clinical development opportunities and guided exploratory genomics applications with respect to solid tumor disease biology, pharmacodynamics, and patient segmentation. He has also contributed to research at the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, and the Human Performance Laboratory. Dr. Sausen holds a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and has received numerous awards and research grants for his work in genomics and diagnostics.
“I am delighted to return to PGDx, a company whose commitment to leading the decentralization of comprehensive genomic profiling capabilities I have witnessed firsthand,” said Dr. Sausen. “I have remained dedicated to the field of genomic sequencing technology throughout my career and am eager to take the lead in advancing new technologies and applications that will strengthen PGDx’s groundbreaking next generation sequencing kitted assays.”
PGDx recently announced collaborations with multiple laboratories at leading academic medical centers and hospitals and joined the Access to Comprehensive Genomic Profiling coalition. The company offers three pancancer NGS kitted solutions – elio™ plasma complete, elio™ tissue complete, an FDA cleared kit, and elio™ plasma resolve, which has received FDA breakthrough device designation – that provide researchers and clinicians with the ability to identify biomarkers and profile tumors through advanced genomic sequencing within their own hospital systems and laboratories.
About Personal Genome Diagnostics
Personal Genome Diagnostics (PGDx) empowers the fight against cancer by unlocking actionable information from the genome. We are committed to improving clinical insight, speed of results, and healthcare economics by delivering a portfolio of regulated tissue-based and liquid biopsy genomic products for health systems worldwide. PGDx was established by researchers from Johns Hopkins University who are pioneers in cancer genome sequencing and liquid biopsy technologies. PGDx’s elio™ Platform has enabled the development of standardized tissue-based and liquid biopsy next-generation sequencing (NGS) kits for laboratories worldwide, featuring automated bioinformatics that ensures consistent results and quality of testing. By automating the data analysis process, PGDx is enabling the scalability of precision medicine with a fast, reliable, and accurate diagnostics platform. For additional information, visit www.pgdx.com.
Contacts:
MacDougall
Carolyn Noyes
781−235−3060
cnoyes@macbiocom.com