OWL Announces The Appointment Of An International Team Of Leading Experts To Its Newly Formed Scientific Advisory Board
Derio, Spain - (Press Release) March 4, 2016 -- OWL Metabolomics, an emerging leader in the development of innovative laboratory tests for common liver diseases like NASH and NAFLD, today announced the appointment of an international team of leading experts to its newly formed Scientific Advisory Board. This newly appointed SAB will serve as a key strategic resource to OWL as this metabolomics-based specialty laboratory expands and refines novel approaches for the non-invasive diagnosis of fatty liver disease and disease severity. Today’s gold-standard for the definitive diagnosis of NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) remains a cumbersome invasive tissue biopsy procedure.
"We are thrilled with the addition of these experts in liver disease to our team of scientific advisors," said Pablo Ortiz, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of OWL. "The background and experience our SAB members bring to OWL is critical as we continue to move forward globally with the refinement of our novel test approaches, expand our collaborations with pharma drug research, and generate impactful publications in support of our impressive technologies".
The inaugural members of OWL’s Scientific Advisory Board include:
· Arun Sanyal, MD, who has developed, mediated and encouraged global liver research as a physician-scientist for 25 years. Currently, Dr. Sanyal is the Charles Caravati Distinguished Professor and Chair, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine. He is also actively involved in a number of major drug trials for the treatment of NASH. Dr. Sanyal, a past President of the AASLD, and now serves on the board of a number of liver-related scientific and governmental associations. Dr. Sanyal has published extensively within the medical community.
· José M Mato, PhD, now serves as the General Director of CIC-bioGUNE and CIC-biomaGUNE in the Basque Country in Spain, two basic research and technology centers focusing in biomedical science. He is currently interested in the use of metabolomics in the study of steatohepatitis and hepatic diseases, among other chronic conditions. Professor Mato has been awarded several research prizes, including Leiden University Kok Prize, the Morgagni Research Medal and the Lennox K. Black Award from Thomas Jefferson University. In 2004, he was subsequently awarded the "Gregorio Marañon" National Prize for Medical Research.
· Pierre Bedossa, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pathology at the University Paris-Diderot, France. He is currently Head of the Department of Pathology, Physiology and Nuclear Medicine at the Groupe Hospitalier Paris-Nord. Dr. Bedossa is Chairman and Head of the Department of Pathology at Beaujon Hospital in Paris. Dr. Bedossa is a globally-recognized specialist and respected thought leader in liver pathology and he has published more than 390 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 16 book chapters and he is currently serving as President of the European Society of Pathology.
· Mazen Noureddin, MD, is the Director of Fatty Liver Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with a focus on translational research, particularly in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Dr. Noureddin has conducted investigational, translational and clinical studies of novel treatments for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and helped to validate a new liver-imaging technique, MRI-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF).
Dr. Noureddin completed his hepatology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is presently active in a number of clinical studies investigating new drug treatments for NASH, researching the translational pathogenesis of NAFLD/NASH and is deeply engaged in novel liver biomarker R&D.
About OWL Metabolomics
OWL Metabolomics is a biotechnology company committed to the identification, validation and global commercialization of novel diagnostic assays for the liver and other prevalent human diseases, including the identification of potential therapeutic targets involved in the development of such diseases. Since its inception in 2002, OWL has pioneered unique diagnostic research within the fatty liver space, a field of considerable focus in new drug development.
The ‘OWLiver’ and ‘OWLiver Care’ assays are the world's first metabolomics-based in-vitro tests for diagnosing NASH and hepatic steatosis (NAFLD), respectively, using micro-blood samples ( <0.2 ml) versus today's diagnostic gold-standard which mandates an invasive liver biopsy.
OWL Metabolomics is a privately-held company based in Derio, Spain. Its main partner is the venture capital firm Cross Road Biotech Inversiones Biotecnológicas (CRB Inverbío). OWL Metabolomics collaborates globally with hospitals, liver research centers, biotechnology groups and the pharmaceutical industry.
"We are thrilled with the addition of these experts in liver disease to our team of scientific advisors," said Pablo Ortiz, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of OWL. "The background and experience our SAB members bring to OWL is critical as we continue to move forward globally with the refinement of our novel test approaches, expand our collaborations with pharma drug research, and generate impactful publications in support of our impressive technologies".
The inaugural members of OWL’s Scientific Advisory Board include:
· Arun Sanyal, MD, who has developed, mediated and encouraged global liver research as a physician-scientist for 25 years. Currently, Dr. Sanyal is the Charles Caravati Distinguished Professor and Chair, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine. He is also actively involved in a number of major drug trials for the treatment of NASH. Dr. Sanyal, a past President of the AASLD, and now serves on the board of a number of liver-related scientific and governmental associations. Dr. Sanyal has published extensively within the medical community.
· José M Mato, PhD, now serves as the General Director of CIC-bioGUNE and CIC-biomaGUNE in the Basque Country in Spain, two basic research and technology centers focusing in biomedical science. He is currently interested in the use of metabolomics in the study of steatohepatitis and hepatic diseases, among other chronic conditions. Professor Mato has been awarded several research prizes, including Leiden University Kok Prize, the Morgagni Research Medal and the Lennox K. Black Award from Thomas Jefferson University. In 2004, he was subsequently awarded the "Gregorio Marañon" National Prize for Medical Research.
· Pierre Bedossa, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pathology at the University Paris-Diderot, France. He is currently Head of the Department of Pathology, Physiology and Nuclear Medicine at the Groupe Hospitalier Paris-Nord. Dr. Bedossa is Chairman and Head of the Department of Pathology at Beaujon Hospital in Paris. Dr. Bedossa is a globally-recognized specialist and respected thought leader in liver pathology and he has published more than 390 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 16 book chapters and he is currently serving as President of the European Society of Pathology.
· Mazen Noureddin, MD, is the Director of Fatty Liver Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with a focus on translational research, particularly in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Dr. Noureddin has conducted investigational, translational and clinical studies of novel treatments for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and helped to validate a new liver-imaging technique, MRI-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF).
Dr. Noureddin completed his hepatology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is presently active in a number of clinical studies investigating new drug treatments for NASH, researching the translational pathogenesis of NAFLD/NASH and is deeply engaged in novel liver biomarker R&D.
About OWL Metabolomics
OWL Metabolomics is a biotechnology company committed to the identification, validation and global commercialization of novel diagnostic assays for the liver and other prevalent human diseases, including the identification of potential therapeutic targets involved in the development of such diseases. Since its inception in 2002, OWL has pioneered unique diagnostic research within the fatty liver space, a field of considerable focus in new drug development.
The ‘OWLiver’ and ‘OWLiver Care’ assays are the world's first metabolomics-based in-vitro tests for diagnosing NASH and hepatic steatosis (NAFLD), respectively, using micro-blood samples ( <0.2 ml) versus today's diagnostic gold-standard which mandates an invasive liver biopsy.
OWL Metabolomics is a privately-held company based in Derio, Spain. Its main partner is the venture capital firm Cross Road Biotech Inversiones Biotecnológicas (CRB Inverbío). OWL Metabolomics collaborates globally with hospitals, liver research centers, biotechnology groups and the pharmaceutical industry.