VIDA Diagnostics Appoints Thoracic Imaging Expert Susan A. Wood, Ph.D., as President and CEO

IOWA CITY, Iowa, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- VIDA Diagnostics, a leading developer of quantitative imaging software for the advanced analysis of pulmonary diseases, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma and lung cancer, announced today the appointment of Susan A. Wood, Ph.D., as president and chief executive officer. Dr. Wood succeeds John Garber, who during his tenure helped build VIDA from an academic concept to the leading pulmonary image analysis tool in clinical research. Bringing extensive clinical and commercial expertise in quantitative thoracic image analysis, Dr. Wood will focus on the continued development and commercialization of the Company's FDA-cleared pulmonary applications and establishing quantitative pulmonary imaging into routine clinical practice.

"Dr. Wood's pulmonary research and imaging industry experience have helped establish the seminal need for volumetric, quantitative CT imaging for pulmonary diagnosis and treatment planning. We are delighted to add her domain knowledge and industry experience to further build on VIDA's leadership position, and to establish objective, quantitative measures for diagnosis, interventional therapies and therapeutic response assessment," said Geoffrey McLennan, M.D., Ph.D., a founder of VIDA and a practicing pulmonologist at the University of Iowa Healthcare.

COPD and asthma are debilitating yet common forms of lung disease that result in poor lung function and difficult breathing. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and the only major cause of death that is still growing in mortality rate. It is estimated that more than 12 million people have been diagnosed with COPD in the U.S. and another 12 million likely have the disease but have yet to be diagnosed. More than 22 million Americans have asthma, including 6 million children. Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer death in both men and women.

"Used by over 40 research and clinical sites worldwide with more than 25,000 CT exams processed, VIDA's PW2 is one of the most clinically validated quantitative pulmonary analysis solutions in its class. I am thrilled with the opportunity to advance VIDA to the next stage and to ingrain quantitative pulmonary review into routine clinical practice," said Dr Wood. "John Garber successfully executed on the founders vision and established a tremendous platform for VIDA, tapping into one of the world's most talented teams of engineers, physiologists and clinicians focused exclusively on pulmonary imaging. This talent and focus is a great platform from which to advance the company."

Dr. Wood, who joined VIDA's board in 2008, has a proven track record in developing and marketing innovative medical technologies into clinical practice. Her last position was executive vice president of Marketing and Technology at Vital Images, where she was responsible for the development and commercialization of the company's first clinical applications for Toshiba's Aquilion(TM) ONE, dynamic volume CT. Previously, Dr. Wood led marketing and new product development at R2 Technology, now part of Hologic. In this role, Dr. Wood championed the product and market development of the first-ever FDA-cleared computer-aided detection (CAD) product for lung nodule detection in MDCT. She earned her doctorate from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, based on the thesis, Analysis of Three-Dimensional Airway Trees during Inflation Using Computed Tomography.

About VIDA Pulmonary Workstation 2.0 (PW2)

VIDA's Pulmonary Workstation 2.0 (PW2) is the first and only comprehensive CT lung analysis tool, generating quantitative, repeatable measurements of lung structure and function. PW2's measurements and visualization are complementary to existing pulmonary function tests and are in use worldwide, refining and improving lung diagnoses and aiding in patient assessment, procedure planning and therapeutic response assessment.

About VIDA Diagnostics

VIDA Diagnostics is a leader in quantitative pulmonary image analysis for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases. The FDA-cleared Pulmonary Workstation 2.0 (PW2) is the leading lung analysis tool for COPD, emphysema and asthma. Participating in the emerging pulmonary device market that is expected to grow to nearly $3.8 billion by 2011, VIDA's vision is to establish lung quantitative CT methods as the standard of care for diagnosis and staging of chronic lung disease. Founded by four University of Iowa faculty members, Eric Hoffman, Ph.D., Geoffrey McLennan, M.D., Ph.D., Joseph Reinhardt, Ph.D and, Milan Sonka, Ph.D., VIDA Diagnostics is based on research associated with the UI's Iowa Comprehensive Lung Imaging Center directed by Dr. Hoffman and on core technology licensed from the UI Research Foundation. For more information on VIDA Diagnostics, visit: http://www.vidadiagnostics.com/.

SOURCE VIDA Diagnostics

CONTACT: Chris K. Joseph +1-510-339-2293, chris@ckjcomm.com, for VIDA
Diagnostics

Web site: http://www.vidadiagnostics.com//