AltheaDx Forms Scientific Advisory Board

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - April 29, 2009) - AltheaDx, a world leader in the development of companion diagnostics and biopharma services, today announced the formation of their Scientific Advisory Board with the appointments of four preeminent scientists.

“We are delighted to have assembled such an accomplished group of scientific leaders as initial appointments to our Scientific Advisory Board,” said David Macdonald, CEO of AltheaDx. “As a group, this Board will provide solid scientific support for the AltheaDx strategy of bringing theranostics into clinical use. The Board’s collective experience will serve as a valuable resource as we continue to advance our pipeline of projects and develop exciting new diagnostic opportunities and alliances.”

AltheaDx provides its customers with a full range of molecular biopharma services; from biomarker discovery, clinical trial studies, diagnostic translation, through to reporting clinical results. Appointments to the AltheaDx Scientific Advisory Board include:

Jorge Leon, Ph.D. -- Chairman of the AltheaDx Scientific Advisory Board and President, Leomics

Dr. Jorge Leon is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in molecular diagnostics. Dr. Leon holds a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from New York University, and completed his postdoctoral studies at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and at Columbia University in NYC. Dr. Leon’s subsequent academic research focused on developing monoclonal antibody-based tumor marker assays and radio-immuno-imaging devices, which are currently in wide use.

In the early 1990s, Dr. Leon transitioned into industry, playing an integral role in establishing and leading the molecular diagnostics laboratories at Quest Diagnostics. As Director of Molecular Diagnostics, Senior Director of Biotechnology Development, and Vice President of Applied Genomics, Dr. Leon spent twelve years developing Quest’s molecular diagnostics strategy, which is now the world’s largest molecular diagnostics service laboratory.

Alfred Lui, M.D. -- Medical Director, AltheaDx, Co Founder of Affiliated Pathologists Medical Group, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Pathology Inc., a Medical Corporation

Dr. Lui graduated summa cum laude from Andrews University in Michigan. He attended Loma Linda University Medical School and completed his residency in Pathology at UCLA-Harbor General Hospital in 1976, following which he joined the staff of the Liver Unit at the University of Southern California. In 1979, he joined Dr. Richard Ellis as a co-founder of Affiliated Pathologists Medical Group. Dr. Lui is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honour Society and is active in the College of American Pathologists, where he is a member of the Council on Membership and Professional Development and on the Publications Committee. He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Pathology Inc., a Medical Corporation, an independent laboratory performing outpatient anatomic pathology services. He is the immediate past president and is currently a member of the board of directors of the California Society of Pathologists. Dr. Lui has special interests in liver, prostate, and Gyn pathology.

Dan Mercola, M.D., Ph.D. -- Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine & Director, Translational Cancer Biology, University of California at Irvine

Dr. Mercola is head of the UCI SPECS consortium, an observational clinical trial which utilizes prostate tissues and clinical values, to derive gene signatures predictive of outcome at the time of diagnosis. He is currently a member of various NIH committees, including Site Visit Review, Program Project Grant Application, and Ad Hoc Reviewer, in addition to being an Associate Member at the UCSD Cancer Center, AACR organizing committee, and various other editorial boards. In 2004, Dr. Mercola was honored as the “San Diego Padres Medical All-Star” and has closely worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. He has also been a professor within the Pathology department, and later at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center within UC San Diego. Dr. Mercola did postdoctoral work at Oxford University after earning a B.S. degree from the University of Southampton, England and completed his residency at UC San Diego, after receiving his Ph.D., M.S. and B.A. degrees from UCLA.

Joe Monforte, Ph.D. -- Chief Scientific Officer, AltheaDx

Dr. Monforte has over 20 years’ experience with genomics research and development. Prior to joining AltheaDx, Dr. Monforte served as Chief Scientific Officer with Althea Technologies. He was also co-founder of GeneTrace Systems where he served as Chief Scientific Officer. He has held management roles at the DOE Joint Genome Institute and within the Toxicology department at SRI International. Dr. Monforte has a Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

About AltheaDx

AltheaDx is bringing theranostics into clinical use. The goal of AltheaDx is to reduce the time and risk of therapeutic development and to provide high-value testing services. For additional information, please visit: www.altheadx.com.