COLUMBIA, Md., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cylex Incorporated, a life sciences company and leader in immune function testing, today announced that Thomas Bologna has joined the company as a Member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Bologna will advise and support Cylex’s top executives and management. He will provide strategic business advice for Cylex products, including ImmuKnow(TM), the first and only FDA-cleared immune function assay that measures the vitality of a patient’s immune system from a single drop of blood.
Mr. Bologna has significant experience in leading healthcare divisions of Fortune 500 companies as well as public- and venture-backed biotechnology companies. In December 2004, Mr. Bologna sold Quorex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., his latest venture-backed company, to Pfizer, Inc. Mr. Bologna was President, Chief Executive Office and a member of the board of Quorex Pharmaceuticals.
Prior to leading Quorex, Mr. Bologna was Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ostex International, Inc. (NASDAQ/NM), a biotechnology company that developed and commercialized products for disease management, osteoporosis being the first area of focus. Mr. Bologna sold Ostex in June 2003 to Inverness Medical Innovations.
Prior experience includes President and Chief Executive Officer of Scriptgen Pharmaceuticals, a Boston biotechnology start-up company. Mr. Bologna was Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Office of Gen-Probe, Incorporated, a company he turned around and grew to become highly successful. He took Gen-Probe public on the NASDAQ national market and subsequently sold it to Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Mr. Bologna also held senior-level positions within Becton Dickinson & Company and Warner Lambert (Pfizer). He served as President of the Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Systems Division and as a Vice President at the Warner Lambert Company.
“Tom brings to Cylex an exemplary track record that confirms his leadership and management abilities,” said Judith Britz, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Cylex. “We look forward to his assisting Cylex and ImmuKnow in achieving the next level of success in penetrating the transplant market, and expanding into future markets, including infectious diseases and autoimmunity.”
“I’m excited to be part of the Cylex team,” said Mr. Bologna. “They are clearly defining the cutting edge of immune system diagnostics. Cylex’s ImmuKnow product enables doctors to know precisely the status of a patient’s immune system, which then allows them to tailor treatments to each patient’s unique needs.
“ImmuKnow is now playing a steadily increasing role in customizing therapies for organ transplant patients,” Mr. Bologna continued, “and it’s beginning to be used for managing treatments for immune-related illnesses, such as HCV, cancer and AIDS. It’s also being used to track the impact of new drugs on the immune system during their clinical trials.”
The ImmuKnow(TM) assay is quickly gaining market acceptance through some of the most respected research and transplant centers in the United States, including the Cleveland Clinic, among others. By giving doctors an accurate, cost-effective way to know the state of a patient’s immune system, ImmuKnow(TM) can play a vital role in helping to guide treatments for transplant patients, as well as for patients immuno-suppressed by viruses, cancer, or therapeutic drugs for autoimmune disorders.
About Cylex Incorporated
Cylex is a life science company and a leader in the development and manufacture of unique products that use the immune system for predicting and managing human health. It is the first and only company to offer a patent- protected, FDA-cleared cellular assay of immune system function, ImmuKnow(TM), which measures the vitality of a patient’s immune system from a single drop of blood.
The company’s products enable physicians to better manage and personalize the treatment of life-threatening diseases, such as HIV, HCV, cancer, diabetes autoimmune and other disorders, as well as serious conditions associated with organ transplantation.
For further information, visit www.cylex.net.
ImmuKnow(TM) is currently being incorporated into patient protocols at leading U.S. hospitals and clinics. It is the only standardized cellular assay, easily performed in the lab, with quick and accurate results. By optimizing therapy, ImmuKnow(TM) helps the physician lower the cost of treatment and improve treatment outcome, reduce the side effects of drugs, and enhance the patient’s prospects for long-term quality of life.
Cylex Incorporated
CONTACT: David Kalson, +1-212-994-7513, david.kalson@rfbinder.com, orKirsten Plonner, +1-212-994-7546, kirsten.plonner@rfbinder.com, RF|BinderPartners
Web site: http://www.cylex.net/
