LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- DermTech International, Inc., a biotechnology company developing skin sampling technologies for the early detection of melanoma and other diseases, today appointed John Quackenbush, Ph.D. to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Quackenbush is a Professor of Biostatistics and Computational Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at the Harvard School of Public Health. Since his 1992 receipt of a five-year fellowship from the National Center for Human Genome Research to study various aspects of genomics, Quackenbush has been widely recognized as a pioneer in the area of biological data management, analysis and interpretation.
“We are very pleased to welcome John to DermTech’s SAB,” said George Schwartz, the company’s president and chief executive officer. “We are confident that his world-recognized expertise in bioinformatics, especially focused on class prediction algorithms for biomarker determination, will be a major asset as we accelerate the development of our EGIR-based assay for the early detection of melanoma.” EGIR (Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval) is DermTech’s patented technology that uses noninvasive “tape-stripping” to identify the presence of disease. Other EGIR applications include drug development for products, such as anti-aging treatments and theranostics.
“I am looking forward to working with DermTech to help drive the development of what I expect will become a key new technique in the early detection of skin cancer and other diseases,” said Quackenbush.
Dr. Quackenbush’s work focuses on functional and comparative genomics and bioinformatics and their application to the study of human disease. Quackenbush is currently looking at patterns of gene expression in cancer, with the goal of elucidating the networks and pathways that are critical in the development and progression of the disease. He is also working on a large-scale project funded by an Oracle Challenge Grant aimed at creating a database that will link clinical and research data with other information available in the public domain.
About Dr. Quackenbush:
Dr. Quackenbush completed a Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1990, followed by a two-year postdoctoral position in experimental particle physics and phenomenology. He has held positions at The Salk Institute, Stanford University and The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). He is on the editorial boards of five major journals and is a member of two National Research Council panels that are examining the applications of genomic approaches to the study of toxicology.
About DermTech:
Headquartered in La Jolla, California, DermTech International (http://www.dermtech.com) specializes in the development and validation of molecular tests using specimens derived from the skin. The company’s proprietary Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval (EGIR) technology is being studied in the context of tracking treatment efficacy for a variety of dermatologic and other conditions, including the effects of drugs on skin at the molecular level in advance of observable clinical results, and aiding in the diagnosis of disease. DermTech is actively pursuing research using EGIR and its applications toward molecular diagnostics and theranostics in the areas of melanoma, prostate cancer and various skin disorders, such as psoriasis. For additional information, visit http://www.dermtech.com
jlarson@labfive.com
CONTACT: George Schwartz of DermTech International, Inc., +1-858-450-4222;
or Jennifer Larson, +1-415-409-2729, jlarson@labfive.com, for DermTech
Web site: http://www.dermtech.com/
