C₂N Diagnostics Makes Three New Hires to Speed Commercialization of Diagnostics and Theranostics
Dr. Timothy D. Veenstra – Former Director of the Laboratory of Proteomics and Analytical Technologies at the National Cancer Institute – to lead effort as C2N’s New Senior Vice President of Diagnostic Sciences and InnovationSeptember 19, 2013
ST. LOUIS - C2N Diagnostics (C2N) today announced that it has added three highly accomplished individuals to its growing team of scientists and operators committed to bringing best-in-class biomarker tests to the market. These individuals will be focused on three primary objectives at C2N: (i) commercialize a clinical test for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology; (ii) development and clinical validation of a pipeline of novel therapeutic and disease progression biomarkers; and (iii) laboratory quality control.
Timothy D. Veenstra, PhD, has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Diagnostic Sciences and Innovation. For the past 11 years, Dr. Veenstra served as the Director of the Laboratory of Proteomics and Analytical Technologies at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. He brings to C2N a wealth of experience in the application of proteomic technologies, especially mass spectrometry, for the discovery and analysis of disease-related biomarkers. He has contributed to over 350 published manuscripts and authored the recently published book: “Proteomic Applications in Cancer Detection and Discovery” (John Wiley & Sons, ©2013).
“Progress made over the past decade has brought us to a point where serious efforts to apply proteomic technologies to bear on real-world clinical problems must be pursued,” remarked Dr. Veenstra. “The research being conducted at C2N Diagnostics affords me opportunity to be part of new and exciting techniques that will revolutionize how Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders are diagnosed and treated in the future. The impact these developments will have on public health will be profound.”
Philip Verghese, PhD, joins C2N as a Principal Scientist. Dr. Verghese is a protein and lipid biochemist with extensive experience in acute and chronic neurodegenerative disease models. He conducted his post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. David Holtzman, one of C2N’s scientific founders, under the BrightFocus foundation postdoctoral research fellowship. His work on apolipoprotein E (apoE) (for Alzheimer’s disease) and nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1) (for acute neurodegeneration in the developing brain) has been published in high impact journals and added new perspectives in the field of neurodegeneration. Dr. Verghese’s graduate work was focused on peripheral lipid metabolism. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies from Dublin Business School, Dublin, Ireland.
In its third hire, Mr. Phillip Herrbrich joins C2N as Laboratory Manager, where he is responsible for day-to-day quality control, inventory management and lab regulatory compliance. Mr. Herrbrich has over 10 years of industry experience working within GLP and CLIA-regulated laboratory environments, including Mid-America Transplant Services, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and the Washington University School of Medicine.
About C2N Diagnostics
C2N Diagnostics, LLC (www.c2ndiagnostics.com) formed in late 2007 by scientific co-founders Drs. David Holtzman and Randall Bateman of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Washington University Office of Technology Management, and LifeTech Research, a Maryland-based technology research and commercialization firm (www.lifetechresearch.com). C2N is developing a suite of novel biomarker assays and tools to assist in pre-clinical drug discovery, clinical drug development, and the early detection and assessment of progression of debilitating neurodegenerative disorders. The company’s products include the SILK-Aβ®, SISAQ-Aβ™, and SISAQ-Tau™ Assays, which rely upon stable isotope labeling and tandem mass spectrometry for the measurement of thekinetics, or in vivo metabolism, and absolute quantitation of brain derived proteins. Beyond AD, products are in development to target Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, brain injury, schizophrenia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among others. For additional information, please contact info@c2ndiagnostics.com or call 1-877-C2N-DIAG (1-877-226-3424).