IRVING, TX, May 19, 2010 -- Caris Life Sciences™, a leading biosciences company focused on driving precise and personalized healthcare, today announced that Jonathan Knowles, Ph.D., will assume the role of Chief Scientific Officer for the company. This newly-created position highlights Caris’ growth and expansion into novel diagnostic, prognostic and theranostic technologies, led by the ongoing development and commercialization of the Carisome™ platform -- a proprietary, blood-based technology being developed for rapid and accurate testing for cancer and other complex diseases. As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Knowles assumes responsibility for the expansion and globalization of the company’s overall scientific and research capabilities, as well as specific oversight for the development of novel and proprietary assays utilizing the Carisome platform.
Dr. Knowles became Vice Chairman of Caris Life Sciences in the beginning of 2010, and he will retain the responsibilities of that role as he takes on the additional responsibilities of his new position. Before joining Caris, he was President of Group Research at Roche and was a member of Roche’s Corporate Executive Committee. Dr. Knowles was also the first chairman of the Board for the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a unique public-private partnership between the European Commission and 28 Pharmaceutical companies, focused on key disease biology areas of unmet medical need and gaining an in-depth understanding of the molecular pathology of disease. Under Dr. Knowles’ leadership, the IMI developed and implemented a strategy of highly effective therapies based on personalized healthcare and built one of the best pharmaceutical pipelines in the sector. He also served as a member of the Genentech Board of Directors for 12 years and Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee for Genentech, and was a member of the Chugai Pharmaceutical Board.
“Jonathan has been instrumental in propelling Caris Life Sciences to the forefront of personalized medicine,” said David D. Halbert, Chairman and CEO. “His scientific experience and business acumen will continue to be invaluable to us as we develop new technologies to detect cancer earlier, optimize patient treatments and ultimately lower healthcare costs.”
“This is an exciting time in Caris’ development, as we are conducting such innovative and important research and are on the threshold of significant breakthroughs in blood-based diagnostics, prognostics, and theranostics,” said Dr. Knowles. “I am delighted to oversee the talented Caris research team, led by Senior Vice President for Research and Development, Dr. Christine Kuslich.”
Dr. Knowles attended Magdalen College School in Oxford and received a First Class Honours Degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. He received his Ph.D. in Genetics of Mitochondria with Professor G. H. Beale F.R.S. from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Dr. Knowles has been appointed a Professor of Translational Medicine at EPFL in Switzerland, has been awarded a Distinguished Professorship in Personalized Healthcare at the Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine at the University of Helsinki, and has been appointed a Visiting Chair at the University of Oxford.
About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences, a leading biosciences company, specializes in the development and commercialization of the highest quality anatomic pathology, molecular profiling, and blood-based diagnostic technologies, in the fields of oncology, dermatopathology, hematopathology, gastrointestinal pathology and urologic pathology. The company provides academic-caliber consultations for thousands of patients a day, through its industry-leading team of expert, subspecialty pathologists. Caris also offers advanced molecular analyses of patient samples through prognostic testing services and genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiling to assist physicians in their treatment of cancer. Currently, Caris is developing the Carisome™ platform, a proprietary, blood-based technology for diagnosis, prognosis, and theranosis of cancer and other complex diseases. Founded in 1996, the company is headquartered in the Dallas metroplex, and operates laboratories at the headquarters, as well as in the Phoenix and Boston metro areas.
