PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Episona Inc., an epigenetics data company focused on improving outcomes in reproductive health, announced today that it has appointed Bob King, formerly of Good Start Genetics and a veteran in the field of reproductive health, as vice president, sales. Mr. King will oversee the commercial expansion of Episona’s Seed test for evaluating male factor infertility and embryo quality.
“Bob’s expertise and track record launching new products in the field of genetics and reproductive health will prove invaluable to Episona in this time of rapid growth for the company,” said Episona CEO Alan Horsager. “We are thrilled to have Bob join our team and look forward to his contributions as we expand the commercial footprint of Seed.”
Mr. King has nearly 20 years of experience in the reproductive health space. Most recently, he served as director of business development and strategic accounts at Good Start Genetics, where he secured large volumes of revenue for the company’s flagship carrier screening product, GeneVu, and directed the launch of the pre-genetic screening test, EmbryVu. Mr. King was also a member of the founding commercial team at Natera, serving as area sales director. He also spent eight years at EMD Serono. Mr. King earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from East Carolina University.
“Episona’s Seed test for evaluating male factor infertility and embryo quality is a significant innovation in the field of men’s reproductive health,” Mr. King said. “I am excited to be joining the Episona team to help bring Seed to more patients and physicians looking for additional information to help guide their fertility treatment decisions and to have healthy babies sooner.”
Seed is currently available in approximately two dozen fertility clinics in 12 states and Canada. A physician-ordered test for use at home or in a fertility clinic, Seed evaluates the patient’s risk of male factor infertility and poor embryo development. Male factor risk can help identify the severity of a patient’s case, helping both the physician and patient understand whether to pursue less invasive procedures such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) or move directly to in vitro fertilization (IVF). By analyzing sperm’s role in embryo development, Seed results can help identify problems that might occur with IVF and provide some answers if an IVF cycle fails or, in the case of seeking a donor, whether a male or female donor would be preferred.
Seed’s novel approach is based on the science of epigenetics, which examines external or environmental factors such as aging, smoking, obesity, environmental exposure or even exercise that can cause changes to the layer on top of the DNA known as the epigenome. These modifications to the DNA alter how genes are expressed, or read, which in turn can impact how genes function.
About Episona Inc.
Episona is an epigenetics data company focused on improving reproductive health outcomes. The company’s first commercial product, Seed, evaluates epigenetic changes on DNA to predict the risk of male factor fertility and embryo quality. Epigenetics is the study of the environmental and external modifications to DNA that alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. Episona intends to develop additional epigenetic-based tests for other conditions and diseases in which epigenetics may play a role, such neurodevelopmental disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and alcoholism. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Pasadena, CA.
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SOURCE Episona Inc.
