TORONTO, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - GeneNews Limited , formerly ChondroGene Limited, announced today that Dr. Roman L. Zastawny has been appointed Vice President of Biomarker Development. In this role he will lead the product development effort at GeneNews with primary responsibility for moving the Company’s first product, ColonSentry(TM), from R&D to commercialization.
Dr. Zastawny has worked in a number of medical device and biotech companies and has been involved in successfully developing in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products, moving them through the relevant US and Canadian regulatory processes, and then on through to full commercialization. As Vice President of Research and Development at Tm Bioscience Corporation, Dr. Zastawny led the team which produced the first multiple analyte human genetic disease test, a DNA genotyping test for cystic fibrosis, which was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an IVD in 2005. Most recently, as Vice President of Development at Novx Systems, Roman was involved in obtaining Health Canada approval for a near-patient analyzer system as a Class III Medical Device.
“Dr. Zastawny is a significant addition to our team as we move ColonSentry(TM) from the lab to the market,” stated K. Wayne Marshall, MD, PhD, President and CEO of GeneNews. “Roman’s recent involvement with the development of two complex molecular diagnostic assays as well as his scientific expertise add important depth to our capabilities and will be invaluable to us as we continue to build the infrastructure required for successful product development and commercialization.”
Dr. Zastawny received his B.Sc. degree and Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Toronto. He continued on to do a Medical Research Council of Canada Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto in Pharmacology. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry and has numerous publications and patents in the area of molecular biology.
About GeneNews
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GeneNews (formerly ChondroGene Limited) is focussed on the application of functional genomics to enable early diagnosis and personalized therapeutic intervention based on disease-specific biomarkers. The Company has developed a novel approach, the Sentinel Principle(TM), to detect and stage virtually any disease or medical condition from a simple blood sample. GeneNews is currently applying the Sentinel Principle in major areas with unmet clinical needs such as cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. GeneNews’ first product in development, ColonSentry(TM), is a blood-based test that can detect colon cancer and pre-cancerous polyps. For more information on GeneNews, visit www.genenews.com.
GeneNews Limited
CONTACT: Dr. K. Wayne Marshall, President & CEO, (416) 650-0060 x234,wmarshall@genenews.com; Bruno Maruzzo, Corporate Development, (416)650-0060 x237, bmaruzzo@genenews.com
