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Two new experts join the Diaceutics Advisory Panel

8 September, 2021

  • Two further Key Opinion Leaders provide their support for the Company’s DXRX platform, the  world’s first diagnostic commercialisation platform for Precision Medicine
  • Diaceutics’ advisory panel of global experts have more than 120 years of collective experience in Precision Medicine testing 
  • Panel is working with key stakeholders to unlock power of Precision Medicine and help patients to get timely access to the treatment they deserve
  • Specialists are part of a growing global network built by Diaceutics to transform the testing  ecosystem 

Diaceutics PLC (AIM: DXRX), the diagnostic commercialisation company, announces the addition of two  new Key Opinion Leaders to its Advisory Panel of experts to support and inform the development of its  DXRX platform – the world’s first diagnostic commercialisation platform for Precision Medicine. The new  additions to the panel are Dr. Avi Kulkarni, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Life Sciences Research &  Development at Cognizant, and Agathe Blanchon-Ehrsam, VP Long-Range Innovation and Portfolio Development at Danone. Dr. Avi Kulkarni has over 20 years’ experience in Personalised Medicine and brings a leadership view that  integrates four pillars: strategy, operational performance, entrepreneurship and scientific experience and  scholarship. Dr Kulkarni previously held management consultancy roles at IQVIA and Booz & Co, before  spending a decade in the biotechnology industry around Stanford University helping to build three  biotechnology start-ups: CareDx/XDx (CDNA), Lumen Therapeutics, and Aviir. 

His focus is on capabilities-led transformation of life sciences companies, and he has extensive experience  in drug and diagnostics product development, mergers and acquisitions, and commercialisation  processes. He has helped some of the world’s leading biotechnology companies develop cell and gene  therapies, build precision medicine capabilities, and diversify into new businesses and markets. Dr  Kulkarni will advise the Company on its strategy through execution, including the enablement of its DXRX  platform, providing advice related to positioning, portfolio prioritisation, product planning and business  development, as well as facilitating additional pharma industry introductions.  

Agathe Blanchon-Ehrsam, will join the panel as a Strategy Advisor for the DXRX platform. She brings over 20 years of strategic consulting experience, during which Blanchon-Ehrsam helped to build brands and grow organisations with strategic and hands-on experience across a variety of industries, including food and beverage, financial services, and healthcare. Long-term engagements for clients such as the New England Journal of Medicine and Pfizer further developed her deep understanding of the industry dynamics and of practitioner and patient behavior. Over the last five years, Blanchon-Ehrsam has had a special interest in applying platform design thinking to help companies find new sources of value creation and growth.

Dr. Avi Kulkarni, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Life Sciences Research & Development at  Cognizant said: 

For decades I have built strategies and helped enable Rx and Dx companies in their  biomarker-based transformations. As the world’s first diagnostic network for precision medicine, the DXRX  platform is already making a significant difference in how data is used and will positively impact how  patients are treated. I’m looking forward to helping Diaceutics further develop the DXRX platform and  continue the progress made to date.

Agathe Blanchon-Ehrsam, VP Long-Range Innovation and Portfolio Development at Danone said: 

 Accelerating cancer research and improving patient outcomes is one of the big challenges of our  generation. Solving it will require the entire healthcare ecosystem to work together. DXRX is already  changing how data is used, how partners collaborate and how patients are treated. I’m excited about the  potential for platform business strategy to further unlock connections and enable the move from siloed  solutions to more powerful, value-creating, and personalised answers.

Peter Keeling, CEO and Founder of Diaceutics PLC, commented:  

We are delighted to welcome two further experts to our network. As part of our dynamic group of  advisors, Avi and Agathe will help to guide our DXRX platform’s service offering and enhance the value we  deliver to pharma companies, laboratories and diagnostic companies. In turn, this will help to overcome  the obstacles currently present in the field of Precision Medicine and, more importantly, greatly benefit  patients by getting them access to the right treatment at the right time.

 Currently, the panel consists of Keith Kerr from Aberdeen University School of Medicine in Scotland  (Professor, Consultant Pathologist), US-based Kenneth J. Bloom of Invicro and Ambry Genetics (CMO, MD,  FCAP), Markus Eckstein from University Hospital Erlangen in Germany (MD) and Dr Anthony Magliocco of  Protean BioDiagnostics Inc. (Founder and CEO, Consultant Pathologist) in the USA.  

To date, the panel has undertaken extensive research into the inefficiencies in precision medicine testing  which are preventing patients from getting the treatment they need, when they need it. For example, the  Diaceutics study discussing the impact of COVID-19 on cancer diagnosis, which was accepted as an  abstract at the prestigious 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting,  demonstrates from the data that there was a significant decline in patients presenting to their primary  care physicians with suspicion of cancer for diagnostic investigation linked to COVID-19 prevention  strategies. As a result, it is predicted that these patients may subsequently present with a more advanced  cancer. Keith Kerr, Professor of Pulmonary Pathology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Advisor at Diaceutics  was an author on this abstract.

To learn more about our expert advisors, see here: Leadership Team - Diaceutics 

About Diaceutics

At Diaceutics we believe that every patient should get the precision medicine they deserve. We are a data analytics and end-to-end services provider enabled by DXRX - the world’s first Network solution for the development and commercialization of precision medicine diagnostics. 

Diaceutics has worked on every precision medicine brought to market and provides services to 36 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. We have built the world’s largest repository of diagnostic testing data with a growing network of 2500 labs in 51 countries.

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