SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 13, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crescendo Bioscience®, a molecular diagnostics company developing and commercializing quantitative, biology-based tests for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other auto-immune diseases, announced today that as part of the company's expansion, it has named Oscar Segurado, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Segurado will oversee the strategic growth and clinical development of Vectra™ DA, Crescendo Bioscience's test for measuring RA disease activity, as well as the research and development of other novel auto-immune and inflammatory tests. In addition, the company appointed David Chernoff, M.D., to the role of Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs. Dr. Chernoff will continue to build relationships and liaison with the medical community toeducate on the need for and advancement of molecular diagnostics in RA and other autoimmune diseases, and work closely with collaborators as the company grows its diagnostic portfolio.
"We are so pleased that Dr. Segurado has joined our experienced team at Crescendo Bioscience at such a critical juncture in our growth," said William Hagstrom, Chief Executive Officer, Crescendo Bioscience. "Oscar's deep understanding of the underlying biology of RA and the needs of patients and rheumatologists, as well as his experience in developing and establishing HUMIRA® (adalimumab) as the most prescribed RA biological therapy today, uniquely positions him to lead the charge in developing molecular diagnostics to improve patient care and long-term outcomes. His expertise complements Dr. Chernoff's strong connections with the medical community as we continue to grow Vectra DA's presence in the marketplace."
Dr. Segurado was most recently Vice President of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Becton Dickinson Biosciences where he established a clinical development organization and medical affairs function at the organization that was responsible for worldwide regulatory trials and investigational studies of cellular diagnostics in hematology/oncology, infectious diseases and regenerative medicine. Prior to that, he was with Abbott Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development as Global Head of the Cardiovascular Medical Affairs group. In addition, as Medical Director of the Immunology Clinical Development and Medical Affairs group at Abbott, Dr. Segurado contributed significantly to the establishment of HUMIRA, an anti-TNF drug, as the leading biological agent in rheumatic, GI, skin and other autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Segurado has authored more than 60 publications in medical and scientific journals including Lancet, Nature, Arthritis & Rheumatism, Journal of Immunology and Journal of Experimental Medicine. He has also presented more than 120 abstracts at national and international medical and scientific meetings. He is a current member of the International Council for Standardization in Hematology, the American Society of Hematology and a recipient of the Prix Galien-US Award for HUMIRA. Dr. Segurado received his M.D. in neurology at the University of Salamanca, Spain and his Ph.D. in neuroimmunology at the University of Wuerzburg, Germany.
"I am very excited to join Crescendo Bioscience, an innovative company focused on personalized medicine," said Dr. Segurado. "I was part of the revolutionary introduction of biological therapies for RA in the early 2000's. Today, we have nine biological agents approved and 50 more compounds in development, but the objective assessment of RA has not kept pace with these therapeutic breakthroughs. Crescendo Bioscience has a scientifically proven and highly reproducible molecular diagnostic test for RA that can provide rheumatologists with a reliable tool to help manage these patients. Crescendo Bioscience's biomarker assay platform and associated bioinformatics tools definitely represent the next generation of molecular diagnostics."
"I look forward to working with Oscar as we continue to grow our opportunities with Vectra DA and the biomarker assays," said David Chernoff, M.D. "Our collaboration with the RA medical community is critical to bringing rheumatologists the advanced diagnostic tools they need to better understand and manage the disease in order to help get their patients closer to remission, as well as to ultimately help them prevent debilitating symptoms due to ongoing inflammation."
Rebecca J. Bolce also joins the Crescendo Bioscience team as Director of Medical Affairs. Rebecca previously worked at Janssen Services, Inc. for 19 years with the last 11 years focused in rheumatology, where she led investigator-initiated and company-sponsored studies with infliximab, golimumab, and ustekinumab. She also served as medical science liaison establishing key relationships with collaborators, particularly in the areas of Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis.
About Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
RA is a debilitating, highly variable, chronic disease affecting approximately 1.5 million Americans and more than 2 million people in Europe. The primary symptoms of RA are joint inflammation, pain and fatigue, with the disease often resulting in joint damage and disability. RA is a systemic disease and can significantly damage other parts of the body as well, resulting in infection, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death for RA patients.
Clinicians assess RA based on three factors: disease activity (clinical signs and symptoms), structural damage such as erosions, and functional status (including pain). Current assessment tools used by physicians are qualitative and subjective and may not identify the underlying changes of the disease.
Early and accurate detection of RA, followed with frequent monitoring and responsive therapeutic adjustments, is critical to improving clinical outcomes. Advocates, such as the American College of Rheumatology, are developing "Treat to Target Remission" and "Tight Control" guidelines to help clinicians manage patients to achieve both clinical remission and structural damage remission, which leads to improved functional status.
About Vectra™ DA
Vectra DA is the only multi-biomarker blood test for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity that simultaneously integrates 12 key proteins consistently associated with RA disease activity into a single objective score to help physicians make more informed treatment decisions. Vectra DA testing is performed at Crescendo Bioscience's state-of-the-art CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) facility and test results are reported back within 7-10 days of receipt of sample. Physicians can either receive test results via standard mail or fax or via the private web portal, VectraView. For more information on Vectra DA, please visit, www.Vectra-DA.com.
About Crescendo Bioscience®, Inc.
Crescendo Bioscience is a molecular diagnostics company focused in rheumatology and located in South San Francisco, CA. Crescendo Bioscience develops quantitative, objective, biology-based tests to provide rheumatologists with deeper clinical insights to help enable more effective management of patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.CrescendoBio.com.