ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. and SAN DIEGO, Sept. 22, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exagen Diagnostics, a commercial-stage diagnostics company committed to addressing the significant unmet need for the accurate diagnosis and monitoring of patients affected by autoimmune rheumatic diseases, today announced that Frank Witney, Ph.D. and John M. Radak were appointed as independent directors of the company, effective September 18, 2014. In conjunction with these appointments, Samuel D. Riccitelli and Michael J. Walsh will no longer serve on the Board. As a result of these changes, Exagen's Board of Directors now consists of seven members, of which six are independent directors.
"We are pleased to welcome Frank and John to the Board. Frank's 34 years of experience across all aspects of strategic, operational and tactical functions of public organizations will add a valuable perspective to our Board of Directors," said Ron Rocca, President and CEO of Exagen Diagnostics. "John brings more than 30 years of experience in strategic planning, business development, cash flow management, treasury, financial planning, accounting and investor relations, as well as commercial diagnostic knowledge to our company. We thank both Sam and Michael for their service on the Board."
Dr. Witney currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Affymetrix, Inc., a company focused on genomics analysis. Before becoming President and Chief Executive Officer of Affymetrix in July 2011, he was the CEO of Dionex Corporation, a manufacturer of chromatography systems, which was acquired by Thermo Fisher in May 2011. Dr. Witney's past board seats include Transgenomic, Inc., Applied Precision Inc. and One Lambda, Inc., and he currently serves on the boards of Affymetrix and Cerus Corporation. Dr Witney completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and received his Ph.D. from Indiana University.
Mr. Radak has more than 30 years of financial experience in the healthcare, life sciences and emerging technology industries. He is currently the chief financial officer of ArborGen Inc., a developer of biotechnology products. Prior to that, Mr. Radak was the chief financial officer of SkinIt Inc., a company specializing in the personalization of consumer electronic devices, and before that, he was the chief financial officer of Quidel Corporation, a medical diagnostics company. Mr. Radak has a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from California State University in Fullerton, and he received his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.
About Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.
Exagen Diagnostics, Inc. is a commercial-stage diagnostics company committed to addressing the significant unmet need for the accurate diagnosis and monitoring of patients affected by autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs). The company currently markets four products under its Avise brand to provide an accurate, timely and differential diagnosis and to optimize the treatment of ARDs. The company's lead product, Avise SLE+CT, is a proprietary diagnostic test that provides an enhanced solution for patients presenting with symptoms indicative of a wide variety of ARDs such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome and scleroderma and other disorders that mimic ARDs such as fibromyalgia and autoimmune thyroid disease. Exagen is headquartered in and maintains its clinical laboratory in San Diego, California, and also maintains an office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.exagen.com .
Investor Contact: Westwicke Partners Mark Klausner, 443-213-0501 or Jamar Ismail, 415-513-1280
