NEWARK, Calif., July 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CellScape Corp, a molecular diagnostics company developing the first non-invasive prenatal genetic test using fetal cells from maternal blood, today announced the appointment of Ted Snelgrove as Chief Executive Officer effective July 15, 2013.
"Ted has a proven track record of successfully launching cutting-edge molecular diagnostic products and rapidly growing market share by pioneering innovative commercialization strategies," said CellScape Co-Founder & Executive Chairman Karen Drexler. "We look forward to utilizing his valuable experience and leadership to drive CellScape's growth as we prepare for the launch of the Clarity™ Prenatal Test, a more comprehensive and safe prenatal testing solution."
Founded in 2008, CellScape has developed a proprietary fetal cell technology which enables it to isolate fetal cells specific to the current pregnancy from a simple maternal blood draw at any point after nine weeks gestation. By isolating these cells, CellScape can access the pure and complete fetal genome and use targeted Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (CMA) to detect prenatally relevant cytogenetic abnormalities. The Clarity™ Prenatal Test will transform prenatal genetic testing by allowing doctors to test for more abnormalities earlier, safer, and more accurately than with other tests.
Ted brings more than 20 years of commercial experience launching new molecular diagnostic and therapeutic products to his new role. He joins CellScape from Crescendo Bioscience, where as Chief Commercial Officer he managed all aspects of the company's successful efforts to commercialize Vectra ® DA, the first in a suite of molecular diagnostic tests for rheumatology. Before joining Crescendo, he was Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Genomic Health, where he led the commercial development and launch of Onctotype DX ® for recurrence risk assessment in early-stage breast cancer. He has also held business development, marketing, and product management roles at ALZA, Amgen, Immunex and Eli Lilly & Co. He received an MBA in Marketing from the University of Michigan. Ted replaces Bhairavi Parikh, Co-Founder of CellScape who has transitioned to the role of Chief Technology Officer.
"I'm very excited to join CellScape as we prepare to launch the revolutionary Clarity Prenatal Test," Snelgrove said. "The Clarity Test represents a major breakthrough in prenatal testing by providing the ability to analyze the DNA of fetal cells purified from maternal blood. I believe that it should provide women and their partners with the ability to learn as much information about the genetic health of their fetus as they desire, without having to balance risk with knowledge. Bhairavi has assembled a great team and I am honored to come in at this stage and help the Company move to the level with a commercial offering."
About the Clarity™ Prenatal Genetic Test
The Clarity Test will use chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) of fetal DNA to detect a large but targeted set of known genetic disorders that currently cannot be detected without invasive testing. CMA is already used by many laboratories to analyze DNA from fetal cells collected via invasive procedures because the higher resolution of CMA enables detection of far more abnormalities than karyotyping; CellScape's innovation will make this technology available to women earlier and noninvasively. In addition to all trisomies, the Clarity Test will detect the majority of chromosomal duplication and deletion syndromes (copy number variants, CNVs) identified as prenatally relevant by groups such as the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) and the International Standards for Cytogenomic Arrays (ISCA) Consortium. In a recent study sponsored by the NCHID, it was shown that these syndromes, collectively, occur at a rate 4x higher than trisomies.
About CellScape Corporation
CellScape Corporation is an innovative molecular diagnostics company developing a more comprehensive and safe prenatal testing solution for women. CellScape's proprietary Fetal Cell Technology will enable accurate detection of a wide range of fetal chromosomal and single-gene disorders, reduce unnecessary invasive testing and identify women who may benefit from in-utero therapy. The Company recently completed a Series B financing. For additional information, please visit www.cellscapecorp.com .
David Carey/Tanner Kaufman Lazar Partners Ltd. 212 867 1768
