Dr. David Ahlquist, co-inventor of Cologuard, named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

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Dec 04, 2019, 16:30 ET

MADISON, Wis. and ROCHESTER, Minn., Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: EXAS) today announced Dr. David Ahlquist, co-inventor of Cologuard^® and emeritus professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Ahlquist's work has helped more than 3 million people get screened noninvasively for colorectal cancer with Cologuard.

The NAI recognized Ahlquist for the impact of his career and inventions. He holds 42 issued patents in the areas of colorectal cancer screening and neoplasm detection.

The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors responsible for creating or facilitating inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

"From our first meeting 10 years ago, Dr. Ahlquist and the Mayo Clinic team focused on the power of cancer screening and early detection," said Kevin Conroy, chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. "Dr. Ahlquist's vision led the way in achieving what many people thought was impossible — creating a noninvasive, highly-sensitive, and patient-friendly colon cancer screening test."

The 2019 Fellow class represents 136 research universities, governmental, and non-profit research institutes worldwide. The Fellows collectively hold more than 3,500 issued U.S. patents.

Media Contact:
Cara Connelly, [email protected], 614-302-5622

Investor Contact:
Megan Jones, [email protected], 608-535-8815

About Exact Sciences Corp.
A leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Exact Sciences relentlessly pursues smarter solutions providing the clarity to take life-changing action, earlier. Building on the success of Cologuard and Oncotype DX, Exact Sciences is investing in its product pipeline to take on some of the deadliest cancers and improve patient care. Exact Sciences unites visionary collaborators to help advance the fight against cancer. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.exactsciences.com, follow Exact Sciences on Twitter @ExactSciences or find Exact Sciences on Facebook.

About Cologuard
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August 2014, and results from Exact Sciences' prospective 90-site, point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2014. Cologuard is included in the American Cancer Society's (2018) colorectal cancer screening guidelines and the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2016) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2016). Cologuard is indicated to screen adults 45 years of age and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer by detecting certain DNA markers and blood in the stool. Do not use Cologuard if you have had precancer, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. Cologuard performance in adults ages 45-49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older. Cologuard performance in repeat testing has not been evaluated.

The Cologuard test result should be interpreted with caution. A positive test result does not confirm the presence of cancer. Patients with a positive test result should be referred for diagnostic colonoscopy. A negative test result does not confirm the absence of cancer. Patients with a negative test result should discuss with their doctor when they need to be tested again. False positives and false negative results can occur. In a clinical study, 13% of people without cancer or precancer received a positive result (false positive) and 8% of people with cancer received a negative result (false negative).

Medicare and most major insurers cover Cologuard. For more information about Cologuard, visit www.cologuardtest.com. Rx Only.

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About the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI has a close collaborative relationship with the USPTO and is one of three honorific organizations, along with the National Medals and National Inventors Hall of Fame, working closely with the USPTO on many discovery and innovation support initiatives. The NAI publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation. www.academyofinventors.org

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