Saladax Biomedical, Inc. Names Edward Chu, M.D., Chair of the Company's Scientific Advisory Board

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Saladax Biomedical, Inc., a privately held company developing and commercializing novel diagnostic assays to achieve the promise of personalized medicine for new and existing therapeutics, announced today that Edward Chu, M.D., has accepted to chair the company's scientific advisory board (SAB).

Dr. Chu, who serves as chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is deputy director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and is co-leader of the UPCI Molecular Therapeutics and Drug Discovery Program.  In this role, Dr. Chu is involved in basic, clinical and translational cancer research.  He has a broad background in cancer pharmacology, cancer drug development and clinical investigations and his main research efforts have focused on the design and development of novel agents and treatment approaches for the treatment of colorectal cancer and other gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, in addition to early Phase I and II clinical development of novel small molecules for non-GI cancers and other solid tumors.

Prior to his position at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Chu served as deputy director of the Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine.  While at Yale, Dr. Chu held roles including associate director of clinical research, chief of Yale's section of medical oncology, professor of medicine and pharmacology and co-director of the developmental therapeutics program at the Yale Cancer Center.  Before Yale, Dr. Chu was director of the VACT Cancer Center for nearly 10 years and also served as the senior clinical investigator of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Navy Medical Oncology Branch.

"We are delighted Dr. Chu has accepted to chair Saladax's scientific advisory board," said Edward L. Erickson, president and CEO of Saladax.  "Given his extensive experience and impressive track record, we are confident his expertise will help our company's unique diagnostic products expand globally."

"Given my background, I'm eager to contribute to Saladax's goal of personalizing patient care through the company's MyCare™ platform and companion diagnostic products," said Dr. Chu.  "Saladax's technology has the potential to revolutionize the way physicians manage and administer cancer treatment for their patients who are in great need of personalized and targeted care."

Dr. Chu is a graduate of Brown University with B.S., M.M.S., and M.D. degrees and also completed his residency training in internal medicine at Brown before moving to the NCI where he completed a fellowship in medical oncology.  Dr. Chu is also the editor-in-chief for "Clinical Colorectal Cancer," a member of the scientific advisory boards of the Taiwan National Institute of Cancer Research, Albert Einstein Cancer Center and the Dartmouth Norris Cancer Center.  Dr. Chu is also serving as a full member for the NIH/NCI IRG Subcommittee A Study Section until 2012.  He is also the author of the "Physicians' Cancer Chemotherapy Drug Manual," which provides a comprehensive review of all major cancer drugs and drug treatment regimens currently used in daily clinical practice by medical oncologists and health care professionals.  The manual is recognized as a leading publication in the cancer field.  

Because of his extensive experience, Dr. Chu has received the "New York Magazine Top Doctor for Cancer (Medical Oncology)" and the "Castle Connolly American's Top Doctor for Cancer" every year since 2005.  In 2005, he was also elected as a fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

About Saladax Biomedical, Inc.

Saladax Biomedical develops and commercializes novel diagnostic assays to achieve the promise of personalized medicine through dose management and companion diagnostic products for existing and new therapeutics.  The Company's dose management technology enables physicians to optimize drug dosing to meet individual patient needs, leading to improved response and quality of life.  The Company's 15 MyCare™ dose management assays are comprised of proprietary, automated and cost-effective in vitro diagnostic tests, with a principal focus in oncology.  The first MyCare assay available is for one of the most common anticancer drugs, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).  This assay is sold by Saladax in Europe as a CE-marked product and will be distributed in Japan by FALCO biosystems.  In the United States and Canada, Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc. provides testing for 5-FU dose optimization under the trademark OnDose® through a license to Saladax proprietary technology.  Saladax also works with pharmaceutical companies to develop companion diagnostics to provide important clinical information to assist in developing and administering new and existing compounds.  For more information, visit www.saladax.com, or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Saladax.

Saladax Biomedical, Inc.
Edward L. Erickson
President and Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]

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SOURCE Saladax Biomedical, Inc.