VIDIUM ANIMAL HEALTH EXPANDS MANAGEMENT TEAM
As Head of Veterinary Affairs, Esther Chon, DVM, DACVIM(O), is a veterinary oncologist who works closely with specialists and general practitioners in the veterinary community to understand their needs and raise awareness of SearchLight DNA.™ SearchLight DNA is Vidium’s extensively validated diagnostic test that can aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer and inform treatment decisions. Having worked directly in oncology practice settings with pets and their families, Dr. Chon has guided many patients and clients through their cancer journeys with both expertise and compassion. She says that Vidium’s mission of reimagining the future of pet cancer care is one that strongly resonates with her. “The reason many cancers don’t perform as expected is that there’s more we need to know at the molecular level. The answer lies in having a better understanding of the genetic anomalies of tumors,” she said.
Vidium’s new Head of Clinical Curation, Guannan Wang, PhD, is helping to close the gap between human oncology and veterinary oncology by expanding Vidium’s first-of-its-kind database to further the collective understanding of cancer in pets. She and her team are leveraging cutting-edge technology and up-to-date scientific information to incorporate genomic, phenotypic, and other clinically relevant information into Vidium’s precision medicine knowledge database. In her previous position as a Senior Research Investigator at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Wang made major contributions to understanding the genomic basis of cancer care and building precision medicine tools. “I continue to be impressed by the quality of work we do here at Vidium and our dedication to unimpeachable science,” she said. “The ability to provide a more precise diagnosis has the potential to change the course of treatment and improve cancer management.
As Vice President of Strategy, Innovation, and Diagnostics, Derick Whitley, DVM, DACVP, incorporates deep expertise in veterinary oncology diagnostics into overseeing and evolving Vidium’s clinical laboratory operations. Dr. Whitley also advances the company’s mission of putting genomic diagnostics and data to work with partners in the human and animal health industries. Before joining Vidium, Dr. Whitley was Assistant Chief of Anatomic Pathology at Antech Diagnostics, where he saw firsthand how microscopic and molecular data can be used to guide a patient’s diagnosis. “I’ve been fascinated by cancer genomics for years,” he said. “I see how genomics has been critical in improving human oncology and see its remarkable potential for adding missing information to the cancer diagnostic workup in pets.
In his role as Head of Bioinformatics and Product Development, Zhanyang Zhu, Ph.D., leads a diverse technical team in the discovery, development, and enhancement of diagnostic tests and data systems, with the goal of helping veterinary oncologists provide better care to patients. Prior to joining Vidium, Dr. Zhu oversaw R&D and bioinformatics departments in diverse academic and industrial genomic diagnostic companies. Most recently, he served as Genomic Informatics Manager at Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine and Director of Bioinformatics at Ambry Genetics. Dr. Zhu is excited to be part of an organization on the cutting edge of veterinary genomics. “We have been using genomic diagnostics to help human patients for years,” explained Dr. Zhu. “Through the cutting-edge application of this science at Vidium, we’re extending genomic innovation to our pets who so dearly need it.”
“We’re very fortunate to have these remarkable clinicians and scientists joining our team,” noted William Hendricks, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Vidium. “We recognize that maximizing the impact of genomics in veterinary oncology is going to require diverse know-how, spanning human clinical genomics, canine cancer genomics, clinical oncology, and traditional pathology and diagnostics. So it has been critically important for us to be able to expand Vidium’s expertise and capabilities by adding these accomplished leaders to our organization.” David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., President and Co-founder of Vidium agreed. “We’ve been able to attract extraordinary people to Vidium because of the culture we’ve created—one that’s intentionally built on unimpeachable science and doing good for the pets we love. The newest members of our leadership team are all committed to the same mission. Together, we are working to shift paradigms in cancer care.”
ABOUT VIDIUM ANIMAL HEALTH
Vidium Animal Health, a subsidiary of Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), is committed to advancing the understanding of disease to give pets the fullest lives possible. The company provides diagnostic tests to veterinary oncologists, general practitioners, and pet parents, and is passionate about unraveling the genetic components of common and complex diseases, including cancer. Vidium was built on a foundation of unimpeachable science and is led by a knowledgeable and experienced team with deep veterinary and clinical genomic roots.
ABOUT TGEN, AN AFFILIATE OF CITY OF HOPE
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based nonprofit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life-changing results. TGen is affiliated with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases: CityofHope.org. This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases through cutting-edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research toward patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and complex rare diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process.
For more information, visit tgen.org. Follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter @TGen
Beth Davis
Circa Healthcare
+1 919-624-5424
email us here
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June 02, 2021, 15:00 GMT
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