Exagen Inc. (Nasdaq: XGN), an organization dedicated to
transforming the care continuum for patients suffering from
debilitating and chronic autoimmune diseases by enabling timely
differential diagnosis and optimizing therapeutic intervention,
today announced that it has formed a Scientific Advisory Board
(SAB) consisting of national experts in the clinical management of
rheumatic autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and
lupus.
Ron Rocca, President and CEO at Exagen stated, “Our new
scientific advisors will help guide the organization’s leadership
team on the design and execution of research projects as well as
weigh-in on known and anticipated advances in technologies
affecting clinical management of autoimmune diseases.” Members of
the SAB include; Dr. Arthur Weinstein, Dr. Joel Kremer, Dr. Anca
Askanase, Dr. Andrew Concoff, Dr. Maureen McMahon, and Dr.
Vasileios Kyttaris.
Dr. Arthur Weinstein, Chief Medical Officer at Exagen explained,
“I am delighted to serve as Chairperson for the Exagen SAB and I am
confident we have assembled the right people to provide sound
guidance to the company on all research-related matters. The group
was formalized during a recent meeting of the American College of
Rheumatology and routine meetings will occur quarterly to help
ensure timely execution of projects. The composition of experts
represents a broad array of clinical and academic experience and
includes expertise in lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, health
economics, and patient registries.” Additional biographical
highlights are listed below for each member.
Anca Dinu Askanase, MD is the founder and
Director of Columbia's Lupus Center and the Director of
Rheumatology Clinical Trials. Dr. Askanase is Associate Professor
of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
and an internationally renowned clinician, diagnostician and
researcher with more than 20 years specializing in complex Systemic
Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Dr. Askanase trained as a rheumatologist
at New York University where she remained for more than 15 years on
faculty, directing clinical trials, training fellows and residents,
and treating challenging cases of SLE at NYU's prestigious
hospitals.
In addition to numerous publications and benchmark clinical
trials, Dr. Askanase is a member of the two major international
consortia aimed at providing the collaboration between lupus
doctors needing to improve outcomes and therapies in Lupus: the
SLICC (SLE international Collaborating Clinics) and the LNTN (Lupus
Nephritis Trial Network). Dr. Askanase served as the Site Principal
Investigator in the registrational study that led to the FDA
approval of Belimumab, the first new Lupus drug in over 50 years.
Dr. Askanase also designed and executed the only study looking at a
rational approach (based on pharmacogenetics and metabolite
measurement) to use azathioprine in the treatment of Lupus.
Andrew Concoff, MD, FACR, CAQSM brings a
tremendous range of clinical experience to the Exagen Scientific
Advisory Board. Over the past fifteen years, Dr. Concoff applied
his training as one of the few doctors in the nation to have
completed fellowships in both Rheumatology and Sports Medicine to
his private practice at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton,
California. Along with his clinical practice at St. Jude, he served
as Medical Director for Outpatient Rehabilitation, leading the
transition to evidence-driven physical therapy and the development
of a value-based low back pain assessment and treatment program at
St. Jude. Dr. Concoff presently serves fulltime as Executive Vice
President, Chief Value Medical Officer with United
Rheumatology.
Dr. Concoff received a Career Development Award from the
National Institutes of Health for his research in exercise for knee
osteoarthritis. He has remained active in clinical research and
teaching, including lecturing nationally on topics including sports
injuries, ultrasound, and tendon disorders. His published research
includes health economic analyses in rheumatic diseases and
participation in guideline development on behalf of numerous
medical societies. Dr. Concoff has served as a clinical reviewer
for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review
cost-effectiveness assessments of targeted synthetic and biologic
medications for rheumatoid arthritis.
Joel M Kremer, MD graduated from Temple
University School of Medicine in 1974 where he was elected to Alpha
Omega Alpha honorary medical society.After training at Albany
Medical Center and Albany Medical College he joined the faculty
there and became Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of
Rheumatology in 1990. While at AMC he was in charge of the Medicine
course for 2nd year students (156 teaching hours) for 6 years and
the fellowship director for Rheumatology. He was also
appointed to be fellowship director for the Department of Medicine
in 1996 and prepared each division for a successful ACGME
review.
His research activities have focused on the clinical efficacy
and toxicity of methotrexate (MTX) following a cohort with multiple
publications through 13 years of treatment. He established the
hepatic safety of MTX with prospective liver biopsies and frequent
lab testing. He has published extensively on the metabolism,
mechanism of action, efficacy and toxicity of the drug including
pulmonary, hepatic, laboratory, cutaneous, infectious and
malignancy associations. He was a recipient of the Engalitcheff
Award from the Arthritis Foundation in 1997 for “outstanding
contributions to the field of rheumatology in the past 10
years”. He has also published on the dietary effects of n-3
fatty acids (fish oil) in patients with RA.
Since 1999, his research has focused more on the clinical safety
and toxicity of both biologic agents and targeted therapies of RA.
He has been an invited speaker at the annual meeting of the ACR on
7 occasions focusing on MTX, fish oil and the value of different
research modalities. He has published 300 peer-reviewed
manuscripts, 11 book chapters and 4 books.
In 2001, Dr. Kremer founded Corrona a registry of patients with
rheumatic diseases that has contributed 144 peer-reviewed
manuscripts to the rheumatology literature.
He is a Master of the ACR and has served on the Editorial Boards
of Arthritis and Rheumatism, The Journal of Rheumatology and
Arthritis Care and Research.
He is President and founder of the not-for-profit Corrona
Research Foundation that engages and empowers academic physicians
from around the country to use Corrona data. He is the Pfaff Family
Professor of Medicine at Albany Medical College.
Vasileios Kyttaris, MD is Assistant Professor
and Director Rheumatology Training Program, Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School,
Boston, MA. He received his medical degree from University of
Patras School of Medicine in Greece and has been in practice for
more than 20 years. His Rheumatology training was at the Washington
Hospital Center/Georgetown University Hospital under Dr Arthur
Weinstein (clinical) and Dr George Tsokos (laboratory). Dr.
Kyttaris serves as a reviewer to numerous top tier journals and
received the Top Medical Reviewer award from Arthritis &
Rheumatology in 2018. He was also the recipient of the Mary Betty
Stevens award for young lupus investigator 2016. As an expert
in the clinical and laboratory features of Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus (SLE) Dr. Kyttaris has authored over 75 publications
and presents lectures at the national and international level.
Maureen A. McMahon, MD is an Associate
Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief, Division of Rheumatology
at the UCLA School of Medicine. She graduated from the University
of Chicago Pritzker school of Medicine in 1997. She completed a
residency in Internal Medicine at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's
Medical Center in Chicago in 2000 and served as chief resident in
Medicine in 2001. Dr. McMahon completed a fellowship in
Rheumatology at UCLA in 2003 and received a master's degree in
Clinical Research from UCLA in 2005.
Arthur Weinstein, MD, FRCP, MACR., will serve
as Chair of the SAB and has been Exagen’s Chief Medical Officer
since October 2017. Dr. Weinstein has a long academic career with a
clinical and research focus on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and
other Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases. Currently, he is Clinical
Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Georgetown University and has
served as Professor since 2002. He is also Clinical Professor of
Medicine, Loma Linda University. In addition, Dr Weinstein is
Emeritus Chief of Rheumatology, Associate Chair of the Department
of Medicine at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center in D.C. He
has served in leadership roles on the Board of Directors for the
Lupus Foundation of America's D.C./ Maryland/ Virginia Chapter
since 2002. Dr. Weinstein was elected Fellow of the Royal College
of Physicians (UK) in 2011 and was recognized as Master (2009) and
received a Distinguished Service Award (2015) by the American
College of Rheumatology. Dr. Weinstein received an M.D. from the
University of Toronto and completed his residency and fellowship
training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of
Toronto and University of London (UK).
About Exagen Inc.Exagen is dedicated to
transforming the care continuum for patients suffering from
debilitating and chronic autoimmune diseases by enabling timely
differential diagnosis and optimizing therapeutic intervention.
Exagen has developed and is commercializing a portfolio of
innovative testing products under its AVISE brand, several of which
are based on our proprietary Cell-Bound Complement Activation
Products, or CB-CAPs, technology. Exagen’s goal is to enable
rheumatologists to improve care for patients through the
differential diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of complex
autoimmune and autoimmune-related diseases, including SLE and
rheumatoid arthritis. For further information please visit
www.exagen.com.
Forward Looking StatementsExagen cautions you
that statements in this press release that are not a description of
historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements
are based on the Company's current beliefs and expectations. Such
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to,
statements regarding the expected guidance from the Exagen
Scientific Advisory Board, and any potential for increased use of
AVISE laboratory tests. The inclusion of forward-looking
statements should not be regarded as a representation by Exagen
that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ
from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and
uncertainties inherent in Exagen’s business, including, without
limitation: Exagen’s commercial success depends upon attaining and
maintaining significant market acceptance of its testing products
and promoted therapeutics among rheumatologists, patients,
third-party payers and others in the medical community; risks
associated with maintaining third-party collaborations such as
consulting advisors and Exagen’s performance thereunder; and other
risks described in the Company’s prior press releases and in the
Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company’s
Registration Statement on Form S-1 and any subsequent filings with
the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof,
and we undertake no obligation to revise or update this press
release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by
this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995.
Investors:Westwicke PartnersMike
CavanaughMike.Cavanaugh@westwicke.com646.677.1838
Company:Exagen Inc.Brian
McEvillybmcevilly@exagen.com760.560.1506
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