-- Industry veteran brings a successful track record fundraising and launching commercial products
-- Appointment strengthens the leadership team and positions the company for its targeted commercial launch
Immunexpress, Inc. (http://immunexpress.com/ ) today announced the appointment of Rolland D. Carlson, Ph.D., as chief executive officer, effective April 9, 2018. Dr. Carlson most recently served as President and CEO of WaferGen Biosystems. In his new role, he assumes responsibility for the continued development and commercialization of the company's lead product, SeptiCyte(TM), on the Idylla platform. SeptiCyte(TM) LAB is the first cleared ( http://www.immunexpress.com/.../ ) diagnostic tool by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for suspected sepsis patients in 2017.
"Rollie's passion and depth of experience in the diagnostic arena, coupled with his business savvy, make him perfectly suited to execute on Immunexpress' development strategy," said Robert Lilley, Chairman of the Board of Immunexpress. "Rollie brings leadership skills that will have a great impact on the company during our commercialization phase. His proven track-record of commitment to the highest standards are what Immunexpress needs to transition to the next level."
Dr. Carlson has a wealth of experience navigating the domestic and international diagnostic regulatory space, raising both public and private capital, successfully commercializing products and engaging sales, marketing and business development teams. He provided significant value to WaferGen during his two-year tenure by raising $17M in the public market, launching the ICELL8 single cell system and increasing revenue 78%, leading to the acquisition of the business by Takara Bio.
Dr. Carlson sees a very bright future for Immunexpress. "The company's development of a novel technology that provides a more accurate diagnosis of sepsis makes this a very exciting time to join Immunexpress," said Dr. Carlson. "Having partnered with the Immunexpress team in a previous position, I know the company and its employees are dedicated to providing reliable diagnostic tools and I look forward to commercializing these products to address the medical emergency posed by the incorrect diagnosis of sepsis. I look forward to leading Immunexpress in the years ahead."
Dr. Carlson brings over 25 years of global commercial, business development, new product development and general management experience in biotechnology. Prior to WaferGen, Dr. Carlson was President and CEO of Asuragen, a privately-held molecular diagnostic company. Under his leadership, he established company operations and developed 17 clinical products and services with sales of over $27 million in 2013. Prior to joining Asuragen, Dr. Carlson held increasingly senior positions at Abbott Laboratories over a 20-year period, including Vice President and General Manager of the Vysis molecular diagnostic business following its acquisition. In this role, he was wholly responsible for P&L; he tripled sales with a five-fold increase in profit; created and drove the commercialization strategy for UroVysion, one of the most successful oncology product introductions in the U.S. IVD market over the past 10 years. In previous positions, he was responsible for business development, licensing and strategic planning to establish new pharmaceutical and diagnostic platforms for the pediatric and women's health channels of the Ross Division of Abbott, and ran Abbott's global custom biopharmaceutical and specialty generics pharmaceutical business.
Dr. Carlson graduated with Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Physiology from Southern Illinois University and was a post-doctoral research fellow at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Research Institute, Ft. Pierce Florida.
SpencerStuart led the executive search on behalf of Immunexpress.
About Immunexpress
Immunexpress is a Seattle-based molecular diagnostic company committed to improving outcomes for patients suspected of sepsis. Immunexpress' SeptiCyte(TM) technology rapidly quantifies, directly from whole blood, specific molecular markers from the patient's own immune system - the 'host response'. SeptiCyte(TM) LAB, recently cleared by the FDA, is the first of its kind in using the host immune system to differentiate systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis. Detecting the host's response to infection has the potential to differentiate infection earlier, faster and more accurately than finding the invading pathogen because it is independent of whether or not the pathogen is present in the sample. Immunexpress' pipeline includes several assays for readily available instruments, including random access, point-of-care (POC) and sample-to-answer. ---
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