LA JOLLA, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- DermTech, a biotechnology company developing molecular diagnostics for the early detection of melanoma and other diseases, today announced that Herbert A. Fritsche, Ph.D., has joined DermTech's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Fritsche is Professor and Chief of Clinical Chemistry at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and one of the world's experts in the development and validation of cancer diagnostics for early disease detection and in the fast-growing area of translational research, moving research into clinical practice.
"We are honored that Dr. Fritsche is joining DermTech's Scientific Advisory Board and we are delighted to welcome him to the company," said George Schwartz, CEO, DermTech. "Dr. Fritsche has been with M.D. Anderson for almost 40 years and is one of the pioneers of today's molecular diagnostic assays for cancer detection and predicting drug response. His expertise will clearly be a major asset to DermTech as we are moving forward at an accelerated pace to develop our first product for the non-invasive early detection of melanoma."
"I am very pleased to become a member of DermTech's SAB and assist the company as it continues to optimize its novel melanoma assay and develops additional diagnostics using its "tape stripping" technology for the early detection of disease," said Herbert A. Fritsche, Ph.D. "This is an exciting time in medicine - in the field of cancer, I predict that within 10 years and maybe less, no major treatment decisions will be made without first consulting a laboratory test. I am looking forward to applying my experience to what I believe will be the next-generation approach to improved cancer detection."
Dr. Fritsche's career at M.D. Anderson includes some of the earliest work in translational research including the development of blood and tissue tests for protein tumor markers (CEA, AFP, HCG, LDH, B2M, estrogen and progesterone receptors), more recently, tests for circulating DNA (promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes for prostate cancer detection), urine mRNA survivin for bladder cancer detection and circulating tumor cell assays for establishing prognosis of patients with metastatic cancers.
Dr. Fritsche received his B.S. from the University of Houston (Chemistry), and M.S. and Ph.D. from Texas A & M University. Additionally, as Captain, Medical Service Corps, he completed a two-year assignment at the First US Army Medical Laboratory at Ft. Meade, MD before joining the faculty of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
About DermTech:
Headquartered in La Jolla, California, DermTech International is focused on the development and validation of molecular tests using specimens obtained from the skin. The company's proprietary Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval (EGIR(TM)) technology is in clinical studies to evaluate its potential as a non-invasive diagnostic for melanoma and other major diseases. It is also being studied in the context of tracking treatment efficacy for a variety of dermatologic and other conditions, including the effects of drugs on skin at the molecular level in advance of observable clinical results. DermTech is actively pursuing research using EGIR(TM) and its applications in the areas of melanoma, prostate cancer and various skin disorders, such as psoriasis. For additional information visit http://www.dermtech.com.
SOURCE DermTech
