Epic Sciences Appoints Richard J. Wenstrup, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer
San Diego, CA, April 22, 2019. — Epic Sciences, Inc. announced today the appointment of Richard J. Wenstrup, M.D. as chief medical officer. In this role, Dr. Wenstrup will lead clinical development, regulatory and medical affairs strategies for the company and be responsible for advancing the company’s clinical research and product development pipeline.
“Rick brings a wealth of clinical and oncology leadership experience to Epic Sciences, as an executive in the global diagnostic industry, a physician and tenured professor, and is an important addition to our leadership team,” said Lloyd Sanders, president and CEO at Epic Sciences. “His extensive clinical background in oncology, genetics and pharmacogenomics in both the U.S. and international markets strengthens our organization’s capabilities as we advance our leading Functional Cell Profiling technology and programs into the clinic, leveraging our clinical expertise in biomarker strategies and patient selection.”
“It’s an exciting time to join Epic Sciences during this time of growth and evolution,” said Dr. Wenstrup. “As we build on the success of the AR-V7 test for advanced prostate cancer, currently sold by Genomic Health as the Oncotype DX® AR-V7 Nucleus Detect™ test, I am looking forward to advancing our menu of diagnostic tests to provide actionable, patient-specific data to improve patient outcomes in breast cancer and immuno-oncology. I strongly believe Epic’s Functional Cell Profiling technology and diverse pipeline are also uniquely positioned to support our pharmaceutical partners’ development of cancer therapies and deliver on our mission to bring precision therapies to cancer patients and extend patient lives.”
For the past 25 years, Dr. Wenstrup served in a variety of clinical leadership roles managing life science companies before joining industry from academia. Dr. Wenstrup was previously chief medical officer for Oxford Immunotec, Inc., where he oversaw research and development, product development, regulatory, medical and clinical affairs. From 2006-2017, he served as chief medical officer for Myriad Genetics, where he built and led the clinical and medical affairs team to support a multi-fold increase in revenue during his tenure. Dr. Wenstrup was actively involved in the company’s product development, M&A and in-licensing activities.
Prior to joining industry, Dr. Wenstrup served as a tenured professor of pediatrics in human genetics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and as a tenured professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Cincinnati, where he earned his medical degree. He was internationally recognized as a leader in inherited disorders of the musculoskeletal system and was principal investigator on multiple research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the FDA Orphan Products Grant Program. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Wenstrup was the founding director of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and co-founder of Assurex Health, Inc., now a subsidiary of Myriad Genetics, Inc.
About Epic Sciences
Epic Sciences, Inc. is developing novel diagnostics to personalize and advance the treatment and management of cancer. Epic Sciences’ mission is to enable the rapid and non-invasive detection of genetic and molecular changes in cancer throughout a patient’s journey. The company was founded on a powerful platform to identify and characterize rare cells, including circulating tumor cells. Epic Sciences No Cell Left Behind® technology helps match patients to therapies and monitor for drug resistance, so that the best treatment path can be chosen at every clinical decision point. Epic Sciences has partnered with Genomic Health to commercialize the Oncotype DX® AR-V7 Nucleus Detect™ test, which helps with therapeutic decisions between taxane chemotherapy or androgen-directed therapeutics in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Today, we partner with leading pharmaceutical companies and major cancer centers around the world. Epic Sciences’ goal is to increase the success rate of cancer drugs in clinical trials and improve patient outcomes by providing physicians real-time information to guide treatment choices. Epic Sciences is headquartered in San Diego. Further information is available on the company’s website, www.epicsciences.com. Stay in touch on LinkedIn or on Twitter @EpicSciences.
Media Contacts: Jennifer Guzman, Epic Sciences, 858-216-2217, jennifer.guzman@epicsciences.com
Cammy Duong, Canale Communications, 619-849-5389, cammy@canalecomm.com