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bioAffinity Technologies Announces Dr. Martin Tammemägi to Chair Scientific and Medical Advisory Board

SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#CyPathLungbioAffinity Technologies, a privately held biotech company, today announced Martin Tammemägi, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Health Sciences at Brock University, will serve as Chairman of the bioAffinity Scientific and Medical Advisory (SMA) Board.

“Dr. Tammemägi is exceptionally well respected and a leader in cancer epidemiology, lung cancer screening and cancer risk prediction modeling,” bioAffinity President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Zannes said. “We are extremely pleased that he will lead our Scientific and Medical Advisory Board that includes dedicated physicians and scientists at the forefront of the fight against lung cancer.”

Dr. Tammemägi was a co-investigator and remains active in the U.S. Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO), the U.S. National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) and the Pan-Canadian Early Detection of Lung Cancer Study. He is an active associate member of the U.S. NIH NCI Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) lung group and is the Provincial Scientific Lead for Ontario Health – Cancer Care Ontario’s Lung Cancer Screening Pilot for People at High Risk.

The SMA Board provides independent expert advice and counsel on bioAffinity’s research and development of cancer diagnostics, including CyPath® Lung, a non-invasive test for the early detection of lung cancer.

“The members of our Advisory Board are recognized leaders in the lung cancer field, especially as it relates to screening and early diagnosis when treatment options offer the best potential outcome,” said Vivienne Rebel, MD, PhD, bioAffinity’s Chief Science and Medical Officer and Executive Vice President. “Their groundbreaking work complements our mission to provide innovative products that have the potential to save thousands of lives every year. (Read more…)

As SMA Board Chairman, Dr. Tammemägi replaces M. Patricia Rivera, MD, Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who was elected Secretary Treasurer of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious healthcare organizations in the field of respiratory diseases. As an officer of ATS, Dr. Rivera must step down from industry advisory positions.

“We have greatly benefited from Dr. Rivera’s guidance,” Ms. Zannes said. “We thank her for her service on our advisory board and are very pleased that ATS will now have the benefit of her leadership and remarkable intellect.” ATS is an international society that includes more than 16,000 physicians, research scientists, nurses and other allied healthcare professionals dedicated to improving health worldwide by advancing research, clinical care and public health in respiratory disease, critical illness and sleep disorders.

Dr. Tammemägi will chair the bioAffinity Technologies SMA Board that includes:

About CyPath® Lung

CyPath® Lung is a flow-cytometric test to aid in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Patients collect sputum samples non-invasively at home and ship them overnight to the laboratory for processing. Sample data is acquired by flow cytometry. Using automated analysis of pre-set parameters, CyPath® Lung profiles the lung environment including the presence of cancer cells. Data acquisition and physician reports can be generated in minutes.

A test validation trial comparing people at high risk for lung cancer to patients with the disease resulted in CyPath® Lung specificity of 88% and sensitivity of 82%, similar to far more invasive procedures currently used to diagnose lung cancer. CyPath® Lung performed even better, with 92% sensitivity and 87% specificity, in the group of cancer and cancer-free high-risk participants who had no nodules or small nodules less than 2 cm in diameter.

CyPath® Lung has been licensed by Precision Pathology Services, which is developing CyPath® Lung as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) in accordance with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) guidelines and regulations. Precision Pathology Services is an accredited CAP/CLIA laboratory in San Antonio, Texas. Following completion of development of CyPath® Lung as an LDT, physicians may order the test for their patients who are smokers and former smokers at high risk for lung cancer and who receive a positive screening result or otherwise are suspected of having the disease.

People who have smoked the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years or more, have not quit smoking in the past 15 years and are 55-80 years of age are recommended for annual screening by low dose computed tomography (LDCT). Screening by LDCT has been proven to detect lung cancer at earlier stages when it can be successfully treated, but screening has a low Positive Predictive Value (PPV) that can lead to unnecessary and risky procedures.

About bioAffinity Technologies, Inc.

bioAffinity Technologies, Inc. (www.bioaffinitytech.com) is a privately held company addressing the significant unmet need for non-invasive, early-stage cancer diagnosis and treatment. The Company develops proprietary in-vitro diagnostic tests and targeted cancer therapeutics using breakthrough technology that preferentially targets cancer cells. Research and optimization of its platform technology are conducted in bioAffinity Technologies’ laboratories at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA). The Company’s platform technology is being developed to diagnose, monitor and treat many cancers.

Contacts

Maria Zannes, 505.400.9747

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