Verici Dx plc

("Verici Dx" or the "Company") 
 

Lorenzo Gallon, MD, Appointed as Chair of Science Advisory Board
 

Verici Dx plc (AIM: VRCI), a developer of advanced clinical diagnostics for organ transplant, announces the appointment of Lorenzo Gallon, MD, as Chair of the Company's Science Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Gallon was appointed to the Company's Board as a Non-executive Director on 19 August 2021.

A Professor of Medicine (Nephrology and Hypertension) and Surgery (Organ Transplantation), Dr. Gallon is currently the Medical Director of the Translational Medicine Programme, the Director of International Relations and the Director of the Renal Transplant Fellowship at Northwestern University. He is an alumnus of the University of Padua Medical School, Italy and Harvard Medical School.

An expert in nephrology and hypertension as well as organ transplantation, Dr. Gallon's primary research interests include:

·    The role of immunosuppressive medications in modulating the immune system,

·    Genomics of chronic renal allograft rejection,

·    Prednisone-free and calcineurin inhibitors-free immunosuppressive protocols,

·    New immunosuppressive strategies,

·    Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and

·    Aging and impact of physical exercise after kidney transplantation.

With nearly 20 years' experience in the life sciences industry, focusing largely on nephrology and organ transplantation, Dr. Gallon is excellently placed to provide insight and guidance in the development of Verici's two lead products, Clarava™ and Tuteva™.  He was a collaborator and co-author with Verici's previous SAB Chair, Dr. Barbara Murphy, in the GoCar study¹ which was foundational in the development of Verici's products. He has also been a member of the Editorial Board at the journal Nephron since 2019.

In 2012, Dr Gallon was part the Northwestern Medicine transplant team that conducted the first successful removal and implantation of a kidney from one patient to another after the organ failed in the first recipient. The findings of the case were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Julian Baines, MBE, Non-executive Chairman of Verici Dx, said:

"I am delighted to welcome Lorenzo as the new Chair of Verici Dx's Science Advisory Board. As a leading expert in nephrology and organ transplantation, he has been hugely valuable on the Board so far, and I'm sure will become even more so in this additional role, helping us accelerate development of our two lead products, Clarava™ and Tuteva™."

Dr Lorenzo Gallon, Non-executive Director of Verici Dx, said:

"I am pleased to take on this additional role with Verici Dx, as Chair of the Science Advisory Board. I have been impressed with the progress of its product portfolio, which has the potential to really improve outcomes for kidney transplant patients, and look forward to working more closely with the team to provide advice and some experience to help advance the products."

¹ - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27452608/

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About Verici Dx plc www.vericidx.com

Verici Dx is an immuno-diagnostics company developing and commercialising tests to understand how a patient will respond and is responding to organ transplant, with an initial focus on kidney transplants. The body's own immune system poses a threat to a successful transplant or graft. Patients' immune systems differ in how they respond to the presence of the transplanted organ.  Characterising this response and those of other biological pathways enables the development of RNA signatures for prognostic and diagnostic tests. Our products and solutions are underpinned by extensive scientific research into the recipient's RNA signatures and how that impacts on acute rejection, chronic injury and ultimately failure of the transplant. These RNA signatures may also inform clinicians as to the optimal strategy for immunosuppressive and other therapies for the most successful treatment to ensure graft acceptance with the least amount of side effects.

The foundational research was driven by a deep understanding of cell-mediated immunity and is enabled by access to expertly curated collaborative studies in highly informative cohorts in kidney transplant.