MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 02, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GRAIL, Inc., a life sciences company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, today announced leadership changes to support the company’s next phase of growth as it moves towards commercialization of early detection products. Bill Rastetter, chairman of the board of directors, has been named chief executive officer. Founding chief executive officer, Jeff Huber, has been appointed vice chairman of the board of directors, a role in which he will continue to provide his expertise on the intersection between life sciences and computer science. The company also announced that Ken Drazan has been promoted to president.
“I am incredibly proud of the GRAIL team and all that we have accomplished together since launching the company last year,” said Jeff Huber, vice chairman of the board of directors. “GRAIL is on track to bring life-saving early cancer detection solutions for people around the world, and I look forward to continuing to support this amazing team. With this solid foundation in place, it’s an appropriate time to transition leadership to prepare for commercialization. In my new role as vice chairman, I look forward to focusing on technology and innovation to deliver on GRAIL’s mission to detect cancer early, when it can be cured.”
“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Jeff for his incredible contributions in leading GRAIL, including laying the groundwork to launch the largest clinical research program ever conducted in genomic medicine and creating a culture and set of values that puts GRAIL at the leading edge of technology and scientific rigor, and places patients first,” said Bill Rastetter, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer. “GRAIL is rapidly expanding its presence to develop and commercialize products that will impact people globally by detecting cancer early. We look forward to continuing to benefit from Jeff’s expertise in his new role as vice chairman where he will share his vision and provide strategic technical advice.”
“I’m pleased to share that Ken Drazan has been promoted from chief business officer to president of GRAIL,” Dr. Rastetter stated. “Since joining GRAIL, Ken has been instrumental in leading the company through its successful capitalization, research, clinical and technology partnerships, and the acquisition of Cirina. His continued leadership is a valuable asset as we pursue the opportunity of our lifetime – combining science, technology and clinical studies to detect and cure cancer earlier.”
About GRAIL
GRAIL is a life sciences company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured. GRAIL is using the power of high-intensity sequencing, population-scale clinical trials, and state of the art Computer Science and Data Science to enhance the scientific understanding of cancer biology and develop blood tests for early-stage cancer detection. The company’s funding was led by ARCH Venture Partners and includes Amazon, Bezos Expeditions, Bill Gates, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Decheng Capital, GV, Illumina, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Merck, McKesson Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, Tencent, Varian Medical Systems, and other financial partners. For more information, please visit www.grail.com.
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