Esteemed Researcher and Clinical Oncologist W. Michael Korn, M.D. Joins Caris Life Sciences as Chief Medical Officer

IRVING, Texas, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences^®, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, today announced the appointment of W. Michael Korn, M.D., as its Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Korn will guide Caris' research efforts and clinical strategies for the company's innovative precision medicine offerings, ADAPT Biotargeting System^™ and Caris Molecular Intelligence^® tumor profiling.

Dr. Korn has a distinguished career in cancer research and clinical oncology, with a deep understanding of the need for molecular profiling in clinical practice. Dr. Korn is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He founded the Molecular Oncology Initiative at UCSF's Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and initiated and chaired the UCSF Molecular Tumor Board, which is a cross-disciplinary platform supporting clinical decision making based on Next-Generation Sequencing results.  

"Cancer management is at an inflection point as treatment is increasingly being directed toward addressing the molecular profile of tumors rather than their site of origin, exemplified by the approval of pembrolizumab for microsatellite instability-high cancers," said Dr. Korn. "Caris Life Sciences is at the forefront of companies translating molecular information into therapeutic action through their innovative theranostic services, Caris Molecular Intelligence and proprietary ADAPT Biotargeting System. I look forward to further developing these programs to help patients and physicians identify effective therapies, biopharmaceutical organizations develop better agents and payors reduce costs by avoiding ineffective therapies and toxicities."

Dr. Korn replaces John Marshall, M.D., who was supporting the Company part-time as CMO. Dr. Marshall will continue to serve as Chairman of the Precision Oncology Alliance^™, which is powered by Caris, along with his existing clinical and research activities at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer.

"We are thankful for Dr. Marshall's willingness to aid Caris and the leadership he provided to the organization during the search for our new CMO. We look forward to continuing our work with Dr. Marshall on the expansion of the Precision Oncology Alliance with a joint ongoing commitment to molecular science and advancing precision medicine in oncology. We are thrilled to have Dr. Korn join our team and lead our medical development programs as demand for molecular insights continues to increase from treating physicians and our biopharmaceutical partners," said David Spetzler, M.S., Ph.D., M.B.A., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Caris Life Sciences. "Dr. Korn brings an extensive track record in precision oncology and we look forward to advancing and expanding our offerings under his leadership."

Dr. Korn received his medical degree from Philipps University of Marburg, Germany. Following training in internal medicine at the Ev. Krankenhaus Dinslaken, Germany, he completed his fellowship in medical oncology at the West German Cancer Center, University of Essen, Germany. Dr. Korn has authored more than 45 peer-reviewed publications and his research on signal transduction and systems biology of cancer has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Defense since 2003. He serves on the Esophago-Gastric Task Force of the National Cancer Institute GI Steering Committee, and is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Esophageal and Gastric Cancer Panel. Dr. Korn completed post-doctoral training with Frank McCormick PhD, FRS, Professor at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

About Caris Life Sciences^®
Caris Life Sciences^® is a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation, and the world's leading immunotherapy diagnostic expert. Caris Molecular Intelligence^®, the company's Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Plus (CGP+) molecular testing service, assesses DNA, RNA and proteins, including microsatellite instability (MSI), total mutational load (TML) and PD-L1, to reveal a molecular blueprint to guide more precise and personalized treatment  decisions.  The ADAPT Biotargeting System^™, the company's revolutionary and unbiased profiling platform, is currently being utilized for drug target identification, therapeutic discovery and development, fixed tissue-based companion diagnostics, blood-based cancer screening and biomarker identification. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com.

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