Exploragen Names Advisory Board

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Exploragen, a leading DNA lifestyle company, today announced the appointment of Linda Avey, Dr. Michele Cargill, Dr. Geoffrey Ginsburg, Dr. Stuart Kim, and Eric Rasmussen as Advisors.  The five highly credentialed, multi-industry experts are tasked with providing strategic guidance as Exploragen continues to develop and deliver lifestyle apps that empower consumers to use meaningful insights from their DNA and make specific changes in their lives.  

"Our advisors' deep consumer insights and health and wellness knowledge bolster our genetics expertise," said Ronnie Andrews, co-founder and chief executive of Exploragen. "Their participation supports our mission to provide fun, engaging DNA lifestyle apps that give consumers real utility. We are honored to add their perspectives as we bring the most innovative and insightful products and experiences to consumers."

Linda Avey co-founded 23andMe, the world's first personal genetics service, and is an internationally acclaimed entrepreneur and pioneer in direct-to-consumer genomics, with over 25 years' experience working in the biopharma industry. She is currently the co-founder of Precise.ly and a member of the Board of Fellows at Stanford University School of Medicine. She served as the founding director for the board of Rock Health and is a board director at Perlara PBC.

"Exploragen's specific insights increase the utility of genetic data and mark a new era of possibilities for consumers," said Linda. "We are now seeing the ability to translate DNA data into lifestyle improvements. As a believer in direct-to-consumer genetics services, I am pleased to help the company provide the industry's next technology leap – digital apps to unlock DNA information in a seamless and scientifically supported manner."

Dr. Geoffrey Ginsburg brings more than 25 years as a scientific thought leader focused on genomics and precision medicine. He is currently a Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and the founder of the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative. Dr. Ginsburg has served as a member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research at National Institutes of Health and is the founding director for the Duke Center for Applied Genomics & Precision Medicine and for Duke MEDx.

"We have spent the last 20 years beginning to understand the human genome and now Exploragen is changing the way consumers receive, understand, and use scientific information about DNA," said Geoffrey Ginsburg. "Many people may benefit from established associations between genetic variants, specific preferences, and lifestyle patterns. I look forward to helping consumers understand the science behind the company's products and confidently apply those insights to meet their lifestyle needs and interests."

Eric Rasmussen is a leading market research executive and advocate. Currently he is the Vice President, Consumer Insights at Groupon overseeing all qualitative and quantitative research for Groupon US and 17 International markets. Over the past 25 years, Mr. Rasmussen has built and scaled consumer research divisions at blue-chip organizations such as eBay,  GoTo.com, Yahoo, and Shutterfly.

"I'm excited to help Exploragen create the next generation of DNA services that will become a common enhancement in consumer lives.  Exploragen's hyper-personalized approach is the leading way to harness the power of DNA and put it in the hands of the consumer," said Eric Rasmussen.

Dr. Stuart Kim brings nearly 30 years of scientific leadership in the area of sports genetics and the impact of aging on diseases such as kidney disease. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Developmental Biology and Genetics at Stanford University and was previously a member of the National Science Advisory Council for the American Federation for Aging Research. Dr. Kim is nationally recognized as a Markey Scholar, a Searle Scholar, and an Ellison Scholar.

"For several years, the science of DNA has outpaced our ability to meaningfully move its impact into everyday life," said Dr. Stuart Kim. "Exploragen's approach bridges that technology gap and can ultimately allow consumers to capitalize on trusted, personalized information helping them lead happier, more productive lives."

Dr. Michelle Cargill is a noted human geneticist with a two-decade track record of scientific innovation. She is currently a Fellow at Invitae Corporation and previously co-founded Invitae Corporation, served as Vice President of Genetics at Navigenics, and was Associate Director of Genomic Collaborations at Affymetrix.

"Translating complex science into a simple way for consumers to access and harness their DNA information has been a barrier until now," said Dr. Michelle Cargill. "I am pleased to support this effort to democratize DNA data to help consumers make targeted life changes."

Exploragen creates engaging DNA lifestyle apps that allow consumers to translate their DNA into actionable insights to use in their everyday lives. The company's apps assimilate the knowledge from published, peer-reviewed scientific studies to utilize DNA to inform lifestyle traits such as sleep, caffeine metabolism and more. Exploragen's first app, called SlumberType, provides insights on the genetics of sleep and enables people to understand the way it is influenced by DNA. SlumberType is available now from Helix, Exploragen's DNA marketplace partner. Exploragen's next application will be released in the coming months.

About Exploragen

Exploragen is a DNA lifestyle company whose vision is to empower people to use insights from their DNA to make their everyday lives better.  Founded in 2016 by a team of veterans from the medical genetics industry, Exploragen makes fun and engaging apps which translate information from DNA into personalized insights for consumers to optimize their everyday lives.   Each app assimilates the knowledge from published peer reviewed scientific studies to deliver novel algorithms that utilize DNA to inform on lifestyle traits such as sleep, caffeine metabolism and more.

To learn more, please visit www.exploragen.com.

Media Contact:
Kaustuva Das
Thermal PR for Exploragen
415-659-1970
[email protected]

SOURCE Exploragen

Related Links

http://www.exploragen.com