Inaugural Meeting of the FirstMark Scientific Board of Advisors

SAN DIEGO, Mar.1, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- FirstMark, the diagnostic division of GenWay Biotech, announced the inaugural meeting of its Scientific Advisory Board, that was held today on March 1, 2012. The Board includes representatives with distinguished backgrounds in cardiovascular medicine and research. The main focus of the Board will be to provide guidance for further clinical development and validation of FirstMark's new cardiovascular test PREvent. PREvent is the first and only multiple biomarker blood test on the market that predicts near term (2-3 years) risk of myocardial infarction in patients with suspected or confirmed, insignificant or significant CAD. The test was recently launched, and its remarkable data is receiving a strong reception throughout cardiovascular medicine.

"We are very pleased to have access to this impressive group of innovative and nationally recognized leaders in cardiology. Each of these individuals has made substantial contributions to the field of cardiology. We look forward to the unique perspective each will bring, to help guide the quality and relevance of the test's scientific information, future clinical studies, and approaches to clinical application," says Thomas Silberg, President and CEO of GenWay Biotech.

The FirstMark Scientific Advisory Board is comprised of prominent cardiologist and research scientists including:

George A. Beller, MD, MACC
Cardiologist, University of Virginia Health System
Past President of the American College of Cardiology
Past President of the Association of University Cardiologists
Past President of the Association of Professors of Cardiology

Stephen Epstein, MD
Executive Director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CRI), MedStar Health Research Institute
Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine
Former Chief of the Cardiology Branch of the NHLBI at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD

Arshed Quyyumi, MD, FACC, FRCP
Tenured Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine,
Co-Director, Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute

Sergey Sikora, PhD, MBA
Sr. Vice President, FirstMark

Robert Wilensky, MD
Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Director, Interventional Cardiology Research

Peter Wilson, MD
Professor of Medicine, Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute
Professor of Public Health at the Rollins School of Public Health
Director of Epidemiology and Genomic Medicine, Atlanta VA Medical Center

For more information about FirstMark PREvent and the Scientific Advisory Board, visit FirstMarkPREvent.com

FirstMark PREvent
The study revealed superior cardiac risk information by identifying the top 5% of CAD at the highest risk of MI with a hazard ratio of 5.5. The data showed an annual average of 18.2% of significant CAD patients with all three biomarkers elevated experienced a myocardial infarction or death, compared to only 2.45% of significant CAD patients with all biomarkers normal. The multiple biomarker model adds markedly to traditional risk-prediction by significantly improving C-statistics from 0.695 for base model to 0.750, distinguishing high risk from low risk subjects.

About FirstMark
FirstMark is a division of GenWay Biotech, Inc. The FirstMark division is focused on the development and commercialization of non-invasive diagnostic and health monitoring tests for unmet clinical needs. Headquarters are located in the heart of San Diego's biotech community in the Sorrento Valley/Mesa area. 

Media Contact: Deborah Moore GenWay Biotech, Inc., 858-458-0866, [email protected]

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SOURCE GenWay Biotech, Inc.