Oncimmune strengthens scientific board with addition of Parag Mallick

(Sharecast News) - Immunodiagnostics company Oncimmune Holdings announced the appointment of Dr Parag Mallick - an associate professor of radiology at Stanford University - to its scientific board on Tuesday.The AIM-traded firm said Dr Mallick was also a member of the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection.Originally trained as an engineer and biochemist, his research spanned computational and experimental systems biology, cancer biology and nanotechnology, the board explained.He received his BS in Computer Science and Biochemistry at Washington University in St Louis, and then went onto complete his doctoral studies with David Eisenberg at UCLA.After his PhD, he trained with Professor Dr Ruedi Aebersold in clinical proteomics and systems biology at the Institute for Systems Biology.Oncimmune said Dr Mallick's research at the Mallick Lab was focused on "pioneering approaches" for using big data, mathematical modelling and machine learning to discover cancer biomarkers and enable personalised and predictive medicine."Parag's work is prodigious in the field of the early detection of cancer using a number of complementary tools and processes," said Oncimmune chief executive officer Dr Adam Hill."His mission and expertise will be invaluable to Oncimmune as we continue to develop our immunogenic protein platform and high throughput discovery approach, as well as consider the value of contextual data in clinical testing."Professor Peter Johnston, chair of the firm's scientific board, added that he was "pleased" to welcome Dr Mallick as the latest member of the board."Oncimmune has assembled a team of high quality individuals who all share Oncimmune's belief that early detection is the key to beating cancer and helping healthcare systems cope with the burdens of many diseases," Johnson said."The calibre of the individuals participating on this scientific board is an excellent validation of the potential of Oncimmune's immunogenic protein platform and we are excited by what Oncimmune can achieve in the next three years and beyond."Dr Parag Mallick himself commented that he believed the future of early cancer detection lay in the identification of biomarkers, which could not only be used to detect cancers earlier, but also to describe how they were likely to behave."Whilst there are thousands of publications highlighting putative candidates, very few biomarkers are being used clinically," Dr Mallick said."Oncimmune has already developed a panel of biomarkers for the early detection of lung cancer and liver cancer and I am looking forward to working closely with the other scientific board members and the company as it embarks on its next stage of growth."