PathogenDx, Inc., the Arizona based technology company, which provides a DNA-based customized pathogen testing platform for the cannabis industry, announced today that over the past two months it has expanded key staff by 20%, and has expanded its real estate footprint from 3,500 square feet to 7,000 square feet in Tucson to expand its production capacity.
In making the announcement, CEO and Co-Founder Milan Patel said, “PathogenDx has been fortunate that our hard work over the past couple of years, which has relied on a core group of Arizona based scientists to develop a unique technology platform, is now having great success in the marketplace. It is giving us the opportunity to expand to meet market demand. It is my pleasure to announce that we have attracted some top talent to add to the team and they have agreed to relocate to join us in Arizona.”
Joining the PathogenDx team in Tucson from Ohio as Principle Scientist is Benjamin Katchman, Ph.D. Dr. Katchman will lead the research and development of sample preparation and assay development. Previously, he spent 20 years working with various universities and small companies developing novel nucleic acid and proteomic approaches for biomarker discovery and molecular diagnostics. His work included the development of plate-based and microarray-based diagnostic systems for use in clinical laboratories and point-of-care diagnostics for Arizona State University, FlexBioTech, Inc., and Eccrine Systems, Inc. At Eccrine Systems he led all clinical research, regulatory pathway implementation, assay development and biomarker studies. He was the co-founder of FlexBioTech, Inc., where he led the development of novel OLED-based molecular diagnostic assay platforms. Dr. Katchman received a B.S. in Microbiology, from Indiana University in 2005, then carried out graduate research with Prof. Douglas F Lake at Arizona State University where he was the first to identify QSOX1 as a proto-oncogene and novel tumor biomarker resulting in over $2M in funding and multiple patents. He performed his postdoctoral research with Prof. Karen S Anderson and Prof. Joshua LaBaer where he designed novel high-density protein microarrays and novel clinical and point of care diagnostics utilizing flexible OLED based electronics resulting in over $15M in funding, multiple patents and high-impact publications.
Also joining the PathogenDx team in Scottsdale from Nevada as Senior Director of Sales and Marketing is Terry Potter. Mr. Potter will lead the Sales and Marketing Team, bringing a depth of experience in technology sales to cannabis labs and growers, from his previous role as Territory Manager at Quantum Analytics. Raised in Southern California, Terry studied Biology and Chemistry at UC Riverside. He acquired his Medical Technology license and worked in Clinical Chemistry for 2 years before becoming an Environmental Chemist. After 4 years on the bench and in management positions, he transitioned into analytical sales and service and spent the last 20 years in leadership roles achieving successful sales goals.
Additionally, Max Sinton is joining the PathogenDx team in Tucson as a Scientist/Technical Trainer from his previous role at Steep Hill Labs, Inc., in Berkeley, CA. As a lab technician at Steep Hill, Mr. Sinton prepared cannabis and cannabis product samples for analysis by LC/GC-MS, microbiology and other qPCR-based tests.
Prior to joining Steep Hill, Mr. Sinton served as an Extraction Lab Technician at Enthalpy Analytical, preparing and performing organic extractions on soil, water and other miscellaneous samples for gas chromatography. He has professional and academic experience in farm and nursery operations as well as entomology, tissue culture, plant science and cultivation and landscape architecture. He holds a BS in Horticultural Sciences from the University of Connecticut, where he also worked as an Entomology Lab Assistant conducting a live insect-rearing project and parasitoid research.
