Medical Diagnostics Industry Veteran with Biotech and Biopharma Experience Will Guide Operations
DENVER (Apr. 14, 2023) — HepQuant, LLC, a Denver, Colorado-based company with a unique, patented and patent-pending technology for evaluating the liver in patients with chronic liver disease, today announced its has chosen Kelly R. Pitts, Ph.D., as its new Chief Operating Officer.
Dr. Pitts joins HepQuant with more than 20 years of business and operational leadership experience in biotechnology, biopharma, and medical diagnostics. A recognized business and thought leader in the fields of pharmacology, diagnostics, and the business of science, he brings HepQuant core strengths in operational oversight for manufacturing and clinical labs, mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, intellectual property management, profit and loss reporting, margin improvement, strategic planning, and long-term budget accountability.
“We are excited to welcome an executive of Kelly’s pedigree to the HepQuant team,” said Dr. Gregory Everson, CEO & Chief Medical Officer at HepQuant. “Besides his proven track record of successfully leading, growing and transforming biotech and medical diagnostics businesses to achieve high levels of operational efficiency, he shares our strong belief that having a quantitative, non-invasive method to analyze liver health is imperative to advancing care for these patients.”
“Greg and the HepQuant team have done a tremendous job of moving this unique liver function testing technology forward,” noted Dr. Pitts. “Their vision of providing the highest quality information to patients in this area is becoming a reality, and I’m excited to join at this time to contribute to HepQuant’s commercial growth and market success.”
Dr. Pitts most recently served as Senior Vice President of Operations for C2N Diagnostics, a diagnostics company focused on identifying biomarkers in the diagnosis, progression and treatment monitoring of human brain disorders. In this role, he helped establish business processes and practices in support of the company’s commercialization in the US, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.
Prior to C2N Diagnostics, Dr. Pitts was the President and Chief Scientific Officer for Colorado Operations at Corgenix, Inc., a part of ORGENTEC Diagnostika GmbH. In addition to his experience in the diagnostics sector, Dr. Pitts has held scientific leadership positions at biotechnology and biopharma companies such as Myogen, Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc., and Amgen, Inc. He earned a BS in Biochemistry from Brigham Young University, a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Mayo Clinic, and is a patent agent registered with the USPTO. A complete bio on Dr. Pitts can be found on the HepQuant website.
About HepQuant
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, HepQuant, LLC, is a privately held diagnostics company. HepQuant’s products are investigational combination drug and in-vitro diagnostic devices and have not yet been evaluated or reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial sale. They are currently available for investigational use via the FDA guidelines for investigational device exemptions (IDEs). For additional information, visit www.hepquant.com.