OUR MISSION

Improve assessment of individual patient’s responses and toxicity profiles to specific therapies, to radically change the meaning of personalized medicine.

Our cutting-edge genetic research discovered a new class of genetic biomarkers that can dramatically change personalized treatment.

MiraDx partners with universities and pharmaceutical companies to utilize our unique genetic research to help better treat cancer. MiraDx was co-founded by Joanne Weidhaas, M.D., Ph.D. and Frank Slack, Ph.D. whose cutting-edge genetic research discovered this new class of genetic biomarkers.

Joanne Weidhaas, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.M

FOUNDER

Joanne is co-founder of MiraDx and Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and head of translation research, in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology. Her pioneering research led to the co-discovery of the KRAS-variant, a strong predictor of cancer risk, tumor biology and treatment response. Her passion for empowering individuals to take charge of their health led her to found MiraDx, a genomics company dedicated to giving people and their doctors actionable information to better treat cancer. Joanne completed her oncology training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and previously served as the Chief of the Breast Cancer Radiation Service at Yale Cancer Center and the Section Chief, Breast Cancer, Yale Cancer Center. She took a sabbatical while at Yale and completed a MBM at Stanford University. She has recently moved to UCLA as Division Head, Translational Research. Her dual role as a clinician and researcher enables her to apply genetic breakthroughs to the benefit of her patients. She currently lives in the LA area, with her husband and three children.

Frank Slack, Ph.D.

Co-Founder

Frank is a co-founder of MiraDx and currently the Shields Warren Mallinckrodt Professor, Department of Pathology, and Director of the Institute for RNA Medicine, at BIDMC.

His pioneering genetic research led to the discovery of “let-7,” one of the first microRNAs discovered, which he was able to show regulated cancer-causing genes. Dr. Slack is an internationally renown researcher and lecturer on microRNAs, one of the fastest-growing and exciting areas of genetic research.

Weidhaas_AJAndrew "AJ" Weidhaas - Goodwin Law, October 31, 2018. Los Angeles, CA (Matthew Pettit/Feature Photo Service)

Andrew J. Weidhaas

Board of Directors

A.J. is a partner in and co-chair of Goodwin Procter’s Private Equity Group, as well as a member of its Technology Companies Practice. He specializes in private equity and

venture capital investments, including minority and majority investments, leveraged buyouts and leveraged recapitalizations, going private transactions and private investments in public companies. Mr. Weidhaas’ experience ranges from the representation of early stage growth companies and buyouts in the micro cap space through later stage LBO’s and the representation of Fortune 50 financial institutions in strategic investments, merchant banking activities and private M&A. His industry expertise includes healthcare, defense, technology, real estate and financial services.

Mary Lake Polan, M.D., Ph.D., MPH

Board of Directors

Dr. Polan is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Columbia University School of Medicine as well as Chair Emeritus of

the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She specializes in reproductive endocrinology and infertility and has served on numerous medical and health committees including the Council of the Institute of Medicine, the National Institute of Health, The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA).

Roy Vagelos M.D.

Medical Advisory Board

Dr. Vagelos is the Chair of the Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons Development Campaign and of the board of directors of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. He is former CEO, Chairman and Senior Vice President for Research of Merck.

Dr. Vagelos is also the former chairman of the Department of Biological Chemistry and Director of the University’s Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University’s School of Medicine, St Louis, MO. Dr. Vagelos is also the former Senior Surgeon and then Section Head of Comparative Biochemistry at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Vagelos holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.D. from Columbia School of Medicine.

Richard Gatti, MD, Ph.D.

Laboratory Director, Advisor

Dr. Gatti is an emeritas distinguished professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UCLA. He is a world-renowned molecular geneticist and immunologist and a pioneer in transplantation medicine. Dr. Gatti specializes in Ataxia Telangiectasia,.

Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) and cell sensitivity to ionizing radiation. He joins MiraDx as laboratory director and head of the AT testing program.

Sara Rosenthal

Director, Women’s Health

Sara began her career in the fields of health policy research and healthcare management consulting, with a focused interest in the women’s health arena. After earning her master’s degree in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business,.

Sara gained deep finance experience working for an urban infill developer, where she helped secure over $75 million in acquisition capital to purchase multifamily buildings. Sara then went on to serve as principal of a Bay Area design build firm focused on green building projects, working alongside the CEO and founder. Most recently, Sara has managed her own strategy and financial consulting business while working at the Stanford Graduate School of business in the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, where she works closely with entrepreneurs and Stanford faculty members to develop graduate level entrepreneurship curriculum. Sara brought her skills and her passion for women’s health together when she started working with MiraDx in early 2014, where she currently serves as an advisor at MiraDx, and oversees development at our sister non-profit, MiraKind.

Jean Reiss

Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Jean Reiss is currently working at MiraDx Inc. as CLS since MiraDx moved to California in July, 2015 responsible for assay validation, clinical sample testing and required quality controls procedures.

Prior to MiraDx Inc. Jean Reiss retired in 2014 after 22 years of services from Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories

in the Department of Pathology at UCLA. Her experiences include, but are not limited to Immuno-blotting for protein detection, Real-time PCR for gene expression, DNA Sanger sequencing for mutation detection. She was lab supervisor for tumor marker testing in blood samples using various Enzyme-Immuno Assays. She also participated in Translational Clinical trials for oral cancer detection using gene expression assays.

The techniques in the field of Laboratory medicine have been evolving and improving constantly with the advancement of computer technologies. Jean has a rewarding career as a CLS and envisioned that laboratory personnel will play a critical role in early diagnosis and treatment monitoring to improve human health.

Mattias Pitka

Laboratory Lead

Mattias is a graduate of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX. He is nationally certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and holds licensure in the state of California and New York.

His experience includes clinical research with Texas Tech University where he studied the nano-mechanics

of cancer cells. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, he researched the Quality of Life outcomes for patients with hepatopancreatobiliary tumors, which was later published in Blumgarts Surgery of the Liver, Biliary Tract, and Pancreas (5th Edition).

Following his research career, Mattias specialized at diagnostic testing of hematologic specimen at New York Presbyterian Columbia University Hospital prior to transitioning into private practice and overseeing the clinical laboratory operations nationwide for the world’s largest reproductive tissue bank. He returned to patient-focused care as the technical manager for the Core and Emergency Laboratories at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles before finally joining the Mira Dx team in December of 2017.

Julia Dywer

Outreach + Operations

Ms. Julia Dwyer joined MiraDx in October 2018. Ms. Dwyer has over 5 years of experience in the public health and non-profit sectors with a background in research, project management, and business operations. Prior to joining MiraKind, Julia was a Project Associate at the global health non-profit, Partners In Health, where

she provided strategic business operations support to an educational initiative building a start-up medical school, the University of Global Health Equity, in northern rural Rwanda. She also has experience in scientific research as a Senior Research Assistant at New England Research Institutes, Inc. working in their Digital Media and Health Disparities research divisions. Ms. Dwyer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Vermont.

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About

OUR MISSION

Improve assessment of individual patient’s responses and toxicity profiles to specific therapies, to radically change the meaning of personalized medicine.

Our cutting-edge genetic research discovered a new class of genetic biomarkers that can dramatically change personalized treatment.

Joanne Weidhaas, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.M

Frank Slack, Ph.D.

Co-Founder

Andrew J. Weidhaas

Board of Directors

Mary Lake Polan, M.D., Ph.D., MPH

Board of Directors

Roy Vagelos M.D.

Medical Advisory Board

Richard Gatti, MD, Ph.D.

Laboratory Director, Advisor

Sara Rosenthal

Director, Women’s Health

Jean Reiss

Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Mattias Pitka

Laboratory Lead

Julia Dywer

Outreach + Operations

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