SAVANNAH, Georgia, May 10, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Health Discovery Corporation (OTCBB: HDVY) (HDC) announced today the appointment of Maher Albitar, M.D., a world renowned cancer scientist and inventor, to the position of Chief Medical Officer. Until recently, Dr. Albitar was the Medical Director of Hematology and Oncology and Chief of Research and Development at Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (NYSE: DGX), San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Prior to Quest Diagnostics, Dr. Albitar was a tenured full professor at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas, where he served as chief of the hematopathology of the leukemia section with joint appointment in the clinical leukemia department.
"Dr. Albitar is a globally respected cancer researcher with the unique combination of both academic and commercial experience having held high level appointments at Quest Diagnostics, the largest commercial clinical laboratory in the world, as well as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, voted the top hospital in the nation for cancer care, according to the U.S. News & World Report annual 'America's Best Hospitals,'" said Stephen D. Barnhill, M.D., Chairman and CEO at Health Discovery Corporation. "We're thrilled to have Dr. Albitar join our team and lead our molecular diagnostic and medical imaging discovery, development and commercialization program." "For a long-time, I've admired Dr. Barnhill and his cutting-edge work in addressing the urgent need for effective cancer diagnostic test development," said Dr. Albitar. "I am very impressed with HDC's progress in prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, leukemia, pancreatic cancer and melanoma, and I am looking forward to working closely with the distinguished team at HDC to increase the pipeline of cancer diagnostic and prognostic tests and prepare these tests for commercialization." Dr. Albitar will immediately help position the Company to expand its pipeline of molecular diagnostic and medical imaging tests for cancer using the Company's patented Support Vector Machine technology. The Company holds 43 issued patents and 32 pending patents related to its SVM and SVM-RFE development tools.
Dr. Albitar invented Leumeta(TM) plasma-based testing for cancer patients while at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Quest Diagnostics. Dr. Albitar also established and developed numerous new techniques in clinical laboratory testing.
Dr. Albitar is the principle inventor of more than 12 patents. He is the senior author or co-author of more than 250 peer-reviewed publications in major medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine. In addition he has written numerous chapters and a book.
Dr. Albitar received the Physician Scientist Award from the U.S. National Institute of Health, the American Cancer Society Fellowship Award, and a Fellowship Award in Genetics from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Albitar received his medical degree in 1979 from Damascus Medical School in Damascus, Syria, and is board-certified in anatomic and clinical pathology with extensive experience in hematopathology.
About Health Discovery Corporation Health Discovery Corporation is a molecular diagnostics company that uses advanced mathematical techniques to analyze large amounts of data to uncover patterns that might otherwise be undetectable. It operates primarily in the emerging field of personalized medicine where such tools are critical to scientific discovery. Its primary business consists of licensing its intellectual property and developing its own product line of biomarker-based diagnostic tests that include human genes and genetic variations, as well as gene, protein, and metabolic expression differences and image analysis in digital pathology and radiology. For more information, see www.healthdiscoverycorp.com.
Leumeta(TM) is a trademark of Quest Diagnostics, Incorporated. For more information, see www.questdiagnostics.com Forward-Looking Statements This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which is necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, statements regarding future performance, opportunities and investments, and anticipated results in general. From time to time the Company may make other forward-looking statements relation to other matters, including without limitation, commercialization plans and strategic partnerships. Actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors, including, among other things, the acceptance of our approach to applying mathematics computer science and physics into the disciplines of biology, organic chemistry and medicine and our products and technologies associated with those approaches, the ability to develop and commercialize new drugs, therapies or other products based on our approaches, and other factors set forth from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
All forward-looking statements and cautionary statements included in this document are made as of the date hereof based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or cautionary statement.
SOURCE: Health Discovery Corporation CONTACT: Health Discovery Corporation Tom Gallagher, 203-918-3115 investor@healthdiscoverycorp.com Copyright Business Wire 2010 -0- KEYWORD: United States
North America
Georgia INDUSTRY KEYWORD: Health
Biotechnology
Oncology
Other Health
Research
Science SUBJECT CODE: Personnel