Scientific Advisory Board
AltheaDx’s scientific advisory board is comprised of respected experts in biomarker development and their application for targeted treatments.
Jorge Leon, Ph.D.
Chairman of SAB, President, Leomics
AltheaDx’s advisory board is chaired by Dr. Jorge Leon Dr. Jorge Leon is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in molecular diagnostics. Dr. Leon holds a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from New York University, and completed his postdoctoral studies at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and Columbia University in NYC. Dr. Leon’s subsequent academic research focused on developing monoclonal antibody-based tumor marker assays and radio-immuno imaging devices, which are currently in wide use.
Eric J. Topol, M.D.
Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute
Eric J. Topol, M.D. is the Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, a National Institutes of Health funded program of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium. He is Professor of Translational Genomics at The Scripps Research Institute, the Chief Academic Officer of Scripps Health, and a Senior Consultant cardiologist practitioner at Scripps Clinic. In 2009, he became the Gary and Mary West Chair of Innovative Medicine and co-founded the West Wireless Health Institute. Prior to joining Scripps, Dr. Topol served on the faculty of Case Western as a professor in genetics, chaired the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic for 15 years and raised its status to rank #1 by US News and World Report for 11 consecutive years, and founded the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.
Alfred Lui, M.D.
Medical Director, Affiliated Pathologists Medical Group
Dr. Lui graduated summa cum laude from Andrews University in Michigan. He attended Loma Linda University Medical School and completed his residency in Pathology at UCLA-Harbor General Hospital in 1976, following which he joined the staff of the Liver Unit at the University of Southern California. In 1979, he joined Dr. Richard Ellis as a co-founder of Affiliated Pathologists Medical Group. Dr. Lui is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and is active in the Collage of American Pathologists, where he is a member of the Council on Membership and Professional Development and on the Publications Committee. He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Pathology Inc., a Medical Corporation, an independent laboratory performing outpatient anatomic pathology services .He is the immediate past president and is currently a member of the board of directors of the California Society of Pathologists. Dr. Lui has special interests in liver, prostate, and Gyn pathology.
Dan Mercola, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine & Director, Translational Cancer Biology, University of California at Irvines
Dr. Mercola is head of the UCI SPECS consortium, an observational clinical trial which utilizes prostate tissues and clinical values, to derive gene signatures predictive of outcome at the time of diagnosis. He is currently a member of various the NIH committees, including Site Visit Review, Program Project Grant Application, and Ad Hoc Reviewer, in addition to being an Associate Member at the UCSD Cancer Center, AACR organizing committee, and various other editorial boards. In 2004, Dr. Mercola was honored as the “San Diego Padres Medical All-Star' and has closely worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. He has also been a professor within the Pathology department, and later at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center within UC San Diego. Dr. Mercola did postdoctoral work at Oxford University after earning a B.S. degree from the University of Southampton, England and completed his residency at UC San Diego, after receiving his Ph.D., M.S. and B.A. degrees from UCLA.
Gregory J. Tsongalis, Ph.D., HCLD, FACB
Director, Molecular Pathology, Acting Director, Clinical Chemistry & Associate Professor, Dartmouth Medical School, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center & Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Dr. Tsongalis is certified as a high complexity clinical laboratory director and is currently the Director of Molecular Pathology, Acting Director of Clinical Chemistry, and co-director of the Pharmacogenomics program at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. He received his Ph.D. in Pathology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed his postdoctoral training in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His area of expertise is in clinical molecular diagnostic applications for genetic, hematologic, infectious, and neoplastic diseases. His research interests are in the pathogenesis of solid tumors, disease association of SNP genotyping and personalized medicine. He has authored/edited five textbooks in the field of molecular pathology, published more than 100 peer reviewed manuscripts, and has been an invited speaker at both national and international meetings. Dr. Tsongalis has been the recipient of numerous investigator/scientist awards. He has served on numerous committees of the AACC, AMP and ASIP. He is on the editorial board of Archiv Pathol Lab Med J Clin Virol, and Exper Molec Pathol, as well as, numerous corporate scientific advisory boards.
Joe Monforte, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, AltheaDx
Dr. Monforte has over 20 years experience with genomics research and development. Prior to joining AltheaDx, Dr. Monforte served as Chief Scientific Officer with Althea Technologies. He was also co-founder of GeneTrace Systems where he served as Chief Scientific Officer. He has held management roles at the DOE Joint Genome Institute and within the Toxicology department at SRI International. Dr. Monforte has a Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.