Industry veterans will drive efforts to bring the benefits of Aqtual’s platform to a variety of therapeutic areas
Aqtual, Inc., a precision medicine company using its novel cell-free DNA platform to develop products for chronic diseases and oncology, today announced it has expanded its team to support the development of its molecular diagnostic test for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy selection and its partnering efforts with companies across the pharma and biotech landscape. Signe Fransen has joined as Vice President of Scientific and Medical Affairs, Maggie Louie, Ph.D., has been appointed by Aqtual as Vice President of Translational Research and Strategic Partnerships, and Jason Carlson, MPH, has been brought on as Vice President of Data Integrity and GxP Systems.
“Over recent months, our team has significantly advanced the development of the Aqtual platform. We’re excited to welcome Signe, Maggie, and Jason to the team to continue this momentum,” said Diana Abdueva, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Aqtual. “Our unique technology that enables comprehensive transcriptomic and epigenomic analysis through a routine blood sample has vast clinical utility potential, and we know that our new teammates will help us make this a reality for patients.”
Ms. Fransen has an extensive background in molecular diagnostics, virology, and oncology. Before her appointment at Aqtual, Signe served as Vice President of Clinical and Medical Affairs at Strata Oncology and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Salish Biosciences, working to bring precision medicine to patients with cancer through therapy selection and minimal residual disease monitoring. Signe holds a Bachelor of Science from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, and a Master of Science in Medical Sciences, Molecular Immunology, and Virology from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
With broad scientific expertise in molecular diagnostics and an extensive understanding of disease mechanisms, Dr. Louie brings valuable knowledge to the team. Before her appointment at Aqtual, Maggie served as the Vice President of Research at Earli, where she led research initiatives focused on developing a novel synthetic biomarker platform for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. Maggie holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the UC Davis Cancer Center.
Mr. Carlson has decades of experience leading cross-functional teams to sustain data integrity, quality, and compliance throughout the product life cycle. Prior to joining Aqtual, Jason was a Senior Director at GRAIL, where he managed data for assay and AI/ML model development, contributing to the launch of the first multi-cancer early detection test. Before GRAIL, Jason was the Head of Data Management at Gilead Sciences. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from UC Davis, Jason holds a Global Master of Public Health from Imperial College, London.
Aqtual’s platform evaluates protein regulation, epigenetics, and transcriptomics by analyzing previously unexplored cell-free DNA fragments found in blood, opening the door to new clinical applications in almost every major disease area. Through its proprietary biochemistry and sophisticated data analysis, Aqtual is creating a catalog of entirely new biological insights, providing an order of magnitude greater detail into gene regulation, epigenetics, and transcriptomics than other cell-free DNA methods.
Aqtual’s first product in development is a blood test that will help physicians select the best treatment option for patients with RA. Presently, more than 20 drugs in six drug classes are available to treat the disease, and most patients must try several drugs before finding an effective treatment option. Drug cycling represents enormous costs to patients, who risk irreversible deterioration of their joints, and the health system overall.
PRIMA-102, Aqtual’s prospective observational clinical trial aimed at predicting the treatment response of patients with RA through analysis of cell-free DNA in blood, has been expanded, with new investigators nationwide expressing interest in joining in Aqtual’s efforts to improve RA treatment selection.
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