NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–PCAsso Diagnostics is pleased to announce today the appointment of Steve Carchedi, to PCAsso’s Strategic Advisory Board.

Mr. Carchedi is an experienced specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic executive and currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for General Electric (GE) Healthcare where he is responsible for leading worldwide marketing for the Medical Diagnostics (MDX) $1.8 Billion business. Mr. Carchedi brings deep development and commercial expertise in both Diagnostics as well as Specialty Therapeutics in Cardiology, Oncology, Urology and Neurology. Before GE, Mr. Carchedi held multiple executive positions at Fortune 500 companies including, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly & Co., Bristol Myers Squibb, Endo Pharmaceuticals, and Enzon Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Carchedi received a B.S. in Marketing from West Chester University and an MBA in Marketing from Drexel University.

“I am pleased to be joining PCAsso’s strategic advisory board at this stimulating juncture in their development,” stated Steve Carchedi. “PolyChromatic Angiography is an exciting technology that is nearing a critical inflection point.”

“We are very excited to have Steve join our strategic advisory board,” said Samir Tari, MD President, & CEO of PCAsso. “Steve brings with him deep knowledge and vast experience in the diagnostics market which will be of immense value to our marketing effort.”

About PCAsso Diagnostics LLC

PCAsso Diagnostics, LLC is a privately-owned diagnostics company located in North Brunswick, New Jersey committed to the identification and development of novel medical diagnostic technologies. For more information about PCAsso, please visit www.pcasso.org.

About PolyChromatic Angiography

PolyChromatic Angiography (PCA) is a novel imaging technology that is expected to provide semi-quantitative analysis of vascular leakage in the retina. The granular information provided by PCA may help ophthalmologists grade disease severity more accurately and tailor treatment accordingly to prevent both under-treatment and over-treatment of retinal vascular diseases.

For more information, please visit meeting website here.

Dr. Samir Tari, will speak about future trends in retina diagnostics and therapeutics with emphasis on age-related macular degeneration (AMD).   Co-panelists include  Dr. Karin Hehenberger (Senior Vice President, JDRF), Mr. Fred Hassan (Chairman, Bausch + Lomb) and Professor Jan Holgersson (CSO,  Recopharma),. The panel will be led by Dr. Eugen Steiner (Partner,  HealthCap)

For more information, please visit SALSS website (Link).

NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–PCAsso Diagnostics LLC today announced that Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) will fund a research collaboration between University of Michigan and PCAsso Diagnostics LLC. The purpose of this collaboration is to assess the feasibility of using PolyChromatic Angiography (PCA) in the evaluation of disease severity in animal models with ocular pathology resembling diabetic retinopathy.

The collaboration will be led by David A. Antonetti, PhD, Jules and Doris Stein Professor at the Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan. Dr. Antonetti is a leading scientist in the field of vascular pathology in diabetic retinopathy. “We are excited to explore the use of this new technology in the assessment of vascular pathology in our animal models,” said Dr. Antonetti.

“This is a perfect example where philanthropy, academia and industry join forces to advance a disruptive technology to benefit the public.” said Samir R. Tari, MD, founder and CEO of PCAsso Diagnostics LLC.

The collaboration is scheduled to start in September, 2011 and will last for a year.

About PolyChromatic Angiography

PolyChromatic Angiography (PCA) is a novel imaging technology that is expected to provide semi-quantitative analysis of vascular leakage in the retina. The granular information provided by PCA may help ophthalmologists grade disease severity more accurately and tailor treatment accordingly to prevent both under-treatment and over-treatment of retinal vascular diseases.

About PCAsso Diagnostics LLC

PCAsso Diagnostics, LLC is a privately-owned diagnostics company located in North Brunswick, New Jersey committed to the identification and development of novel medical diagnostic technologies. For more information about PCAsso, please visit www.pcasso.org.

About The University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center

The University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center is a nationally known center for eye care, education and research. With over 125,000 patient visits each year, the Eye Center provides routine examinations and advanced eye care to its many patients. Kellogg is home to the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences for the U-M Health System. Through basic science and clinical research, Kellogg scientists are advancing knowledge of the causes and mechanisms underlying eye disease, and they are dedicated to developing new therapies and treatments for blinding eye disease. For more information about Kellogg Eye Center, please visit www.kellogg.umich.edu.

About JDRF

JDRF is the worldwide leader for research to cure type 1 diabetes. It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. For more information, please visit www.jdrf.org.

PCAsso Diagnostics is developing a novel imaging technology, called Poly-Chromatic Angiography (PCA), which was invented by Samir Tari, MD during his tenure in the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Tari founded PCAsso Diagnostics in 2008 to commercialize PCA for diagnosis of vascular leakage disorders of the retina, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. PCA provides quantitative information about vascular leakage that will help clinicians tailor treatments to the severity of the leakage.

PCAsso Diagnostics was chosen from a select group of 26 pre-qualified entrants, by a panel of experienced venture capital investors. “PCAsso is developing a technology that could change the practice of medicine and addresses a real need, now,” said Peter Pritchard, Program Director for the Center for Economic Growth, which sponsored the event.

“We are very pleased to be recognized by such a distinguished audience, it has helped build our confidence and credibility with investors,” said Dr. Tari. “Also, the Venture Forum has helped to open doors with high quality investors, those with the vision and experience in nurturing and mentoring emerging companies such as PCAsso.”

“This is a well-deserved award for PCAsso,” said David Lerner, Tech Ventures’ Director of New Ventures. “We continue to be enthusiastic that commercial development of PCA will lead to improved diagnostic and treatment options for patients.”

The SmartStart UNYTECH Forum is upstate New York’s largest venture forum. Since 2001, over 220 emerging companies have successfully raised more than $360 million in funding.

For original press release, click this link.

The imaging technology, called Poly-Chromatic Angiography (PCA), provides quantitative information about vascular leakage. Having this information on hand is anticipated to help clinicians tailor treatments to the severity of the leakage.

One of the first applications of PCA that the company may pursue is diagnosis of certain retinal disorders caused by leaky blood vessels. One such condition, a complication of diabetes called diabetic retinopathy, affects more than 8 million Americans. Over time, diabetes damages the small blood vessels in the retina and the damaged vessels stop carrying enough blood. The retina reacts by secreting inflammatory mediators and other factors that cause leakage and accumulation of fluid in the central part of the retina, resulting in impaired vision.

Currently, vascular leakage in diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed by several methods, the most sensitive of which is fluorescein angiography (FA). FA provides only qualitative information about vascular leakage. Treatment of diabetic retinopathy can be more effective if ophthalmologists have a quantitative measurement method, as the degree of leakage is a good indicator of disease severity.

PCAsso Diagnostics, located in Bridgewater, New Jersey, was founded in 2008 by PCA inventor Samir Tari, MD. Dr. Tari first conceptualized PCA during his tenure as the Daniel Kirby Fellow at the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Clinical Research Center in Vision, the clinical research division of the Harkness Eye Institute at Columbia University Medical Center.

“I felt there was a great need for a better way to grade the disease, a more granular way, a way that has more science and less art.” Dr. Tari said. “PCA will help ophthalmologists personalize treatment according to disease severity; so that patients with mild retinal diseases do not have to receive the same treatment as patients with severe ones.”

Dr. Tari says that PCAsso Diagnostics plans to extend the use of PCA to help guide the treatment of other retinal disorders, such as wet age-related macular degeneration, uveitis, retinitis pigmentosa, retinal vein occlusions, macular edema following cataract surgery, and others. There are also potential applications of the technology for other diagnostic purposes beyond ophthalmology.

“With a wider range of clinical options comes a greater responsibility to ensure patients receive the treatment that best fits their diagnostic profile,” said Ron Katz, the licensing officer who coordinated the agreement between Tech Ventures and PCAsso. “We believe PCA may have significant potential to provide better information sooner in the disease process, which will help both doctors and patients better manage care of these life-altering conditions.”

For Columbia University’s press release, click this link.