Karius Strengthens Leadership Team, Names Former CDC Exec as Chief Medical Officer
May 27, 2021
Leading authority on infectious disease, Dr. Bradley Perkins, to accelerate clinical evidence of the Karius TestTM, a liquid biopsy for infectious disease
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 27, 2021 – Karius, the world leader in liquid biopsy for infectious diseases, announced Bradley Perkins, MD, as the company’s new Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Perkins most recently served as the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at The Commons Project Foundation, helping establish it as the premier non-profit organization building global digital services and platforms for the common good.
Dr. Perkins’s extensive leadership background in both the public and private sectors began during his time at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he led the investigation into the anthrax attacks in the U.S. – at that time the largest inquiry in CDC history. He later served as the CDC’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, before taking executive roles at Vanguard Health Systems and Human Longevity, Inc.
“Winning the battle against infectious diseases is an urgent global health priority,” said Dr. Perkins. “By giving doctors a powerful new diagnostic tool, Karius has established itself as one of the most innovative companies helping to improve outcomes for patients suffering from infectious diseases. I’m excited about the potential for it to scale even further, allowing us to impact lives on a global level.”
“Brad’s experience dealing with major health issues at the highest level will be invaluable to Karius as we enter our next growth phase,” said Karius CEO Alec Ford. “I am pleased to welcome Brad to a team that is focused on our vision of a world where infectious disease is no longer a major threat to human health.”
Dr. Perkins’ appointment comes on the heels of a year of tremendous growth for Karius. A $165 million Series B funding round, led by SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund 2, was the largest AI healthcare investment of Q1 2020, according to CB Insights. Karius was also recognized by Forbes as one of America’s top 50 most promising artificial intelligence companies.
The company also saw increasing adoption of its Karius Test, a liquid biopsy that can non-invasively and rapidly detect more than 1,000 pathogens from a single blood sample. The Karius Test helps clinicians avoid invasive, low-yield, and sequential diagnostic tests that can delay treatment for the most vulnerable hospitalized patients. The Karius Test is now being used in over 100 hospitals and healthcare systems across the United States.
For more information, please visit kariusdx.com and follow @KariusInc on Twitter.
About Karius
Karius is a life sciences company focused on generating genomic insights for infectious diseases with a non-invasive blood test that helps clinicians make rapid treatment decisions. By mapping each patient’s microbial landscape from a single blood draw, Karius moves closer to a vision of a world where infectious disease is no longer a major threat to human health.
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