MAINZ BIOMED N.V. Mainz Biomed B.V. announced the appointment of Dr. Douglas K. Rex to its Medical Advisory Board (MAB). Dr. Rex is the latest industry expert to join the MAB which was established to support Mainz's forthcoming U.S. pivotal trial for ColoAlert, the Company's highly efficacious, and easy-to-use detection test for colorectal cancer (CRC). Dr. Rex is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, Chancellor's Professor at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, and Director of Endoscopy at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis.
He graduated from Harvard College, Summa Cum Laude in 1976 and with higher distinction from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1980. He served as Chief Medical Resident at Indiana University Hospital and joined the faculty at Indiana University in 1985. He is a full-time clinical gastroenterologist at Indiana University Hospital.
His major research interests have been in colorectal disease and, in particular, colorectal cancer screening and the technical performance of colonoscopy. He co-authored the colorectal cancer screening recommendations of the American College of Gastroenterology and the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. He also authored the recommendations on quality in colonoscopy of the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer and the American College of Gastroenterology/American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
He has authored more than 300 original research papers, 70 book chapters, 230 invited papers, 75 editorials, and 40 guideline papers. He has twice chaired the U.S. Multi-Society (ACG, ASGE, AGA) Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. He is a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Mainz is currently marketing ColoAlert through its unique business model of partnering with third-party laboratories for test kit processing versus the traditional methodology of operating a single facility. The Company is also running ColoFuture, an international clinical study evaluating the potential to integrate a portfolio of in-licensed novel mRNA biomarkers into the product which have previously demonstrated the unique ability to identify curable precancerous colonic polyps, as well as treatable early-stage CRC (Herring et al 2021). ColoFuture is evaluating the effectiveness of these biomarkers to enhance ColoAlert's technical profile to extend its capability to include the identification of advanced adenomas (AA), a type of pre-cancerous polyp often attributed to CRC, while increasing ColoAlert's rates of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.
The results of the study will ultimately impact the configuration of ColoAlert prior to commencing the U.S. pivotal study which is on track to begin in 2022.
