OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Omicia, Inc., the leading genome interpretation company, today announced the appointment of Paul Billings, MD, PhD, FACP, FACMG as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and will serve on Omicia’s Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Billings joins Omicia as genomics expands from the research lab to become a valuable clinical diagnostic tool. He joins Omicia’s leadership as it drives forward the company’s vision of individualized medicine enabled by robust genomic interpretation.
“Genomics is moving to the clinic and Paul is one of the industry leaders that will guide us in this new world of genomic and individualized medicine,” said Mike Aicher, Omicia’s CEO. “We have made huge strides this year securing financing from new investors, appointing additional high profile board members, and working with critical clients who quickly see the interpretive value Omicia delivers. All of this sets the stage for us to continue rapid growth, attracting new customers and collaborators.”
“Obstacles to significant adoption at leading sequencing technology providers are primarily tied to the availability of user friendly, simple systems for genetic interpretation and useful clinical reporting,” said Dr. Billings. “I am delighted to join the Omicia team to help improve and strengthen its leadership position in genome interpretation in mainstream medical applications. Their pioneering VAAST algorithm for efficient variant analysis is becoming a de facto standard in the field. I look forward to lending my expertise and vision to their efforts. Scaling clinical genome interpretation is one of the most interesting and pressing challenges facing medicine today. Doing it safely and with respect for patients are of the highest personal interest to me.”
Prior to joining Omicia, Dr. Billings was CMO at Life Technologies, acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (NYSE: TMO). Before that he was founding and acting Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Genomic Medicine Institute at El Camino Hospital. Dr. Billings served as President, CEO and Director of CELLective Dx Corporation. He is a Founder of CBR Systems Inc., the worldwide leader in cordblood stem cell banking, and GeneSage Inc., an early provider of expert genomic information and testing on-line. Dr. Billings was also SVP and Senior Geneticist at Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:LH). He is currently a Director at Trovagene and CollabRx, and was previously a Director of CLDx, SGL, BioScale Inc., Cyntellect Inc., and Lipomics, Inc.
Dr. Billings currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the FDA, the Genomic Medicine Advisory Committee at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Genomics. He was Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of General Medicine at the Palo Alto VA Healthcare System and Stanford Medical School, and then CMO and Deputy Network Director of VISN 17 in the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has been Professor of Anthropology (adjunct) at UC Berkeley and has published extensively on topics in immunology, genetics and medicine. Dr. Billings received an A.B. summa cum laude from UC San Diego, and both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University.
About Omicia, Inc.
Omicia delivers genome analysis solutions for research, diagnostic and clinical applications. Our market-leading software platform enables analysis, interpretation and reporting on genomic data to expedite diagnosis and improve medical outcomes. Omicia’s products are in use at more than 300 world-class academic and clinical institutions worldwide. By accelerating understanding of the genetic basis of disease, drug response and health, Omicia is unlocking the potential of individualized medicine. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Omicia was founded by renowned industry veterans with a deep understanding of technology, genomics and diagnostics. Investors include Artis Ventures, Acadia Woods, Bay City Capital, Buchanan Investments, Casdin Capital and Yuri Milner. For more information, visit www.omicia.com and follow us @omicia.
