BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Day Zero Diagnostics Inc., an infectious disease diagnostics company utilizing genome sequencing and machine learning to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced the appointment of Dekel Gelbman as its senior vice president of Business Development and Strategy. With more than 20 years of specialized leadership experience, Mr. Gelbman brings a deep understanding of the intersection of digital health, genomics, and artificial intelligence to the Day Zero team.
Dekel Gelbman most recently served as the founding CEO of FDNA, a digital health startup that develops advanced AI tools to help diagnose patients with rare diseases. Under Gelbman’s leadership, FDNA’s flagship product became a leading SaaS decision support tool that is now integrated into the workflows of thousands of clinical geneticists around the world. Prior to FDNA, Gelbman served as a corporate and transactional attorney in Israel as well as the United States, supporting a wide range of companies and transactions, from early-stage venture capital investments to large acquisitions and initial public offerings.
“Day Zero is approaching infectious disease diagnostics in an extremely innovative way,” said Gelbman. “I am pleased to be joining one of the strongest founding teams I’ve ever encountered and a company that is on the cutting edge of multiple technological domains including machine learning, genome sequencing and molecular microbiology, all in support of a disruptive vision for the way infectious diseases are diagnosed and treated. I can’t think of a more appropriate and important time for that.”
The company also announced the addition of Robin Patel, M.D., to its clinical and scientific advisory board. Dr. Patel currently serves as the director of Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic, as well as co-director of the clinical Bacteriology Laboratory. Dr. Patel is the immediate past-president of the American Society for Microbiology and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. She also directs the Laboratory Center for the NIH’s Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group and advises the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Subcommittee on Antibacterial Susceptibility Testing.
Additionally, the company appointed Sally Hojvat, Ph.D., as a regulatory strategy advisor. Dr. Hojvat served as the director of the Division of Microbiology Devices at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 12 years, where she oversaw the evaluation for safety and effectiveness of all in vitro diagnostic microbiology devices submitted to the administration. Prior to the FDA, she worked for 19 years for Abbott Laboratory’s Diagnostics Division in a variety of roles, including product support and development, regulatory strategy and as the director of Clinical Research. Dr. Hojvat currently serves as a senior consultant at Partners in Diagnostics, LLC.
“We are building a new class of diagnostics and these recent high-caliber additions to our leadership team and advisory board will push us even faster towards our vision of transforming the diagnostic approach for severe infections,” said Jong Lee, Day Zero Diagnostics’ co-founder and CEO. “All bring extensive expertise from their respective fields that will prove invaluable as we enter the next phase of company growth and technology development.”
About Day Zero Diagnostics
Day Zero Diagnostics Inc., based in Boston, is pioneering a new class of infectious disease diagnostics using whole-genome sequencing and machine learning to revolutionize how the world fights the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. The company’s mission is to change the way infectious diseases are diagnosed and treated by rapidly identifying both the species and the antibiotic resistance profile of severe infections without the need for a culture. By using sequencing, Day Zero also enables big data approaches for managing healthcare-associated infection outbreaks. Day Zero Diagnostics was founded in 2016 by a team of clinicians and scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The company has been recognized as a leading innovator by MedTech Innovator, TedMed Hive, Xconomy, HealthTech Arkansas, and MassChallenge HealthTech. For more information visit www.dayzerodiagnostics.com or follow us on Twitter at @dayzerodx.
