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WOMEN’S HEALTH VETERAN AND CONCEPTUS CHAIRMAN KATHRYN TUNSTALL JOINS NEOMATRIX AS CHAIRMAN
NeoMatrix Begins Commercial Shipments of HALO Breast Pap System, the First
Automatic, Noninvasive Test to Identify Breast Cancer Risk
IRVINE, Calif. – Sept. 12, 2006 – NeoMatrix, developer of the first office-based test designed to identify breast cancer risk, announced the appointment of Kathryn Tunstall as Chairman of the Board of Directors. A 32 year veteran of the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, Tunstall brings nearly 20 years of women’s health experience, most recently as Chairman of Conceptus, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPTS).
The company also announced that is has begun commercial shipments of the HALO Breast Pap Test System, which can identify breast disease – often a precursor to cancer – up to eight years earlier than a lesion might be found on a mammogram or a self exam. The HALO System, the first automatic, noninvasive test of its kind, was previously available to hundreds of women at two clinical sites in San Diego.
“I am very excited to join NeoMatrix as the company evolves from primarily a research and development focus to that of marketing and commercialization. The promise of identifying the risk of breast cancer when preventative steps can still be taken is of great interest to me – both professionally and personally,” said Kathryn Tunstall. “I look forward to being able to apply the knowledge and expertise gained working with OB-Gyns over the last 14 years to facilitate the broad adoption of this important new tool.”
Kathryn Tunstall currently serves as Chairman of Conceptus, a public women’s healthcare company that developed and markets Essure™, the first non-surgical alternative to tubal ligation for female permanent contraception. As president and CEO of Conceptus from 1993 to 2000, Tunstall led the company through several rounds of private financing and an initial public offering in 1996. During her tenure, Conceptus was twice named one of the fastest growing companies in the Silicon Valley, and was recently added to the Russell 3000 Index.
Tunstall also serves on the board of Caliper Life Sciences and has served on the boards of several private, development-stage companies including Vivant Medical and Solarant Medical. Prior to joining Conceptus, Tunstall served as president of Baxter International’s Edwards Less Invasive Surgery Division and has also held a variety of management positions with divisions of American Hospital Supply Corporation.
A breast cancer survivor, Tunstall has been active in the support of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center and other cancer-related philanthropic organizations. She holds a bachelors degree in Economics with high honors from the University of California, Berkeley and has completed graduate work in Business and Healthcare Administration.
“Unlike other serious illnesses such as heart disease, where risk factors are known and early intervention and lifestyle changes can prevent the onset of the disease, the etiology of breast cancer is complex, and in most individual cases remains unknown,” added Tunstall. What is known; however, is that early intervention, especially before breast cancer has the potential for deadly metastasis, can save lives.
“Therefore we must do a better job of routinely screening for elevated breast cancer risk to facilitate the proper application of newly developed preventative regimens and to ensure that we identify the disease before it has become invasive. The HALO System is the first tool that I’ve seen that shows promise to help improve risk analysis via a low-cost, routine, noninvasive screening procedure.”
Using gentle suction like a breast pump, the HALO Breast Pap Test uses adjustable breast cups to collect Nipple Aspirate Fluid (NAF) during a five-minute, in-office, automated procedure. Dr. George Papanicolaou, who developed the cervical Pap Test in the 1950s, first demonstrated that it is also possible to identify abnormal cells and potential precursors of cancer by analyzing cells collected from fluid from the breast ductal system. Specifically, examination of NAF has been cited in several large studies as a predictor of benign breast disease that may lead to increased risk of breast cancer. The common conclusion from these studies is that routine NAF assessment may be a useful objective tool to improve the prediction of breast cancer risk.
In the National Cancer Institute’s report, “The Nation’s Investment in Cancer Research
2006: Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Prediction,” the NCI expresses a need for more
accurate methods of predicting who is at high risk for developing cancer. This is particularly
important in breast cancer as the majority (more than 70%) of women who develop breast cancer
have no known risk factors other than age.
About NeoMatrix, LLC
Based in Irvine, Calif., NeoMatrix© develops innovative devices that allow women and their Ob-Gyns to promote optimal breast health. The company's premier product, the HALO Breast Pap Test System, is the first fully automated, noninvasive breast disease screening device designed for use in the primary care office setting. The System has been FDA cleared for the collection of nipple aspirate fluid for cytological evaluation for the determination and/or differentiation of normal versus pre-malignant versus malignant cells. For further information, visit www.neomatrix.com.
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