PathCentral, Irvine, Calif, has announced the sale of its diagnostic laboratory business to Ascend Clinical LLC, Redwood City, Calif.
Ascend, which has expertise in diagnostic testing and IT applications and infrastructure, plans to leverage all of the features PathCentral has developed in its APLIS product, as well as continue the intensive focus on new test development to provide seamless lab service to all clients, the company says.
With the sale, PathCentral will expand its focus on its cloud-based technology business units, including its Anatomic Pathology Laboratory Information System (APLIS) and the PathCentral Online Professional Network. The network, due for launch in early 2013, is designed to connect pathologists around the world with subspecialty expert consultants.
PathCentral’s core IT infrastructure is the backbone of almost every reference laboratory offering remote review of cases via “technical only” testing today, according to the company, which says that applying its expertise in cloud-based end-to-end enterprise solutions with the growing field of digital pathology in an integrated professional network is the next phase of the company’s technical evolution.
As part of the sale of the diagnostic lab, Matt Watson, current CEO of PathCentral, will transition to an executive role within Ascend, providing continuity for lab clients. Jaye Connolly has been named Watson’s successor as CEO, effective immediately. Prior, Connolly had served as CFO of PathCentral for more than 2 years.
“With PathCentral’s extensive laboratory offering and tech-only testing options, we gain a highly respected laboratory that gives us access to new diagnostic markets and entry into an entirely new base within the medical community,” said Paul Beyer, CEO of Ascend Clinical, adding that, during the transition, Ascend is committed to minimizing any change in service levels or commitment to quality. “Ascend will continue to develop the world class genomics platform PathCentral launched in 2011. The existing scientific staff, which includes some of the nation’s leading experts in clinical genomics and array CGH-based testing, will remain intact.”
[Source: PathCentral]
