GenMark Diagnostics Promotes COO to Interim President and CEO

GenMark Diagnostics Inc., a provider of automated, multiplex molecular diagnostic testing systems, has appointed Chief Operating Officer Scott Mendel as interim president and CEO effective immediately. Hany Massarany has stepped down as president and CEO and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. A search has commenced to identify a permanent CEO.
 
Concurrently Kevin O’Boyle has been appointed board chairman and James Fox, Ph.D., GenMark’s prior chairman, will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
 
“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Hany for his leadership throughout his tenure at GenMark. He led the company through multiple pivotal phases of growth including the FDA approval and launch of both the XT-8 and ePlex systems and their corresponding assays. Today the company stands well positioned to take share in a rapidly growing market,” said O’Boyle. “We are confident that Scott’s experience at the company and track record leading its financial, manufacturing and product development organizations will provide a seamless transition.”
 
“I am confident that we have the right technology, strategy, and team in place at GenMark to be the leader in rapid multiplex molecular testing,” added Mendel. “In the upcoming year, we will continue to drive sustainable revenue growth, gross margin expansion and improved profitability.”
 
Mendel has served as GenMark’s chief operating officer since February 2019. Previously, he served as chief financial officer since joining the company in 2014. Prior to joining GenMark, Mendel held various roles of increasing responsibility at The Active Network and GE Healthcare. He earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 
 
On March 19, GenMark Diagnostics Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the company’s ePlex SARS-CoV-2 Test.
 
GenMark’s test was developed for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus in nasopharyngeal swab samples for patients suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider. Rapid and easy detection of SARS-CoV-2 is becoming increasingly critical and customers are adopting the ePlex test based on the workflow and ease-of use to address this urgent need. The test is exclusively for use on the company’s ePlex system, which had a global installed base of more than 500 analyzers as of Dec. 31, 2019. The ePlex sample-to-answer system provides an automated solution to the diagnostic process and provides results in under two hours with the capacity to process up to 96 tests per eight-hour shift. The ePlex system’s modular and expandable design enables near-patient COVID-19 testing to be widely accessible to meet the needs of various types of laboratories, from small decentralized sites, to large central hospitals and laboratories.