SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 7, 2015) - Aelan Cell Technologies announced today the appointment of Mary Lopez, Ph.D. to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Lopez will serve as an advisor to Aelan's Molecular Diagnostics Division, which is developing unique diagnostic tools that are able to provide rapid and affordable assessment of organismal vitality in blood samples. In the future, these diagnostic tools could be used by clinicians to predict the future onset of age-related diseases and make informed patient care decisions. These tools can also be used as companion diagnostics that provide essential information for the safe and effective use of a corresponding therapeutic, which is a critical component of a clinical trial in the era of precision medicine.

"Dr. Lopez's 25 years of experience will be vital in shaping the future of Aelan's Molecular Diagnostic Division, and her insight will be invaluable as we continue to grow our company," said Dr. Victoria Lunyak, President of CEO of Aelan.

Chester Aldridge, CEO of US Equity Holdings and the Chair of Aelan's Board of Directors added, "Dr. Lopez' knowledge and leadership experience will be critical in helping Aelan take its Molecular Diagnostics Division to the next level."

Dr. Lopez currently serves as the COO and Vice President of Proteomics Discovery at Nuclea Biotechnologies in Cambridge, MA. Before joining Nuclea in 2015, she was the Director of Biomarker Research Initiatives in Mass Spectrometry at Thermo Fisher Scientific and has also held leadership positions at other health-related and biotechnology companies, including Millipore Corp. and Perkin Elmer.

Dr. Lopez is also an accomplished researcher and author; she has written over 70 peer-reviewed publications in her field. She has also been awarded several patents, and is an associate editor for Clinical Proteomics. In addition to Aelan's Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Lopez serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Clinical Proteomics Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Board of the U.S. Human Proteome Organization (HUPO).

"I'm honored to join Aelan's Scientific Advisory Board to advise their Molecular Diagnostics Division," said Dr. Lopez. "Aelan has developed cutting edge diagnostic tools that will predict future onset of age-related diseases and the appropriate corresponding personalized patient care regimen, and I'm looking forward working with the scientists at Aelan as they continue to develop this technology."

Dr. Lopez earned her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed her postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she received an NIH fellowship.