Cerenome has appointed Samantha Fowlkes as Vice President and Head of Commercial Sales for CNSide Diagnostics, its wholly owned central nervous system oncology diagnostics subsidiary, as the company works to expand adoption of the CNSide platform among physicians, health systems and pathology organizations.
Fowlkes brings more than two decades of commercial leadership experience spanning oncology diagnostics, precision medicine and laboratory services.
She most recently served as Vice President and U.S. Head of Client Clinical Operations at Caris Life Sciences, where she held senior positions involving precision medicine, clinical operations and commercial partnerships.
Earlier in her career, Fowlkes held leadership roles in strategic accounts and business development at Genoptix Medical Laboratory and Laboratory Corporation of America.
At CNSide Diagnostics, Fowlkes will be responsible for expanding commercial adoption of CNSide, strengthening relationships across oncology and pathology and building the sales organization needed to support Cerenome’s next phase of growth.
CNSide is a cerebrospinal fluid-based diagnostic platform designed to help detect, molecularly characterize and longitudinally monitor cancers affecting the central nervous system.
The platform can identify tumor cells that have metastasized into the central nervous system in patients with carcinomas and melanomas and provide quantitative analysis intended to support management of leptomeningeal metastases.
Leptomeningeal metastases occur when cancer cells spread to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and can be difficult to detect and monitor.
Cerenome is positioning CNSide as part of a broader CNS oncology platform combining diagnostics, targeted therapeutics and artificial intelligence.
The company’s strategy is to connect information generated through diagnostics with imaging, molecular and clinical data to develop more actionable insights for precision oncology.
Cerenome’s therapeutic portfolio includes REYOBIQ, or rhenium Re186 obisbemeda, which is being evaluated in clinical trials involving leptomeningeal metastases, recurrent glioblastoma and pediatric brain cancers.
The integration of diagnostics and therapeutics gives Cerenome an opportunity to develop a more complete picture of disease progression while potentially using longitudinal patient information to support future treatment development.
CNSide is the commercial diagnostic component of that strategy.
Fowlkes’ appointment therefore comes at an important stage as Cerenome attempts to broaden the platform’s reach beyond early clinical adoption and build stronger commercial relationships with physicians and healthcare systems.
Her background at Caris Life Sciences is particularly relevant because Caris operates at the intersection of molecular diagnostics, precision oncology and healthcare provider adoption.
Cerenome believes that experience can help accelerate adoption of CNSide while creating a scalable sales and commercial infrastructure around the platform.
The company is also seeking to expand testing volumes and reimbursement while continuing development of its therapeutic and AI capabilities.
For Cerenome, building the commercial organization around CNSide could strengthen the diagnostic side of its integrated CNS oncology strategy while creating a larger base of clinical and molecular information that can potentially support the company’s broader research efforts.
Fowlkes holds a bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Texas Woman’s University.
Her career has centered on expanding access to precision medicine and diagnostic technologies through healthcare partnerships and commercial development.
KEY QUOTES:
“Samantha brings more than two decades of commercial leadership experience across oncology diagnostics, precision medicine and laboratory services, with a proven ability to build organizations and drive growth. Her leadership comes at an important time as we expand CNSide’s reach and build the commercial foundation for Cerenome’s next phase of growth.”
Russell Bradley, President and General Manager of CNSide Diagnostics
“CNSide has the potential to change how CNS cancers are detected and monitored, and Cerenome is uniquely positioned to advance that vision. I am excited to join the team and help expand CNSide adoption while building a scalable commercial organization focused on improving care for patients with CNS cancers.”
Samantha Fowlkes, Vice President and Head of Commercial Sales at CNSide Diagnostics
