Moleculera Labs, Inc., an Oklahoma City-based personalized medicine diagnostic company, welcomes Rodney Cotton to its Board of Directors. Cotton, a former Senior Vice President at Roche Diagnostics, brings 40-plus years of experience in the life science field to Moleculera’s Board. The appointment comes as the company prepares for expansion and future development of additional medical tests to include panels targeting autoimmune cardiovascular diseases and Long-COVID.
Cotton’s career spans more than two decades at Roche, an industry leader that develops and produces diagnostic medical tests and digital tools. His career culminated in the role of Senior Vice President, Head of Strategy & Transformation, and Chief of Staff for the CEO of Roche Diagnostics, the U.S. division of Roche AG, the Swiss multinational healthcare company with a publicly traded market cap of $236 billion.
Over his storied career, Cotton led the financial turnaround of four global healthcare companies. In a challenging environment impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cotton and his team at Roche accelerated six ground-breaking products in eleven months, including the launch of one of the market’s most accurate and in-demand molecular diagnostic tests.
Among other current roles, Cotton serves on the Board of Directors of Orchard Software and is an Advancement Council Member at the School of Applied Computational Sciences at Meharry Medical College, the nation’s oldest historically black medical school.
“We are excited to have Rod join our board bringing his wealth of experience and expertise in the successful strategic launches of diagnostic products and services while at Roche,” said Dr. Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA, President and CEO of Moleculera Labs. “His operational and business acumen will be a great asset in our continued expansion and development. I look forward to our future growth, knowing that Rod’s experience will help us further impact the lives of multitudes of patients.”
Moleculera Labs performs clinical testing focused on identifying the underlying immune-mediated root of neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral disorders. The company conducts research and clinical development and operates a CLIA and COLA-accredited, high-complexity laboratory in Oklahoma City, where it has tested over 15,000 patients using its patented anti-neuronal antibody panel, also known as the Cunningham Panel™.
“I’m thrilled to join the Moleculera Labs board to help drive increased market access and availability to antibody testing panels vital in assisting physicians in their diagnosis of autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders, including PANS and PANDAS,” Cotton said. “With their autoimmune neuropsychiatric panel, the world’s first and only test of its kind, Moleculera Labs is poised for rapid growth and patient impact in its mission to improve the lives of children and adults with infection-induced autoimmune disorders affecting the brain.”
Moleculera’s autoimmune neuropsychiatric panel consists of five blood tests that identify circulating levels of autoantibodies in serum directed against the brain and central nervous system that may result in neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral symptoms. Patients with positive results often respond to anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory treatments with remarkable results.
