A Medical Device Daily

Mark Faupel, PhD, has been named CEO of SpectRx (Norcross, Georgia). Faupel previously served as president/COO and chief technical officer of the company.

Faupel succeeds Mark Samuels, who retired, effective May 11. Samuels will remain as a consultant to the company and maintain an office.

"Now that the SimpleChoice sale is completed and other transactions are nearing a close, I am stepping down as chairman and CEO," Samuels said. "By focusing on bringing its noninvasive cervical cancer detection technology to market, I believe that the company is on the right path. I fully support the board of directors, management team and employees of the company, and I look forward to seeing SpectRx succeed."

Faupel has more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive developing non-invasive alternatives to surgical biopsies and blood tests, especially in the area of cancer screening and diagnostics. Prior to coming to SpectRx in 1998 as VP of Business Development and then co-founding Guided Therapeutics, Faupel was a senior executive and co-founder of Biofield.

"The appointment of Faupel as CEO is reflective of the new direction of the company and the focus on commercializing our noninvasive cervical cancer detection technology," said Ronald Hart PhD, SpectRx board member. "His extensive knowledge of the technology, regulatory requirements and marketplace make him the ideal person to bring this exciting technology to market."

SpectRx is developing a rapid test for the early detection of disease that leads to cervical cancer using light to scan the cervix for disease. Designed to be painless and to provide results immediately, the test consists of a base unit and a single-patient-use disposable calibration and patient interface.