A Collective Vision For Better Cancer Therapy

SAGE Leadership Business

Chris Apfel, MD

Founder, CEO & Chair

William Cance, MD

Board Director
& Advisory Board Chair

Scott Minick

Board Director

William Werkmeister

Board Director

Eyal Granit

Board Observer

SAGE Lab Leadership

Brigitte Apfel, MD

Co-Founder, Treasurer & HR

John Fruehauf, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Ricardo Parker, PHD

Director Cancer Research

Amanda Natalizio, PHD

Director Lab Compliance

Gerald Weiss, MD

Laboratory Director

SAGE Advisory Board

Jörg Dietrich, MD

Scientific Advisory Board

Archelle Georgiou, MD

Strategic Advisor

Amer Karam, MD

Strategic Advisor

Scott Kopetz, MD

Strategic Advisor

Mika Newton

Strategic Advisor

Dr. Michael Seiden, MD

Strategic Advisor

Konstantinos Votanopoulous, MD

Strategic Advisor

Jeffrey Venstrom, MD

Strategic Advisor

The SageMedic Story

SageMedic Corp. was founded by Dr. Chris Apfel and his wife Dr. Brigitte Apfel, both California licensed physicians. While Dr. C. Apfel’s clinical research work in preoperative care has changed clinical practice worldwide, he was disappointed to see that even today cancer treatment has still a long way to go. First, his mother lost her battle to painful ovarian cancer. While watching her ordeal, his father declined anti-cancer therapy when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and subsequently succumbed to the disease.

This experience drove him to find more effective therapies for cancer patients. He left the clinical department at University of California, San Francisco, received an MBA from Wharton to compliment his scientific education. He also became a life science impact investor and subsequently, the SAGE Oncotest™ was born.

SageMedic is now a registered California lab that is fully accredited in accordance with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) by the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation (COLA) and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Now SAGE can begin commercializing the Oncotest™ to generate early revenue and clinical case studies.

If making a huge difference intrigues you, please reach out to join us as an impact investor, collaborator, scientist, advisor, consultant, patient advocate, or just to learn more.

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Chris Apfel, MD

California-licensed physician, clinical researcher with 100+ publications including NEJM, impact investor, board member and advisor to over a dozen of life science startups. MD/PhD from the University of Giessen, Germany, and MBA from Wharton, U Penn.

William Cance, MD

Former Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society, A transformative physician executive and oncology Key Opinion Leader with a proven track record of strategic, operational, and scientific accomplishments. He has held leadership roles across academic health systems, non-profit organizations, and National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers. MD from Duke University, School of Medicine.

Scott Minick

A veteran biopharma executive and venture capital investor, with a strong track record growing small and mid-sized companies through acquisitions and IPOs. Mr. Minick served on the boards of numerous public and private biotechnology companies. MBA Kellog GSM, Northwestern University.

William Werkmeister

Bill is a Founding Partner of the International Cancer Impact Fund and serves on the Advisory Board of the National Foundation for Cancer Research. Bill holds a BS from Cornell, an MPA from Harvard, and an MBA from Yale.

Eyal Granit

Brigitte Apfel, MD

Pulmonologist with significant experience in the treatment of lung cancer, UCSF-trained psychiatrist in private practice.  MD from the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Germany.

John Fruehauf, MD

Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of Clinical Pharmacology and Developmental Therapeutics, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Univ of California, Irvine.  Extensive track record of governmental and industry grants and cancer related patents.  Previously, chemotherapy resistance research at the NCI, Chief Scientific Officer at Oncotech, developer of the extreme drug resistance assay. MD/PhD from Rush University.

Ricardo Parker, PHD

Ricardo directs our cancer research activities leveraging his experience at the NCI and Director of the CLIA lab at Oncotech, who developed the extreme drug resistance assay.  Ricardo is also a Professor and Director of the BS Program at the National University. He holds a PhD in Microbiology from Oregon State University and MS in Biology at Tennessee State.

Amanda Natalizio, PHD

Gerald Weiss, MD

Jörg Dietrich, MD

Dr. Jorg Dietrich is Director of the Cancer & Neurotoxicity Clinic at MGH and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard. He focuses on brain tumors, neurotoxicity, and brain repair, with over 100 publications and support from NIH, ACS, and AAN. MD, PhD, MBA Harvard University.

Archelle Georgiou, MD

Dr. Archelle Georgiou, a physician and seasoned TV medical correspondent, is dedicated to empowering informed medical decisions. With 16+ years of experience, she’s produced over 2000 segments to simplify healthcare for viewers. Md, John Hopkins University

Amer Karam, MD

Dr. Amer Karam, a board-certified gynecologic surgeon and Clinical Professor at Stanford, specializes in gynecologic oncology, hereditary cancers, and robotic surgery. Trained at Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering, he leads Robotic Surgery and Outreach in Gynecologic Oncology and is renowned for his expertise in minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic malignancies. MD from American University of Beirut, Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency Program at John Hopkins University.

Scott Kopetz, MD

Dr. Scott Kopetz is an oncologist in Houston, Texas and is affiliated with University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

Mika Newton

With over 25 years of leadership experience in life sciences and healthcare, Mika is an expert in healthcare data management, with a focus on data completeness and universality. He has a proven track record of bringing transformative technologies to market, driving growth, and fostering innovation.

Dr. Michael Seiden, MD

Accomplished physician with extensive expertise in cancer care, research, and healthcare technology. Advisor to pioneering biotech and medtech companies driving breakthroughs in therapeutics and devices to transform provider operations and improve patient outcomes in critical diseases. MD, PhD Washington University St. Louis.

Konstantinos Votanopoulous, MD

Konstantinos Votanopoulos, renowned surgical oncologist and professor at Wake Forest, leads in pioneering therapies for abdominal cancers, specializing in cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic chemotherapy. MD, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Jeffrey Venstrom, MD

Jeffrey Venstrom, MD is Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at GRAIL. Previously, he served as Chief Medical Partner, Cross-Portfolio (Oncology, Neurology) at Roche. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical Development, and Medical Affairs at Foundation Medicine. MD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

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