Edward F. Brennan, PhD has been a member of our Board since July 2003 and our Lead Independent Director since March 2014. He is currently a special advisor to Abram Scientific, a privately held medical diagnostics company, where he previously served as the acting CEO and a director.
Until March 2014, Dr. Brennan was CEO of Nexus Dx, Inc. (“Nexus”), a medical diagnostics company located in San Diego, California. In November 2011, Nexus was acquired by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. from ITC Nexus Holding Company, where Dr. Brennan had been Chief Integration Officer following the merger of Nexus and International Technidyne Corporation.
Previously, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of CryoCor, Inc. from March 2005 to February 2006 and Chief Executive Officer from February 2006 until June 2008, when the company was sold to Boston Scientific Corporation. From January 2004, he served as chairman of HemoSense Inc. until its sale to Inverness Medical Innovations in November 2007. While a director of HemoSense since 2000, he was also a Managing Partner of Perennial Ventures, a Seattle-based venture capital firm beginning in 2001. Prior to that time, he served as Vice President at Tredegar Investments.
Dr. Brennan has participated in the development, management and financing of new medical technology ventures for over 30 years, including scientific and executive positions with Syntex, Inc., UroSystems, Inc., Medtronic Inc., DepoMed Systems, Inc. and CardioGenesis Corp.
Dr. Brennan also works as a House Manager for the Center for the Performing Arts in the City of Mountain View, serves on the board of directors of several private companies and previously served on the Board of Trustees of Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Brennan holds Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Biology and a PhD in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.