whether the body’s ability to create new cells is damaged or not performing as it should—whether the mismatch repair process has happened. It’s a very reliable way of identifying an individual’s risk of getting cancer.”
A third Everist product, CardioDefender, is the world’s first smartphone-based, real-time heart arrhythmia monitor, which enables physicians to keep tabs on a patient’s heart rhythm and receive automated alerts from anywhere in the world. Charlton says that product will launch internationally in January.
Everist was founded two years ago by the Everist family, who remain primary shareholders. The Everists have been in business since 1876, and they made their fortune building infrastructure such as railroads and ports. The family first diversified into energy, and then into health care.
Charlton says the Everist family sees an enormous amount of potential in genomic-based therapeutics. To that end, there are currently 53 people working at Everist Genomics’ Ann Arbor headquarters, and Everist expects to add 10 to 15 more employees in the first half of 2012 to take advantage of the growing field of personalized medicine.
“Genomic diagnostics and therapeutics are transforming medical outcomes,” Charlton says. “We’re helping physicians save lives, but we’re also reducing the cost of cancer care.”
