Flagship Pioneering, a top innovator in biotechnology platforms, and Harbinger Health, a biotech company working on early cancer detection, have named Ajit Singh, Ph.D., as the new CEO of Harbinger and CEO-Partner at Flagship. Dr. Singh, who has a lot of experience in diagnostic tools, will also stay on Harbinger’s Board of Directors, a role he has held since 2024. He takes over from Stephen Hahn, M.D., who will now serve as CEO Emeritus and Special Advisor while still being part of the board.
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Dr. Singh has a strong background in creating and bringing to market advanced diagnostic tools, especially during his time at Siemens and in leading companies that successfully launched oncology-focused diagnostic tests. His new role comes at an important time for Harbinger, which is working on several product candidates that could change the way cancer is detected early through proven technology platforms.
Doug Cole, M.D., Co-founder and Board Chair of Harbinger, and also a General Partner at Flagship Pioneering, said, “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Steve for his leadership during Harbinger’s early stages, when he and the team created a unique and validated platform, set a clear path for product development, and formed key partnerships with top cancer research organizations. Harbinger will definitely continue to benefit from Steve’s guidance as a board member and as an active advisor to the leadership team.” He added, “Ajit’s deep knowledge of the diagnostics industry and his proven track record of leading growth companies will be very valuable in helping Harbinger reach its full potential and, in his role as CEO-Partner, in strengthening our broader Flagship ecosystem.”
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Dr. Hahn, reflecting on his time with the company, said, “Taking Harbinger Health from an exciting idea rooted in groundbreaking science—to detect cancer at its very start with a simple blood test—to today, when we’re close to bringing such products to patients has been a deeply satisfying journey. I’m confident in Ajit’s vision and leadership and look forward to continuing my work with the company in my new role.”
Dr. Singh shared his excitement about the position, saying, “Early cancer detection is one of the most important but still unsolved challenges in oncology. Harbinger Health has a great chance to make progress on this by combining deep insights into the biology of cancer’s beginnings with advanced sequencing technologies and the power of AI. I’m looking forward to leading the team as we work to make earlier cancer detection a reality, which would improve outcomes for millions.” Harbinger is focused on creating blood tests that examine specific methylation patterns in circulating tumor DNA to detect the presence of cancer. The company’s platform combines unique biological insights with artificial intelligence and innovative analysis methods to create new diagnostic and screening tools for various clinical uses and cancer types. Recently, Harbinger shared data showing its tests can detect multiple common and deadly cancers linked to obesity, along with progress in improving the ability to detect cancer signals and the overall performance of the tests.
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