Welcome to SageMedic
A Collective Vision For
Better Cancer Therapy
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.
Chris Apfel, MD
Founder, CEO & Chair
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.
William Cance, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Chair Sci & Med Advisory Board, & Board Director.
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.
Scott Minick
Board Director
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.
Mika Newton
Strategic Advisor
.
Eyal Granit
Board Observer
Paul R. Billings, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Board for SageMedic. A recognized leader in genomic diagnostics and precision medicine, Dr. Billings has held senior roles including Chief Medical Officer at Natera and Life Technologies, and leadership positions at LabCorp. His expertise spans assay commercialization, regulatory strategy, and payer engagement, strengthening SageMedic’s path toward clinical adoption and reimbursement. Earlier in his career, he served on U.S. government advisory committees in genomic medicine and held academic leadership roles at Stanford and Harvard.
Dr Paul Billings
Executive Director
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 in preoperative care has changed medical practice worldwide, he has long been struck by the limited progress in cancer treatment. His mission is deeply personal. His mother lost her painful battle with ovarian cancer and his father—based on this experience—chose to forgo treatment when he was diagnosed with lung cancer and ultimately succumbed to the disease. These experiences led Dr. Apfel to find more effective approaches to cancer care. He left the clinical department at the University of California, San Francisco, and earned an MBA from Wharton to complement his scientific background.
He also became a life sciences impact investor. From this work, SAGE Oncotest™ was developed. Today, SageMedic is a registered California laboratory, fully accredited under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) by the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation (COLA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The company is now positioned to commercialize Oncotest™, generating early revenue and building clinical case evidence. If making a meaningful impact in cancer care inspires you, we welcome a connection- reach out to us as a patient, clinician, advocate, investor, clinical collaborator, scientist, or simply someone who wants to learn more.
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.
Chris Apfel, MD, MBA
Founder, CEO & Chair
Paul R. Billings, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Board for SageMedic. A recognized leader in genomic diagnostics and precision medicine, Dr. Billings has held senior roles including Chief Medical Officer at Natera and Life Technologies, and leadership positions at LabCorp. His expertise spans assay commercialization, regulatory strategy, and payer engagement, strengthening SageMedic’s path toward clinical adoption and reimbursement. Earlier in his career, he served on U.S. government advisory committees in genomic medicine and held academic leadership roles at Stanford and Harvard.
Paul Billings, MD, PhD
Board Director
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.
William Cance, MD
Board Director, Chair Sci & Med Advisory Board
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.
Scott Minick
Board Director
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.
Mika Newton
Board Director