Cofactor Genomics, a commercial-stage diagnostics company transforming precision oncology through RNA-based predictive tests, today announced the appointment of Howard H. Bailey, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Bailey is the former Director of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and an internationally recognized oncologist and cancer researcher whose 36-year career has spanned patient care, cancer-center leadership, building multi-institution research networks, and the development of new approaches to cancer prevention and treatment.
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bailey will play a key role in shaping Cofactor’s clinical strategy as the company works to make predictive biomarker testing a routine part of immunotherapy treatment selection. His priorities include strengthening the evidence base for OncoPrism in clinical practice in HNSCC and NSCLC; supporting physician education, payer and guideline engagement; helping integrate OncoPrism into academic and community oncology workflows; and shaping clinical development in additional cancer indications.
“Howard has spent his career doing the difficult work of turning promising science into better care – building clinical-research networks, leading biomarker-informed studies, and earning the trust of patients and oncologists,” said Chris Parker, Chief Executive Officer of Cofactor Genomics. “Cofactor’s goal is to give physicians meaningful predictive information when high-stakes immunotherapy decisions are made. Howard’s experience will help ensure that our evidence generation, health-system integration, and expansion into new cancer indications remain grounded in clinical utility and patient benefit.”
“Immunotherapy has transformed cancer care, but clinicians still need better tools to determine which patients are most likely to benefit,” said Dr. Bailey. “Cofactor has built a compelling RNA-based approach that captures the complexity of the tumor immune environment rather than relying on a single marker. I am excited to help translate the existing rigorous clinical evidence into improved clinical workflows and broader access for patients and physicians.”
Dr. Bailey, prior to retiring from the University of Wisconsin and UW Carbone Cancer Center in January 2025, served as associate dean for oncology and professor of medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, with responsibility for cancer-related initiatives, philanthropy, and UW Health’s Cancer Service Line. Across his career, Dr. Bailey participated in hundreds of cancer clinical trials, including service as study chair and/or principal investigator on more than 50 industry- or federally-supported phase I-III studies. He was principal investigator of the NCI-sponsored UW Chemoprevention Consortium, chaired and/or participated in countless NCI study sections, ASCO, AACR, and NCI committees, and built or led multiple independently funded regional and national clinical-research networks. In 2025, Dr. Bailey received the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Distinguished Leadership Award in recognition of his vision, leadership, and longstanding commitment to multi-institution cancer research.
Dr. Bailey joins Cofactor during a period of national commercial and clinical expansion. OncoPrism has received national Medicare coverage in Head and Neck Cancer, while a recent clinical study of 1,487 non-small cell lung cancer samples established OncoPrism as a predictive biomarker of immune checkpoint inhibitor benefit in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC represents the largest application segment for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) worldwide. Strategic investments from Labcorp and Ascension Ventures are supporting Cofactor’s goals to broaden patient access, expand clinical evidence generation and health-system integration, scale commercial and laboratory operations, and advance its predictive immunotherapy diagnostic portfolio across additional cancers.
About Cofactor Genomics
Cofactor Genomics is a commercial-stage diagnostics company that bridges the precision medicine gap by decoding RNA to solve the biggest problems in healthcare. Cofactor unlocks RNA’s potential as a transformational barometer of health using patented Gene Expression Classifiers (GEC). GECs go beyond gene mutation panel tests, using the latest advancements in machine learning and RNA to create Cofactor’s high-dimensional RNA models of biology, disease, and therapy response.
Cofactor’s pioneering work in RNA-based diagnostics has been published in The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, and recognized by Nature Scientific Reports as breakthrough work in cancer. Cofactor is partnered with doctors and healthcare systems to bring precision medicine to cancer care. Cofactor’s OncoPrism is CAP/CLIA-validated and Medicare-approved. Learn more from www.cofactorgenomics.com and LinkedIn.
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