Brian Krueger, former Technical Director of R&D at Labcorp, joined the Premier Medical Laboratory Services (PMLS) team as the new Chief Scientific Officer. In this role, Krueger will be responsible for envisioning and overseeing the scientific functions of PMLS as well as communicating with the scientific and customer communities concerning laboratory capabilities, scientific product development, and the application of scientific research for necessary medical advancements.
“We are completely honored for Brian to join the team,” said Kevin Murdock, CEO of Premier Medical Laboratory Services. “His experience and knowledge of the field is extremely valuable in propelling us forward to fulfill our capabilities as a laboratory. He is a powerful addition to Premier, aiding in our mission to continually improve patient care with the latest in science and innovation.”
Dr. Krueger spent six years at Labcorp where he developed their high throughput sequencing platforms and led molecular testing development during the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; obtaining the first FDA EUAs for commercial lab testing, home collection, asymptomatic testing, and direct to consumer testing. His team also developed a whole genome sequencing assay that CDC used for performing national SARS-CoV-2 pandemic surveillance during his time at Labcorp. At Labcorp, he also developed products for commercialization in molecular oncology, molecular genetics, molecular microbiology, and non-invasive prenatal testing. He served as the Technical Director for 23and Me high throughput genotyping (2017-2020) and oversaw the development of high throughput sequencing assays for germline and infectious disease diagnosis among other accomplishments.
“I came to Premier because I was impressed with the molecular operation that the team has built to address the national need for SARS-CoV-2 testing,” said Brian Krueger, PhD. “Premier was the first lab in South Carolina to validate a COVID assay and invested early in the infrastructure to provide high quality testing. Premier has all of the pieces in place to expand their capabilities beyond SARS-CoV-2, and I look forward to being able to help bring new tests to the Premier menu and grow into other areas where there is an unmet need for testing.”
Dr. Brian Krueger says he’s most excited about Premier’s plans for expanding into direct-to-consumer testing and that one of the major lessons from the pandemic was that patients don’t necessarily have to visit their physician in person to receive high quality care. The expansion of home testing, telehealth and direct to consumer offerings that occurred during the pandemic has changed how people think about healthcare and he believes Premier has a great opportunity to be a leader in providing healthcare to customers on their own terms.
With expertise in high throughput molecular assay development, Dr. Krueger has led large scale genome sequencing operations at both Duke University and Columbia University Medical Center. He obtained his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Iowa in 2009. In addition to his accomplishments, he is also an author on 19 scholarly publications.
As Chief Scientific Officer at Premier Medical Laboratory Services Dr. Krueger oversees clinical assay development and ensures PMLS continues to maintain the highest of scientific standards.