Luke Daum - inventor of PrimeStore® MTM - joins EKF Diagnostics as Chief Scientific Officer

EKF Diagnostics, the global in vitro diagnostics company, has appointed Luke Daum PhD as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), bringing a wealth of expertise in molecular-based diagnostics to EKF’s leadership team. Inventor of the PrimeStore^® MTM (Molecular Transport Medium), the FDA cleared and CE IVD marked sample collection device which deactivates viruses, Dr Daum holds significant industry experience in leading teams from concept to blockbuster products. In the fight against COVID-19, over 50 million PrimeStore MTM vials have now been distributed globally, supporting safe and reliable molecular testing.

Dr Daum joins EKF from Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics, a molecular diagnostic company focused on rapid detection and characterization of infectious diseases, where he was scientific co-founder, CSO and Executive Vice President. Prior to this he was a civilian scientist with the United States Department of Defense, initiating and directing the US Air Force’s molecular influenza strain surveillance laboratory. He has also co-authored publications with the US CDC and presented his research on influenza and TB at scientific conferences worldwide.

Awarded with a PhD from the Cellular and Molecular Biology program at the University of Texas and a second PhD (Honoris causa) from Central Michigan University for his contribution to the field of infectious disease detection, Dr. Daum has published over 30 peer review papers and holds 12 U.S. and international scientific product patents.

In his role as Chief Scientific Officer at EKF Diagnostics, Dr Daum will provide a valuable scientific lead for the research and development of EKF’s broad clinical diagnostics product portfolio and support the Company’s growth of its molecular diagnostics and life science offering. “The future of EKF’s expansion into products and services that enhance diagnostic disease detection is very exciting, and I look forward to using my experience to help advance EKF’s growth into high throughput diagnostic testing centers, clinics, and at point-of-care,” said Dr Daum.   

EKF’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, Mike Salter commented, “We are delighted to welcome Dr Luke Daum to EKF’s leadership team as a highly respected and liked member of the Life Science and Diagnostic community. His extensive knowledge and experience in successful product development and insights in molecular diagnostics will be instrumental as we continue to drive the significant momentum that we have realized in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response.”

Mike Salter’s appointment as CEO will be effective from 1 October 2021.  As the current President of EKF Diagnostics’ American business, he has been responsible for all US facilities including sales, operations and Regulatory Affairs, and also has a particular focus on EKF Life Sciences in Elkhart, Indiana. Previously, Mike worked at GE Healthcare where he was General Manager for the Custom Molecular Reagent Business within GE Life Sciences.

Mike has over 35 years of experience in the Life Science and Diagnostics Industry, 33 of which were spent with GE and Amersham in a variety of positions in the UK, Canada and USA. Since joining EKF in October 2017, he has been responsible for overseeing the growth of EKF’s Diabetes and Haematology business in the US and, by leveraging his business network he has secured licensing agreements, built production capacity and secured orders for EKF’s COVID-19 sample collection kit business.