Ultima Genomics, a developer of an innovative, ultra-high throughput sequencing architecture, today announced the appointment of Elena Helman, PhD, as Vice President of Oncology Solutions. In this role, Elena will lead Ultima’s oncology solutions strategy, bringing deep expertise in cancer genomics, clinical diagnostics, and translational bioinformatics to support the company’s expansion into clinical oncology.
Elena brings more than 15 years of experience spanning cancer biology, bioinformatics, and data analytics, with a proven track record of translating cutting-edge technology into clinically impactful solutions. Prior to joining Ultima Genomics, she served as Vice President of Technology at Xilis, where she helped advance tumor-derived organoid models designed to accelerate precision oncology and therapeutic development.
Before Xilis, Elena was Director of Bioinformatics at Guardant Health, where she played a pivotal role in developing clinical-grade circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays for companion diagnostics and minimal residual disease (MRD) detection. At Guardant, she worked closely with pharmaceutical partners to support translational research programs and regulatory submissions, contributing to the successful deployment of liquid biopsy technologies in clinical and biopharma settings.
“Elena’s depth of experience at the intersection of cancer biology, bioinformatics, and clinical diagnostics makes her an exceptional addition to the Ultima leadership team,” said Gilad Almogy, Founder and CEO of Ultima Genomics. “Her expertise will be instrumental as we expand our solutions portfolio to support clinical oncology applications and enable scalable, cost-effective sequencing for cancer research and diagnostics.”
Elena holds a PhD in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics from the Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, where she conducted her doctoral research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute.
“I’m excited to join Ultima Genomics at a time when sequencing economics and scale are becoming critical enablers for clinical oncology,” said Helman. “Ultima’s technology has the potential to fundamentally change how genomic data is generated and applied in cancer diagnostics and drug development, and I look forward to helping extend that impact into the clinic.”
With Elena’s leadership, Ultima Genomics aims to accelerate its expansion into clinical oncology, supporting applications ranging from translational research and biomarker discovery to next-generation diagnostic solutions.