Nova is also president and CEO at Decipher Biosciences, a peer specialising in urologic oncology and markets genomic tests for prostate and bladder cancers.
Veracyte has agreed to acquire Decipher, formerly known as GenomeDx Biosciences, for $600m.
Nova has now left Veracyte’s board and will become general manager of Veracyte’s urologic cancer business unit.
She ran a dual track process at Decipher. Investment bank Evercore had advised on the trade sale as well as an initial public offering.
Decipher Biosciences had filed last month for a $100m IPO as a price discovery mechanism and to keep Veracyte fair in its valuation given Nova had been on its board.
It is also another exit for US-listed pharmaceutical firm Merck in the diagnostics and tools space. Merck owned 8.8% of Decipher having sold Preventice to Boston Scientific for up to $1.025bn last month.
UnitedHealth Group Ventures, the investment arm of UnitedHealth Group, also holds an 11.4% stake in Decipher.
But with both the M&A and IPO markets heating up there will be plenty of chances for the other corporate-backed startups in the space to capitalise.
