Nonda KATOPODIS

1924 - 2017

KATOPODIS, Nonda Dr. Nonda Katopodis, 93, passed away in his sleep on Saturday, December 30, 2017. He was born in humble surroundings on the island of Meganisi, Greece in 1924. The young family moved to Athens where he grew up. During WWII he attended the University of Athens and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in organic chemistry. The war was very difficult under the Nazi occupation which caused famine and threatened the lives of all the citizens of Greece. At the end of the war he met Georgia, the love of his life, and they married. Their 65th anniversary was two months ago. When their first son Pericles was born, post war Greece was in rubble with few opportunities for Dr. Katopodis' family so the couple decided to pursue their dreams in the United States. They left with only $18 in their pockets, and initially moved to Montreal, Canada where he obtained his Master's Degree in Biochemistry at Magill University. Their son John was born and they eventually settled in Connecticut. Cancer research was his passion and during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Katopodis developed one of the first blood tests for detecting all forms of cancer while he was at Sloan Kettering in New York and obtained his first US patent in 1982. He obtained his Doctorate degree using this research for his thesis from Southeastern University in 1983. That test commercially called the LASA-P Test was licensed to DIANON Systems, Inc., a company he formed in 1983 with some executives experienced in commercializing diagnostic assays. The name DIANON was derived from the moniker "Diagnostics Nonda". Under his direction as founder and Chairman, his business created a new model for the clinical laboratory industry in the United States and revolutionized the way new diagnostic technology for cancer and other diseases was introduced to the medical community. In 2002 DIANON Systems had 400 employees and was sold to LabCorp, a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. After the sale, Dr. Katopodis retired from his commercial activities but continued work in his laboratory on additional assays he was developing. Over his lifetime he obtained 7 US patents, applying for the last one at age 77 and received it at age 83. Many of his former employees at DIANON Systems have gone on to become acknowledged as business leaders in the marketplace for clinical chemistry and anatomic pathology services throughout the United States. During his lifetime, he received numerous awards and recognitions including being listed in Who's Who of American Inventors in 1994-1995 and 1996-1997 and traveled around the world giving lectures on the LASA-P test and teaching the performance of the test to numerous laboratories from the Netherlands and Germany to China. He is survived by his wife Georgia, his two sons Pericles and John, and two grandchildren Christina and Nonda. The family will welcome guests at the Bevis Funeral Home, 200 John Knox Road, Tallahassee, FL 32303 at 6:00PM Monday January 8, there will be a brief Trisagion service at 7:00PM. The funeral will be at the Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church, 1645 Phillips Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308 at 11:00AM on Tuesday, January 9, followed by his burial at Oakland Cemetery. The attendees are invited back to the church at 12:30PM for a traditional funeral luncheon (Makaria). Eulogies will be given at this time. In lieu of gifts or flowers, the family would like for you to consider making donations to the American Cancer Society, 2619 Centennial Blvd., Suite 101, Tallahassee, FL 32308 or the Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church, 1645 Phillips Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. Rocky Bevis of Bevis Funeral Home in Tallahassee is assisting the Katopodis family with their arrangements. (850/385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com)