Company
Our mission is to standardize pre-analytical sample handling. We develop and provide products that eliminate variability in common, often-overlooked, laboratory procedures. Our product lines are marketed globally through an extensive distributor network and have been readily adopted by the leading institutions in the biotech, pharmaceutical, clinical, diagnostic, academic and government scientific community.
Our products include:
Founded by a group of scientists, biomedical engineers, and drug discovery experts, our patent-pending products enable researchers to achieve pre-analytical sample reproducibility and consistency – experiment to experiment, lab to lab and site to site - and are applicable to a wide array of scientific disciplines including cell and tissue culture and cryopreservation, histology, immunohistochemistry, virus and bacterial research, molecular biology, cell therapy, pharmaceutical manufacturing, biofuels research and many others.
BioCision’s first products, the CoolRack® line, were made from a novel aluminum alloy that is 300 times more conductive than ice and adapts rapidly to the temperature of any freezing or cooling medium. The CoolRack® line includes thermo-conductive modules that hold tube or plate samples of different sizes to standardize temperature control right at the benchtop. Subsequent product lines include CoolBox™portable ice-free cooling and freezing devices and CoolCell®, a novel cell freezing device for blood, stem cells, cord blood and cell lines, as well as a line of TruCool™ consumables.
BioCision is entering into a new phase of novel product development collaboration with many distinguished companies and institutions in the area of sample handling and shipping. The company and its products were recently featured in SCIENCE, NATURE, and Genetic Engineering News.
BioCision is represented by the largest life science distributors in the world (Fisher Scientific, VWR International, Sanyo Biomedical) and many small regional distributors worldwide.
MANAGEMENT TEAM ↑ top
Rolf Ehrhardt, MD, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Ehrhardt co-founded BioCision LLC in 2007 and has served as the company’s president and CEO since its inception. He has more than 20 years of experience in drug development and translational science. Before founding BioCision, Dr. Ehrhardt was responsible for the intial (phase 1a) clinical development of a novel HCV protease inhibitor at Intermune, Inc. Before that, Dr. Ehrhardt was the vice president of preclinical development at Corgentech, now Anesiva. He was the founding president of BioSeek, Inc., where he raised close to $20 million in private financing. Prior to founding BioSeek, Dr. Ehrhardt led a scientific group focused on new target discovery/validation and development of immunotherapeutics at Protein Design Labs (now PDL BioPharma Inc.). He was a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: German Research Foundation) and Fogarty Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, where his focus was on mucosal immunology and inflammatory bowel disease. He earned his medical and doctoral degrees with distinction from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Dr. Ehrhardt has authored more than 40 peer reviewed publications and holds multiple patents.
Hugh Douglas
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Douglas most recently led Bridge4Bio, LLC, a global business consulting group. Previously, he was managing director and president of Hoefer, Inc., a part of Harvard Bioscience. Mr. Douglas was also vice president of the West Coast operations for Amersham Biosciences, now a part of GE Healthcare. He has been involved in start-ups, acquisitions and spin-outs and has broad experience in managing companies for growth and success. Mr. Douglas holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and earned his M.B.A. from Golden Gate University.
Ron DiNocco
Co-Chief Financial Officer
Mr. DiNocco joined Biocision in 2008 managing corporate finance development with responsibility for long term capital strategy and investor relations. From 2000-2008 he served multiple leadership roles at Akiva Corporation, including CFO and CEO, while achieving global expansion through new customer and government relationships. During this time, Ron was able to successfully close an institutional Series A round and negotiated the acquisition of a division of O'Reilly and Associates. He holds a bachelor's degree from Babson College and has also completed International Business studies at the University of Monash in Australia. Mr. DiNocco serves on the board of Tech Coast Angels and is an active supporter of early stage companies.
Eliot Terborgh
Co-Chief Financial Officer
Eliot Terborgh is a semi-retired entrepreneur who was co-founder, CEO and CFO of Selectone Corporation (later SmarTrunk Systems, Inc.), a privately held manufacturer of signaling and control accessories for the land mobile radio industry. In 2001, he sold the company to Ranger Communications, Inc., a Taiwanese manufacturer of communications equipment. During the past decade, he has served as a part-time CFO for three Silicon Valley start-up companies, including Wireless Security Corporation, a software firm that was sold to McAfee, Inc., in 2005 and Worldwide Compensation, Inc., another software startup that was sold to Taleo, Inc., in 2010. Mr. Terborgh holds a BA degree in economics from Colby College, an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate Business School and is a CPA in California.
Brian Schryver
Vice President, Product Development
Mr. Schryver co-founded BioCision in 2007, after a 25-year career in molecular biological research and development. He has extensive experience developing instruments and tooling for the life science field. Prior to co-founding BioCision, Mr. Schryver was a scientist at CFD Therapeutics Inc. and worked in topical formulation and assay development at Corgentech, now Anesiva. Mr. Schryver also was involved in preclinical development and biomarker research at SUGEN, and discovery research at Syntex.
Michelle Nemits
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Ms. Nemits joined BioCision in early 2008, with almost 20 years of experience in sales of laboratory products and services. Before joining BioCision she was director of business development at VWR International LLC, a global laboratory supply distributor, where she forged partnerships with global biopharmaceutical customers with complex supply chain requirements. During her 11-year tenure at VWR, Ms. Nemits held various sales and management positions in the global accounts division. Prior to joining VWR, she held sales and marketing positions with Wheaton Science Products of Millville, New Jersey, and Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, a Japanese chemical manufacturer with U.S. sales operations based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jamie Wibbenmeyer, PhD
Vice President, Business Development
Dr Wibbenmeyer has joined Biocision with more than 10 years of marketing and business development experience in the life science tool industry. Her latest position was in Business Development at Bio-Rad Laboratories where she led the team in the acquisition of QuantaLife. Other roles at Bio-Rad included product management and marketing. Prior to Bio-Rad she was the director of sales and marketing at Xeotron, a DNA chip company, that was acquired by Invitrogen. Jamie has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and spent extensive time conducting research in both academic and industrial settings. Jamie will focus on product development and developing strategic partnerships.
Maria Thompson, PhD
Vice President, Scientific Affairs
Dr Maria Thompson has a background in molecular genetics and over 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical and diagnostics research and development. She has held a variety of roles including Head of Genome Wide Screening for Type 2 diabetes, Six Sigma Black Belt, Principal Consultant, and Head of Scientific Affairs, as well as running a private consulting company providing scientific and technical advisory services to clients across the life science industry. Dr Thompson holds a BSc in Genetics and a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the Royal London School of Medicine, UK.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ↑ top
Rolf Ehrhardt, MD, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Ehrhardt co-founded BioCision LLC in 2007 and has served as the company’s president and CEO since its inception. He has more than 20 years of experience in drug development and translational science. Before founding BioCision, Dr. Ehrhardt was responsible for the intial (phase 1a) clinical development of a novel HCV protease inhibitor at Intermune, Inc. Before that, Dr. Ehrhardt was the vice president of preclinical development at Corgentech, now Anesiva. He was the founding president of BioSeek, Inc., where he raised close to $20 million in private financing. Prior to founding BioSeek, Dr. Ehrhardt led a scientific group focused on new target discovery/validation and development of immunotherapeutics at Protein Design Labs (now PDL BioPharma Inc.). He was a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: German Research Foundation) and Fogarty Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, where his focus was on mucosal immunology and inflammatory bowel disease. He earned his medical and doctoral degrees with distinction from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Dr. Ehrhardt has authored more than 40 peer reviewed publications and holds multiple patents.
Paul Nowak – CEO of Biotix Holdings
Mr. Nowak joined Biotix Holdings in April 2007. Prior to that, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Symyx Technologies, a Silicon Valley manufacturer of high-throughput robotics and developer of software applications for R&D. He spent the majority of his career (26 years) at VWR International, a global distributor of laboratory supplies where he held many positions during his tenure, including CEO and President. Mr. Nowak was one of the key leaders that transformed VWR into a $2.8 billion company.
Blair W. Stewart, JD – Legal Advisor
Mr. Stewart has practiced corporate, securities and business law in Silicon Valley for more than 30 years, offering strategic business and legal advice to emerging biotechnology and high technology companies. At the law firm of Wilson, Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he practiced from 1976 to 2001, he served as partner from 1983. Since that time he has conducted a private legal practice as well as co-founding an angel-investor and venture-capital-backed biotechnology company, now in clinical trials. He has advised both for-profit and non-profit companies in regulatory and corporate governance, and is experienced in public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property and licensing, and domestic and international joint ventures. Mr. Stewart holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Stanford Law School and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy.
Brian Schryver
Vice President, Product Development
Mr. Schryver co-founded BioCision in 2007, after a 25-year career in molecular biological research and development. He has extensive experience developing instruments and tooling for the life science field. Prior to co-founding BioCision, Mr. Schryver was a scientist at CFD Therapeutics Inc. and worked in topical formulation and assay development at Corgentech, now Anesiva. Mr. Schryver also was involved in preclinical development and biomarker research at SUGEN, and discovery research at Syntex.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD ↑ top
Aurelio Bonavia, PhD - Scientific Advisor
Dr. Bonavia joined the infectious diseases unit of Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research in 2008 as the respiratory syncytial virus team leader. His main focus in the last 15 years has been respiratory viruses. After a postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins Medical School in HIV and retroviruses, Aurelio joined the laboratory of viral diseases at NIH-NIAID and carried on HCoV-SARS research. In the biotechnology setting Aurelio was a senior scientist at Functional Genetics in Gaithersburg, MD, leading a 28M$ DTRA contract for biosecurity agents developing anti- Ebola antivirals and drug discovery projects in influenza virus and HIV. His expertise in drug development includes R&D and clinical research of antiviral small molecules, antibody, peptide and siRNA with an emphasis in host-targeting.
Katharina Hohenfellner, MD - Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Hohenfellner studied Medicine at the University of Kiel. She completed her training in Pediatrics at the University of Mainz. She spent one year at the Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo N.Y. and one year at the laboratory of Prof. Ichikawa in Nashville Tennessee. She subsequently was a member at Kobe University hospital for two years with a grant from the Humboldt Foundation. Since 2003 she has been Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Mainz. Since 2006 she has been working as a consultant in pediatric nephrology at the University of Salzburg, Austria, and at Traunstein General Hospital, Germany.
Julius Knowles, MS, MBA -Head, Strategic Alliances, Novartis
Mr. Knowles is Head, Platforms, Strategic Alliances for Novartis, responsible for creating technology-based and drug discovery collaborations. Previously, Mr. Knowles was founder and President of Novalar Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company that recently launched their first drug. Prior to this, he was Vice President, Business Development, at Structural Genomix, and Director, Research and Development Planning at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has an MBA in Finance from Wharton Business School, and a M.Sc. from UC Berkeley in Chemistry.
Lori A. Kunkel, MD - Chief Medical Officer, Pharmacyclics
Dr. Lori Anne Kunkel, M.D., has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer of Pharmacyclics, Inc., effective December 01, 2011. Dr. Kunkel has held executive positions in a variety of companies that have provided her experience in developing and commercializing oncologic/immunologic therapies. Her areas of responsibilities have included clinical, regulatory, medical affairs and licensing. She has worked for biotechnology corporations (Genentech/Roche, Chiron/Novartis), and has served as Chief Medical Officer in start-up biotechs (ACT biotech, Syndax, Proteolix (acquired by Onyx)) and as Clinical Vice President at Genitope and Xencor. She has led US INDs, been directly involved in multiple EU and US strategic regulatory meetings, and secured Orphan Drug designations, Special Protocol Assessments, and Scientific Advice on numerous agents. She participated as a strategic clinical advisor and consultant to several corporations including Aton (acquired by Merck), DNAX (Schering Plough), Salmedix/Cephalon, Zymogenetics, Onyx, Raven, and Xoma, as well as a consultant for Boston and Bay area Venture Capital firms. Prior to joining the biotech industry in 1995 Dr. Kunkel spent ten years in academic and clinical medicine and served as a faculty member in the Division of Hematology/Oncology Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Kunkel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from University of California, San Diego and a medical degree from University of Southern California.
Ian Pope, PhD – Thermodynamic Technical Advisor
Dr Ian Pope is a world renowned expert in designing freezing systems and optimizing the freezing profiles used to prepare samples for cryogenic storage and lecturing on thermodynamic properties of the cell. He is managing partner of the Coreus Consulting Group, and a Principal with Core Cryolab Inc. and Founding Partner of Cells for Life Inc. Former global director of Chart-MVE Biomedical Division, and Managing director of Planer PLC a global leader in controlled rate freezer manufacturer.
GENERAL ADVISORY BOARD ↑ top
Bill Craves - Partner of Gilmour Craves
Mr. Craves started Gilmour Craves, a branding and web development agency, in 1996, where he develops brand strategy and communications plans for the company client base. Prior to that he was CEO of Bianchi USA managing North America and Pacific Rim interests of the Italy's largest bicycle manufacturer, Bianchi S.p.A. In addition, he was a key member of the international brand marketing team serving as lead in the areas of new product development and corporate identity.
Kevin Kaster, JD – Intellectual Property Advisor
Mr. Kaster has 20 years of experience in biotechnology and large pharma developing patent, licensing, and corporate development strategies. Kevin served as VP Corporate Development for Threshold Pharmaceuticals, a public company focused on developing anti-cancer agents, and as VP Intellectual Properties for Kosan Biosciences, a public company acquired by BMS in 2008 with geldanamycin and epothilone anti-cancer agents. Mr. Kaster also previously managed the patent portfolios of Geron (telomerase and human embryonic stem cell), Affymax/Affymetrix (combinatorial chemistry and DNA chip) and Cetus Corporation. He began his career as a research scientist and patent technician at Eli Lilly, then earned a B.S. in Chemistry and Molecular Biology from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the Indiana University School of Law.
Richard Miceli – Director, Sales and Marketing
Mr. Miceli has 25 years of experience in manufacturing and distribution to the Biotech, Pharmaceutical and Clinical market. Rich has served as Director for Sales and Marketing for Biohit Inc for the past 13 years. He previously held lead sales and marketing roles at Labcon NA and Elkay Products. His career has been focused mainly on liquid handling and injection molding products. He began his career as a clinical scientist after receiving his degree from Loyola University. Rich is a member of BIOCOM and the LPA, as well as other charitable organizations.