Board of Directors
Richard Douglas, PhD
Non-Executive Chairman
Dr. Douglas is a seasoned corporate development professional who served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Genzyme for almost 30 years, where he led numerous acquisitions, licenses, financings, joint ventures and strategic alliances. He also previously held several scientific and corporate development roles at Integrated Genetics. Dr. Douglas is currently an adviser to RedSky Partners, Chairman of the Board for Aldeyra Therapeutics, a Director at Novavax, and Chairman of the National Advisory Board of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Douglas completed his post-doctoral fellowship at California Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Leroy Hood, MD, PhD, after earning his PhD in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. He has a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Michigan.
Richard Douglas, PhD
Non-Executive Chairman
Doug Doerfler
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Doerfler has more than 35 years of experience in biotechnology product and company development, commercialization, and international financing. In 1999, he was one of the three founders who started MaxCyte to commercialize flow electroporation technology. Previously, Mr. Doerfler was President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Immunicon Corporation and also held various executive leadership positions with Life Technologies (now Thermo Fisher Scientific). He is an active life sciences industry advocate, serving as Chair Emeritus on the Tech Council of Maryland and member of the executive committee for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).
Mr. Doerfler earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Baltimore School of Business and also holds a certificate in Industrial Relations.
Doug Doerfler
President and Chief Executive Officer
Yasir Al-Wakeel, BM BCh
Non-Executive Director
Dr. Al-Wakeel has almost 20 years of experience working in financial, strategic planning and corporate development roles in the biotechnology and healthcare industries. He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Development for Kronos Bio, where he was instrumental in the company’s $288 million initial public offering. Dr. Al-Wakeel previously held similar executive leadership positions at Neon Therapeutics (now BioNTech) and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals (now Ipsen), as well as senior roles in equity research and corporate finance at Credit Suisse focused on the biotechnology sector. He began his career as a practicing physician, holding both clinical and academic medical posts in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Al-Wakeel received a Bachelor of Medicine (BM) and Bachelor of Chemistry (BCh) from the University of Oxford in England and a Master of Arts in theology from Cambridge University.
Yasir Al-Wakeel, BM BCh
Non-Executive Director
Patrick Balthrop, Sr.
Non-Executive Director
Mr. Balthrop has more than 30 years of executive experience in diagnostics, life sciences tools and medical devices with biotechnology companies such as Luminex Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Abbot. He is currently the Founding Principal of Apalachee Ventures, an investment, advisory and consulting firm. He also serves as Executive Advisor to Water Street Healthcare Partners, a healthcare-focused private equity firm and serves on the boards of Discovery Life Sciences, Agendia and Pattern Bioscience; he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Nature Conservancy.
Mr. Balthrop earned a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management and received a Bachelor of Science in biology from Spring Hill College in Alabama.
Patrick Balthrop, Sr.
Non-Executive Director
Will Brooke
Non-Executive Director
Mr. Brooke has been advising and investing in early-stage and growth companies for more than 20 years and served on the boards of numerous pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies. He presently is a board member of KPX Global, a financial services firm that develops analysis and advice in the intangible asset/ environmental, social and governance (ESG) space. In 1993, Mr. Brooke co-founded Harbert Management Corporation (HMC) in Alabama and is currently a Limited Partner; previously he served as General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer and Chairman of the Harbert Realty Services subsidiary. Prior to joining HMC, he practiced law in the Birmingham and Homewood areas for a decade.
Mr. Brooke earned his Juris Doctor in law and Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Alabama.
Will Brooke
Non-Executive Director
Stan Erck
Non-Executive Director
Mr. Erck has more than 35 years of executive management experience in the healthcare and biotechnology industries bringing multiple products into Phase2/3 clinical trials, as well as overseeing the process of financing companies from private funding to IPO and acquisitions. Currently, he is President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Novavax Corporation in Maryland and has previously held similar executive leadership positions at Iomai, Procept, Integrated Genetics (now Genzyme Genetics) and Baxter International. He also sits on the Board of Directors of BioCryst and the MdBio Foundation.
Mr. Erck earned a Master of Business Administration in economics and finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois.
Stan Erck
Non-Executive Director
Rekha Hemrajani
Non-Executive Director
Ms. Hemrajani is a senior executive leader with more than 20 years of experience in strategy, corporate development, finance and operations within the life sciences industry. She currently serves part time as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Jiya Acquisition Corp., where she led the $100 million initial public offering. Ms. Hemrajani has held other executive management positions at numerous listed biopharmaceutical companies, including Aravive, Arcus Biosciences and RAPT Therapeutics. She also sits on the Board of Directors of BioAge Labs and ALX Oncology and is a member of the Investment Advisory Board of the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund.
Ms. Hemrajani received a Master of Business Administration in finance and marketing from the Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in economics and computer science from the University of Michigan.
Rekha Hemrajani
Non-Executive Director
John Johnston
Non-Executive Director
Mr. Johnston has held several non-executive positions in a wide range of industries including pharmaceutical, medical, energy and international hospitality throughout his 30-year career. Previously, he was Head of Sales at Nomura Code and Director of Sales and Trading at Seymour Pierce. Prior to this, Mr. Johnston spent 26 years as a fund manager, overseeing a variety of asset classes including United Kingdom general equities, Japanese equities and technology funds. The last 15 years of his fund management career focused almost exclusively on small cap and Alternative Investment Market (AIM) stocks, a specialized unit of the London Stock Exchange.
Mr. Johnston earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dundee and a Bachelor of Arts in finance from Abertay University, both located in Scotland.
John Johnston
Non-Executive Director
Art Mandell
Non-Executive Director
Mr. Mandell is a senior healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience leading companies, executing large corporate and business development deals, and developing and commercializing products. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, as well as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Cellective Therapeutics (acquired by Astra Zeneca/MedImmune), and held similar executive leadership positions at Stemron Corporation, Human Genome Sciences and Syntex Pharmaceutical Corporation.
Mr. Mandell received a master’s degree from Santa Clara University and a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University, both located in California.
Art Mandell
Non-Executive Director
