We sat down for a Q&A with investors in a conversation moderated by Shareholder Nathan Reese.
Drug repurposing using the Predictive Oncology machine learning approach and proprietary biobank of frozen dissociated tumor cells (DTCs) is outlined in this new white paper.
Drug repurposing using the Predictive Oncology machine learning approach and proprietary biobank of frozen dissociated tumor cells (DTCs) is outlined in this new white paper.
As a biopharmaceutical finance veteran and former investment banking and capital markets manager, Andrew Einhorn brings a wealth of senior financial leadership experience to the Business Advisory Board. Mr. Einhorn currently works with Danforth Advisors, builders of life science companies and leaders in healthcare innovation from strategy through execution, where he provides strategic and situational financial expertise to public and privately held life science companies.
Mr. Einhorn has served as interim chief financial officer of Cognition Therapeutics and chief financial officer of RVL Pharmaceuticals plc (formerly Osmotica Pharmaceuticals plc), Edge Therapeutics, Inc., co-founder and CFO of Oceana Therapeutics, Inc., Esprit Pharma, Inc. and ESP Pharma, Inc.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Einhorn was deeply engaged in investment banking and capital markets at PNC Bank, Chase Securities, and BT Securities, where he managed debt, equity and structured financing transactions with institutional investors. He is a graduate of The American University with a degree in finance and accounting.
Christoph Reinhard, Ph.D., MBA, is a leader in oncology translational research, new technologies in drug development and external innovation.
He currently serves as acting Chief Scientific Officer for CELLphenomics, where he is instrumental in determining what types of novel drugs and drug combinations might be beneficial to future cancer patients with solid tumors.
For more than a decade Dr. Reinhard worked at Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) where he was responsible for strategy development and implementation of translational research support for its oncology portfolio assets and spearheaded the company’s Innovative Medicine Initiative in Oncology.
Dr. Reinhard holds a Ph.D. from the Biocenter University, Basel, Switzerland; an MBA in Technology Management from Phoenix University; and a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Microbiology from the University of Freiburg in Germany.
As a pioneer in the field of machine learning and analytics for biological data, Dr. Murphy is an expert in developing algorithms and models to understand biological systems and relationships. He was founding head of the Computational Biology Department at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and led the development of CORE™, the machine learning technology that is exclusive to and powers Predictive Oncology’s proprietary AI platform.
In addition to his role at CMU, Dr. Murphy has also served as Professor of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Machine Learning there. He is an Honorary Professor of Biology at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany, and was the recipient of an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior Research Award.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and served as President of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry. He was the first full-term chair of the Biodata Management and Analysis Study Section of the National Institutes of Health and was a member of the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council, and the National Institutes of Health Council of Councils.
Among his many accolades, Dr. Murphy has a patent for identifying location biomarkers, published more than 200 research papers and served on numerous editorial boards, committees, advisory panels, conference organizations and committee panels and professional societies. He received an A.B. in Biochemistry from Columbia College and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology. He was a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Charles Cantor at Columbia University
Dr. Malandro currently serves as the Vice President of Operations for Science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where he is part of the team that partners, supports and builds novel advances and tools to enable and accelerate biomedical research.
As an expert in genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry and bioengineering, Dr. Malandro has held roles in both business and corporate settings. Prior to Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, he was Vice Chancellor for Technology Management and Commercialization and the Founding Director of the Innovation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh.
Prior to that, Dr. Malandro co- founded Sagres Discovery, a systems biology company focused on the understanding of the molecular basis of cancer, where he served as Vice President of Technology and Strategic Alliances. There he was involved in all aspects of intellectual property, licensing and alliance management.
Dr. Malandro received his B.S. and M.S. in Biological Sciences and D.Sc. from Youngstown State University and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Florida College of Medicine.
Mr. St. Clair has more than three decades of hands-on experience in building and growing companies across a diversity of markets. As an innovator and entrepreneur, his experience encompasses executive leadership, strategic planning, compliance, reimbursement and revenue integrity and cycle management. His professional and personal endeavors reflect his continuing commitment to the integration of the financial needs and market niche opportunities for health systems and related biomedical organizations.
He is Founder and a Managing Member of SunStone Consulting, LLC. Prior to that, Mr. St. Clair worked as a national vice president for CGI, ImrGlobal, and Orion Consulting and as a national director for Coopers & Lybrand.
As a pharma, biotech and digital health veteran, Veena Rao, Ph.D., MBA, brings extensive experience launching products and building commercial organizations in the pre-launch and early launch phases.
Dr. Rao currently serves as Chief Business Officer of Portal Instruments, where she leads the identification, evaluation and negotiation of partnership opportunities.
Before Portal, she served as Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Corporate Development & Strategy at Beta Bionics where she led the commercial team and was responsible for the go-to-market strategy. Dr. Rao also spent more than a decade working for Eli Lilly in a number of commercial and technical roles.
She has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
David S. Smith, J.D., is a life sciences and intellectual property attorney, veteran biotech industry executive and leading authority on the legal issues surrounding the therapeutic use of human tissue and cells. He has extensive transactional experience, venture financings and regulatory matters for life sciences companies and investors.
Mr. Smith frequently speaks on matters related to the commercial development of tissue, cell and stem cell technologies, and has authored extensively on topics like human tissue therapies and tissue engineering research. He currently serves on the Board of Directors with Foundation for Cell and Gene Medicine; is a current fellow and past member of the executive committee of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society; was a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association; and was a past officer of the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative.
Mr. Nuzum was appointed to the Board on July 9, 2020. He has extensive experience as a CFO that ranges from private start-ups to large publicly traded companies. Mr. Nuzum presently provides financial consulting services on a project basis to companies such as McKesson, BioMarin, AutoDesk and Squire Patton Boggs, mentors start-up companies and serves on the Board of Directors of several companies. Previously he was co-founder and CFO of the Tyburn Group, a financial services company that creates and delivers prepaid payroll and general-purpose card programs for customers. For the four years prior, Mr. Nuzum served as the Controller of Dey, L.P., a large pharmaceutical manufacturing subsidiary of Merck KGaA. Prior to that he was co-founder, Executive Vice President and CFO of SVC Financials Services, one of the first companies in the field to integrate a mobile money solution for global distribution, Vice President of Finance and Administration at Tiburon, Inc., a leader in public safety and justice information systems, and CFO of Winebid.com the world’s leading e-commerce wine auction company.
For more than two decades, Mr. Nuzum was CFO of Loomis Fargo & Co., the well-known international provider of ATM systems, armored cars and other security services. Mr. Nuzum, a Certified Public Accountant, earned his BA at the University of Washington at Seattle. He served with the U.S. Army Special Forces in Vietnam earning the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal during combat operations, other international postings and served with distinction as an intelligence officer in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Hawryluk, Ph.D., MBA, currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Gritstone bio, Inc (Nasdaq: GRTS). Dr. Hawryluk was recognized by Pharmaceutical Executive magazine as a leading business executive in the pharma and biotech industries and has played key roles in bridging the gap between scientific discovery and the commercial application of scientific breakthroughs. As a named inventor on multiple patents and co-author on several peer-reviewed publications, he brings an instrumental awareness and insight to Predictive Oncology.
Before joining Gritstone, Dr. Hawryluk served as Vice President of Corporate and Business Development at Foundation Medicine, Inc., a public molecular information company—subsequently acquired by Roche—and before then assumed roles in business development, marketing and product management across multiple divisions of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.
In addition to his Board role with Predictive Oncology, Dr. Hawryluk serves as an Advisory Board Member of PathAI, Inc.
Dr. Hawryluk holds a Ph.D. in cell biology and protein biochemistry from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and B.S. from the University of Notre Dame.
Arlette H. Uihlein, MD, FCAP, FASCP, is Senior Vice President of Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery for Predictive Oncology and Site Leader of Helomics. She has also served as Medical Director of Helomics® Clinical and Research Labs since 2011. Dr. Uihlein is Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Cytopathology and Family Medicine. Dr. Uihlein completed her Pathology Residency at Allegheny General Hospital, where she served as Chief Resident in Pathology and completed Fellowships in Cytopathology and Surgical Pathology. During that time, she conducted extensive clinical research involving molecular pathology diagnostic and predictive markers, imaging of solid tumors, and novel applications of cellular tumor markers.
While serving as Medical Director at Helomics, a CLIA and New York State certified lab, Dr. Uihlein has published research in molecular assay development, lab automation, and tissue and cell processing. She is a Designated Civil Surgeon for the U.S. Dept. of Justice and a certified Medical Review Officer for the Department of Transportation. She is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Clinical Pathology, NYSDOH Certificate Qualified, and a member of ASCO.
Dr. DeLucas is the Senior Vice President of Biologics for Predictive Oncology. He oversees Predictive Oncology’s solubility and stability contracts for numerous pharmaceutical/biotech companies.
From 1981 to 2016, Dr. DeLucas was a faculty member at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where he served as a Professor in the School of Optometry, Senior Scientist and Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center X-ray Shared Facility, and Director of the Center for Structural Biology. Dr. DeLucas received five degrees from UAB culminating in a Doctor of Optometry degree and a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry. He also received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from The Ohio State University, Ferris State University, the State University of New York (SUNY), and the Illinois College of Optometry.
He has published 164 peer-reviewed research articles in various scientific journals, co-authored and edited several books on protein crystal growth and membrane proteins and is a co-inventor on 43 patents involving protein crystal growth, novel biotechnologies and structure-based drug design. DeLucas was a payload specialist NASA astronaut and member of the 7-person crew of Space Shuttle Columbia for Mission “STS-50”, called the United States Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) Spacelab mission. Columbia launched on June 25, 1992, returning on July 9. In 1994 and 1995, Dr. DeLucas served as the Chief Scientist for the International Space Station at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Dr. DeLucas was recognized as one of the scientists who could shape the 21st century in an article published by “The Sunday Times” of London titled “The Brains Behind the 21st Century.” In 2004, he was recognized as a Top Ten Finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Birmingham Business Journal.
Pamela Bush, Ph.D., MBA, leads all business development, partnering and growth strategies for Predictive Oncology. As a key member of the executive team, she spearheads the company’s strategic, operational and financial planning initiatives for both existing customers and emerging new markets. This includes leveraging and expanding the company’s portfolio of proprietary solutions to advance drug discovery and enable oncology drug development for the company’s biopharma partners. She previously served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Sales and Business Development at Predictive Oncology.
Dr. Bush has more than twenty years of experience in venture creation, finance and business development in the life sciences industry. Prior to joining POAI Pamela worked at Eli Lilly & Company in various roles including Corporate Business Development, Finance and Patient Services. Throughout her career, Dr. Bush has supported the creation and growth of more than 100 life sciences start-ups.
She earned her Ph.D. in Biology from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and MBA from CMU’s Tepper School of Business.
Raymond F. Vennare became Predictive Oncology’s CEO and Chairman of the Board on November 1, 2022. He has served on the Board of Directors since September of 2021.
Mr. Vennare brings more than thirty years of experience as an accomplished senior executive, board director and biotechnology entrepreneur. As a seasoned professional who has founded, built and managed multiple companies on behalf of institutional investors, private foundations and research institutions, Mr. Vennare has a long history of leading companies that range from bioinformatics, diagnostics and therapeutic drug delivery to FDA-cleared medical devices. Throughout his career, Mr. Vennare has played a key role in the capitalization, development and commercialization of innovative and novel technologies.
Since 2015, Mr. Vennare has served as CEO and Chairman of Cvergenx, Inc., a genomic informatics company developing decision-support tools for radiation oncology, and is currently an Investment Partner in Inventeur, LLC, a holding company of medical technologies in anesthesiology. Mr. Vennare’s previous experience includes co-founding ThermalTherapeutic Systems, Inc., where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Executive Officer of ImmunoSite, Inc., Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of TissueInformatics, Inc., and President of VS/Interactive.
Josh Blacher is the Interim Chief Financial Officer for Predictive Oncology. As a strategic and operational CFO with more than 20 years of experience in leadership for private and Nasdaq-listed companies, Mr. Blacher specializes in the life science and biotech sectors.
His background spans roles as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer for RNA Disease Diagnostics, InMed Pharmaceuticals, Therapix Biosciences, Galmed Pharmaceuticals. He has worked in corporate development for Columbus Circle Capital and Teva Pharmaceuticals, as well as in investment management for Deutsche Asset Management and Morgan Stanley.
With a focus on optimizing fiscal health and transforming business decision-making, Mr. Blacher’s expertise is in building finance functions from the ground up, pioneering new financial and establishing global initiatives. He possesses a track record of raising profitability, high-impact issues and transformational deal-making including IPOs, follow-on offerings, M&A, licensing and partnerships.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Yeshiva University and MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School.
David S. Smith, JD, is a life sciences and intellectual property attorney, veteran biotech industry executive and leading authority on the legal issues surrounding the therapeutic use of human tissue and cells. He has extensive transactional experience, venture financings and regulatory matters for life sciences companies and investors.
Mr. Smith frequently speaks on matters related to the commercial development of tissue, cell and stem cell technologies, and has authored extensively on topics like human tissue therapies and tissue engineering research. He currently serves on the Board of Directors with Foundation for Cell and Gene Medicine; is a current fellow and past member of the executive committee of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society; was a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association; and was a past officer of the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative.
“ Having worked in the healthcare industry for over 30 years, helping the companies who deliver patient care utilize the best technology, improve their processes and receive all the revenue they can within all compliance standards;
I was excited to join Predictive Oncology’s Board of Directors in helping to guide this exciting company with all of their cutting edge capabilities for improving
the health care of patients
with cancer.”
Pamela Bush comes with more than twenty years of experience in venture creation, finance, and business development in the life sciences industry. At POAI, she leads the sales efforts and business development activities across the portfolio.
Prior to joining POAI Pamela worked at Eli Lilly & Company in various roles including Corporate Business Development, Finance and Patient Services. In addition to her Lilly work experience, Pamela has worked in economic development, academia, and business consulting supporting the creation and growth of 80+ life sciences start-ups.
“ POAI has developed solutions to help biopharma partners increase the probability of success of their oncology pipeline.”
Ph.D., Molecular Biology
MBA, Tepper School of Business
Dr. DeLucas is the Vice president of Operations for Predictive Oncology and President and co-founder of Soluble Biotech, Inc. DeLucas is currently working to complete development of GMP facilities at Soluble Biotech and at TumorGenesis. In addition, he oversees Soluble Biotech’s solubility and stability contracts for numerous pharmaceutical/biotech companies.
From 1981-2016 Dr. DeLucas was a faculty member at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where he served as a Professor in the School of Optometry, Senior Scientist and Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center X-ray Shared Facility, and Director of the Center for Structural Biology. Dr. DeLucas received five degrees from UAB culminating in a Doctor of Optometry degree and a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry. He also received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from The Ohio State University, Ferris State University, the State University of New York (SUNY), and the Illinois College of Optometry. He has published 164 peer-reviewed research articles in various scientific journals, co-authored and edited several books on protein crystal growth and membrane proteins and is a co-inventor on 43 patents involving protein crystal growth, novel biotechnologies and structure-based drug design. DeLucas was a payload specialist NASA astronaut and member of the 7-person crew of Space Shuttle Columbia for Mission “STS-50”, called the United States Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) Spacelab mission. Columbia launched on June 25, 1992, returning on July 9. In 1994 and 1995, Dr. DeLucas served as the Chief Scientist for the International Space Station at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Dr. DeLucas was recognized as one of the scientists who could shape the 21st century in an article published by “The Sunday Times” of London titled “The Brains Behind the 21st Century.” In 2004, he was recognized as a Top Ten Finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Birmingham Business Journal.
“ Soluble Biotech is continually demonstrating to pharmaceutical and biotech companies the significant value of its novel HSC technology for optimizing protein therapeutic formulations to treat a variety of chronic and infectious diseases. ”
Dr. Arlette Uihlein is Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality for Predictive Oncology and Site Leader of Helomics, serving as the Vice President of Operations, Pathology Services and Medical Director of Helomics® Clinical and Research Labs since 2011. Dr. Uihlein is Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Cytopathology and Family Medicine. Dr. Uihlein completed her Pathology Residency at Allegheny General Hospital, where she served as Chief Resident in Pathology and completed Fellowships in Cytopathology and Surgical Pathology. During that time, she conducted extensive clinical research involving molecular pathology diagnostic and predictive markers, imaging of solid tumors, and novel applications of cellular tumor markers. While serving as Medical Director at Helomics, a CLIA and New York State certified lab, Dr. Uihlein has published research in molecular assay development, lab automation, and tissue and cell processing. She is a Designated Civil Surgeon for the U.S. Dept. of Justice and a certified Medical Review Officer for the Department of Transportation. She is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Clinical Pathology, NYSDOH Certificate Qualified, and a member of ASCO.
“ At Helomics we’re delivering better-informed decision making saving pharma time and money, while providing cancer patients with appropriate therapies.”
Medical College of Ohio
Doctor of Medicine
Baldwin-Wallace University
BS, Biology
“ Patients are always first, is our driving force. Oncology is a tough space, and we are determined to bring the best validated science to help cancer patients and as our CEO says, ‘Eliminate Cancer.’ That takes teamwork and a lot of smart hard-working people, our team members at POAI are up to the challenge. ”
Ohio Dominican College
BS, Chemistry
Executive Officer, Compliance Officer, Corporate Secretary, and member of the Senior Leadership Team. Responsible for Finance, Administration, Human Resources, Investor Relations, and IT. Skyline Medical Site Leader.
Numerous years as CEO/Controller consultant including medical devices companies. Executive positions with CES Computer Solutions, Computer Accomplishments, Hi-Tech Stationary & Printing, Capital Distributors Corp, International Creative Management American Express, Showtime Entertainment and public accounting with Laventhol & Horwath, CPA’s.
“ It’s a privilege to work with a highly talented team to pursue oncology advances, while protecting and increasing shareholder value. ”
Adelphi University
MBA, Finance
Hofstra University
BBA, Public Accounting
Raymond F. Vennare became Predictive Oncology’s CEO and Chairman of the Board on November 1, 2022. He has served on the Board of Directors since September of 2021.
Mr. Vennare brings more than thirty years of experience as an accomplished senior executive, board director and biotechnology entrepreneur. As a seasoned professional who has founded, built and managed multiple companies on behalf of institutional investors, private foundations and research institutions, Mr. Vennare has a long history of leading companies that range from bioinformatics, diagnostics and therapeutic drug delivery to FDA-cleared medical devices. Throughout his career, Mr. Vennare has played a key role in the capitalization, development and commercialization of innovative and novel technologies.
Since 2015, Mr. Vennare has served as CEO and Chairman of Cvergenx, Inc., a genomic informatics company developing decision-support tools for radiation oncology, and is currently an Investment Partner in Inventeur, LLC, a holding company of medical technologies in anesthesiology. Mr. Vennare’s previous experience includes co-founding ThermalTherapeutic Systems, Inc., where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Executive Officer of ImmunoSite, Inc., Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of TissueInformatics, Inc., and President of VS/Interactive.
Mr. Vennare earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh (BA) and holds graduate degrees from Duquesne University (MS) and Case Western Reserve University (MA).
“ What we do for our customers today will directly impact the lives of those patients who may benefit by these discoveries in the future.”