Fredric Price | Executive Chairman of our Board of Directors
Fredric Price has been Executive Chairman of our Board of Directors since April 2014, having served as
our Chairman of the Board of Directors from April 2012 until April 2014. Since 2013, Mr. Price has served as
a member of the Advisory Board of FDNA. From 2013 until 2014, he was Executive Chairman of the Board
of Directors and from 2008 to 2013 Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Chiasma. From 2004 to
2008, Mr. Price was Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Omrix Biopharmaceuticals, from 2006
to 2012 a member of the Board of Directors of Enobia Pharma, from 2007 to 2010 a member of the Board of
Directors of Pharmasset, from 2007 to 2011 Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Peptimmune,
from 2004 to 2005 Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zymenex, from 2000 to 2004 Chairman
of the Board of Directors and CEO of BioMarin Pharmaceutical, and from 1994 to 2000 CEO and a member
of the Board of Directors of Applied Microbiology. As chairman and/or CEO, he has raised more than $500
million in a variety of securities transactions, led a total of 21 M&A and licensing transactions, built FDA
approved facilities and had drugs approved in the US as well as in international markets. His earlier
experience includes having been Vice President of Finance and Administration and CFO of Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals, the founder of the strategy consulting firm RxFDP, and Vice President of Pfizer
Pharmaceuticals with both line and staff responsibilities. Mr. Price is a co-inventor of 13 issued US patents.
He received a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania.
Marlene Haffner, MD, MPh
Dr. Haffner is a director in BioBlast since July 1, 2013. Dr. Haffner is former Director of the Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As OOPD Director she was responsible for the leadership and management of the FDA orphan products development program, the first Orphan Products program in the world. After leaving the FDA, she served as Executive Director, Global Regulatory Policy and Intelligence at Amgen, Inc, and now holds position of CEO at Orphan Solutions and Haffner Associates, services companies for the Orphan Drugs industry.
In addition to her consulting activities, Dr Haffner is Adjunct Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, and Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, at the F Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland. For 36 years she served in the United States Public Health Service beginning her career with the Indian Health Service in Gallup, New Mexico. She received her MD from the George Washington University School of Medicine where she then interned in Internal Medicine. She received further training in internal medicine, dermatology and hematology at the Presbyterian Hospital, New York and at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. She received an MPH from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
During her Public Health career, she rose to the rank of Rear Admiral in the USPHS.
Dalia Megiddo. MD, MBA
Dr. Dalia Megiddo is BioBlast Pharma’s founder and Chief Development Officer. Dr. Megiddo co-founded Alcobra Ltd., a NASDAQ traded company primarily focused on the development and commercialization of a proprietary drug, MG01CI, to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in February 2008 and became a Director at that time. She is an entrepreneur and a medical doctor in family medicine. Since 2000, she has been a manager of InnoMed Ventures, an Israeli venture capital fund focused on life sciences. From 2006 to 2010, she was also a manager of 7 Health Ventures, a Israeli venture capital fund. She is also the founder of a number of life science companies. Dr. Megiddo received her M.D. degree from Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School and holds a specialist degree in Family Medicine, and also holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg-Recanati School of Business.
Udi Gilboa MBA
Udi Gilboa us is a co-founder , director and Chief Financial Officer of our BioBlast since its inception. In addition, Mr. Gilboa co-founded Alcobra Ltd. in February 2008 and became a director in Alcobra Ltd. at that time. He has served as Alcobra Ltd.’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer since its inception to May 2014. Mr. Gilboa is the founder and managing partner of Top Notch Capital, a prominent Israeli life sciences investment bank. He is also the founder of a number of medical device and pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Gilboa holds a Bachelor’s degree and M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University. Mr. Gilboa serves a director of Insuline Medical Ltd., a public company whose shares are listed for trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. In addition, he is a director of Samson Neurosciences Ltd.
Ran Nussbaum
Ran Nussbaum is a director in BioBlast since July 1, 2013. . Mr. Nussbaum is a managing partner and the co-founder of The Pontifax Group, which established three funds with over $220 million under management and over 30 portfolio companies. Over the past 10 years, Mr. Nussbaum has been managing The Pontifax Group’s activity together with Mr. Tomer Kariv. From 2006 to 2008 he also served as CEO of Biomedix Ltd. and Spearhead Ltd., as well as Chairman of the Board of Nasvax Ltd.. Mr. Nussbaum’s experience in the life sciences arena coupled with a 10-year experience in the business intelligence field create a unique blend of skills, enabling him to support companies from inception to commercialization. Mr. Nassbaum also serves on the Board of Directors of many of The Pontifax Group’s portfolio companies including, Kite pharma Inc., c-CAM Ltd., Insuline Ltd.(public co.), Eloxx, Theracaot, CollPlant (public), Protab, Quiet, Fusimab Ltd and as Ocon chairman of the board.
Gili Cohen
Gili Cohen has been a director in our company since July 30, 2014. Mr. Cohen has been a member of the board of directors of Harel Pension Funds Management Ltd. and Harel Atidit Provident Funds Ltd., which are both members of the Harel Insurance Investments and Financial Services Ltd. group, since March 2012. In addition, Mr. Cohen has been a member of the Israel Land Development Co. Ltd., which deals in real estate and investments, since June 2012. He also currently serves as an independent financial consultant and is an economics professor at The College of Management Academic Studies. From 2000 to 2011 Mr. Cohen was the Chief Investments Officer and head of the Investments Department at Excellence Investments Ltd. Mr. Cohen has a degree in economics and geography and an M.B.A., both with honors, from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Mr. Cohen serves on our Audit Committee and has agreed to serve on our Compensation Committee.
Isaac Krymolowski
Isaac Krymolowski is a director in BioBlast since October 2014. Isaac’s career has spanned the US, UK and Israel, and he is an expert on business strategy and growth of global companies. Isaac has previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Solcon Industries, a global Israeli-based company; as Global Head of Consulting & Research of DTZ, a global UK-based commercial real estate company.
and as Head of Group Strategy & Planning at Barclays PLC, one of the largest banks in the world, based in the UK. Prior to these roles, Isaac had 15 years experience in top-management consulting, most recently at the San Francisco office of Booz Allen Hamilton. Isaac holds an MBA degree, with distinction, from Carnegie-Mellon University, and a BA in Economics, cum Laude, from Tel-Aviv University in Israel.
Michael Burshtine
Michael Burshtine joined ouir board of directors in September, 2014. Mr. Burshtine has served as the president and chief executive officer of Flight Medical Innovations Ltd., a med-tech company specializing in the development, manufacturing and marketing of portable ventilators, between 2009 and May 2014. Prior to that, between 2007 and 2009, he served as president and chief executive officer of Recoly N.V., a bio-med company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of drug enhancement technologies. From 2004 to 2007 he served as the chief financial officer of Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., a public biotechnology company that develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma derivative products. Mr. Burshtine is a certified CPA since 1994 and was a senior partner at Kesselman & Kesselman PricewaternhouseCoopers (PWC) auditing firm, until 2004. He holds an MBA and a BA in economics and accounting, both from Tel Aviv University.
Colin Foster
Colin Foster has been President and CEO and a director of BioBlast since January, 2015. Mr. Foster has extensive experience in leading therapeutic, diagnostic, and medical device companies in the United States and internationally, working across the R&D-to-commercial continuum. He was founder and CEO of iSci Management LLC, a life sciences advisory firm, co-founder and CEO of Optherion, Inc., a venture backed biologics and diagnostics company targeting ultra-orphan diseases of the immune system and age-related macular degeneration, and prior to that, he was the President and CEO of Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation USA and Region Head of the North American Pharmaceuticals business of Bayer AG. Mr. Foster began his post-graduate career with Sandoz Canada Inc. before embarking on an international career with Bayer in Canada, the USA, and Europe.
Mr. Foster currently serves as Chairman of Ivenix, Inc., and is a board member of Optherion, iSci Management LLC, and Vista Vocational & Life Skills Center. Mr. Foster has a B.Sc. in Zoology and Microbiology from the University of Toronto, and an M.B.A. from Western University in Canada. He is also an active Member of The Jackson Laboratory National Council and Jackson Society.