About Us
AmideBio discovers peptide therapeutics for metabolic disease. The company uses advanced in-silico techniques to intelligently design novel peptides, its proprietary technology (BioPure™ process) to efficiently generate them and testing schemes to quickly assess their biological activity. The company’s goal is to license these drug candidates at or before the Investigational New Drug (IND) stage.
AmideBio was founded in 2009 to commercialize the proprietary BioPure platform technology to deliver difficult-to-manufacture, ultrapure peptides to the biopharmaceutical industry and research community. The company continues to sell these peptides to customers directly as well as offers a custom synthesis service. In 2016, the company began to leverage this capability to develop its own therapeutics targeting metabolic diseases.
The Team
Pawel Fludzinski, PhD
CEO, President and Board Member
Pawel Fludzinski became CEO of AmideBio in May 2018. Prior to AmideBio, he had a 31-year career with Eli Lilly and Company, with 23 years in executive leadership positions in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, encompassing roles in strategy, research and drug development. In addition, he was one of the founding members of Lilly BioVentures. In his final role at Lilly, he served as Global Brand Development Leader within the Diabetes Business Unit at Lilly where he led a cross functional team though Phase 2, Phase 3 clinical development and global registration of TRULICITY®, Lilly’s once-a week agent for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Pawel holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Rochester, Rochester NY, and was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University, New York City, NY.
Michael H. B. Stowell, PhD
CSO, Founder and Board Member
Michael Stowell is CSO of AmideBio and a Professor of Molecular Biology and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has authored numerous publications in the fields of synthetic organic chemistry, structural biology, neurobiology, and biophysics. Michael has received multiple grants and awards including the Beckman Young Investigator Award, a National Institutes of Health EUREKA award and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Collaborative Innovation Award. Michael received his Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biophysics from the California Institute of Technology and was a visiting Scientist at the MRC – Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge England and the Biophysics Department of Kyoto University, Japan.
Derek Watson, MBA
Fractional CFO
Derek Watson is a solutions-oriented life sciences Fractional CFO and fintech general manager with a focus on early-stage life sciences companies with specialized skills in business scenario modelling, deal negotiation, accounting, cash forecasting, budgeting, banking, internal financials controls, risk management, capital markets, Board reporting, and fundraising. He is a multi-lingual MBA (Russian, German) and chartered accountant. Derek is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland (accounting/business, 2004), IMD Business School in Switzerland (MBA, 2014), and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (2008).
Stephen Eisenberg, PhD
Director, Molecular Biology
Stephen Eisenberg has worked in the biotechnology industry for more than 20 years in various research and management positions including at Sangamo, BiOptix and Synergen. He has authored numerous scientific publications and is an inventor on more than 30 US patents and patent applications. Stephen received his Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Colorado-Boulder and did his postdoctoral work at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle as a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell fellow.
John P. Mayer, PhD
Director, Peptide Chemistry
John Mayer is a recognized leader in peptide drug discovery. In addition to his role at AmideBio, he also serves as a Research Scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Previously John was employed as a Senior Research Advisor and Group Leader of the Peptide Chemistry Group at Eli Lilly and Co and prior to this as Peptide Chemistry Group Leader at Amgen, Inc. He currently sits on numerous advisory and editorial boards and is the author or co-author of over 80 publications and 15 applied or issued patents. John has a B.S. in Biochemistry from Northwestern University and a MS and Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from Purdue University.
Yanyu Peng, MS
Manager, Product Development
Yanyu Peng has been with AmideBio since 2010. During this time, she has successfully developed AmideBio’s proprietary processes for the manufacturing of peptides and proteins. She manages laboratory operations and oversees product manufacturing. Prior to joining AmideBio, Yanyu obtained extensive experiences in molecule/cell biology and drug development at Gilead and Myogen. She received her M.S. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Elizabeth Schanuel, BS
Scientist, Product Development
Elizabeth Schanuel joined AmideBio in 2012 and works as a research scientist and sales manager for the company. She works in both upstream and downstream product manufacturing processes. Elizabeth has previously worked at the CU Institute of Behavioral Genetics and Iishi Laboratories at CSU. She obtained her BSA at University of Colorado at Boulder.
Board of Directors
David Brunel
Chairman of the Board
David Brunel joined AmideBio’s Board in 2017 and serves as Chairman. He was a co-founder, board member, and CEO of Biodesix from 2006 to 2020, a company that develops and commercializes non-invasive blood-based molecular diagnostic tests for oncology. Prior to Biodesix, Mr. Brunel was co-founder and President of SomaLogic, a company creating protein capture arrays for sensitive, high-throughput, quantitative diagnostics. He was also founder and CEO of Unidata, Inc. which merged with Vmark Software to create Ardent Software, Inc., where he was CEO. He served as CEO of both Codestream, Ltd, acquired by Blue Phoenix Solutions, and eMotion, Inc., acquired by Corbus, and now part of Getty Images. David serves on the boards of Anark Corporation, KromaTid, HepQuant, and InOn Health. He has a B.S. in Chemistry from Colorado State University, and an MA in International Studies from the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
Greg Abbott, JD
Board Member
Greg Abbott has over 30 years of experience serving as Director, CEO and company officer of numerous biotech companies including Synergen and Darwin Molecular. He has also been a corporate and finance attorney and was a partner with the Silicon Valley law firm of Cooley LLP, for which he co-founded and managed a branch office in Kirkland, Washington. Previously, as a partner with Holme Roberts & Owen in Colorado, he led the firm’s technology practice and co-founded a branch office in Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Abbott has worked for many years as a biotech industry consultant, company advisor, and expert witness in biotech and technology licensing litigation. Greg holds a B.A. from Yale, a J.D. with honors from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and has been a Fulbright Scholar in law in Moscow, Russia.
David L Barker, PhD
Board Member
David Barker currently serves on the Board of Singular Genomics Systems (NASDAC: OMIC) and Symbiotic Systems, and is Board Member and Chairman at Bionano Genomics (NASDAC: BNGO). He is a scientific advisor to Luna DNA. He was Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Illumina, Inc., from 2000 to 2007, and on the Illumina scientific advisory board through 2015. He was previously on the Boards of NextBio, ProteinSimple, Zephyrus Biosciences, Inc., IntegenX and Integrated Diagnostics. Dr. Barker served from 1998 to 2000 as Vice President and Chief Science Advisor at Amersham Biosciences, now part of General Electric. From 1988 to 1998, Dr. Barker held senior positions, including Vice President of Research and Business Development, at Molecular Dynamics, Inc., until the acquisition of Molecular Dynamics by Amersham. In his academic career, Dr. Barker conducted interdisciplinary research in neurobiology as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon and Associate Professor at Oregon State University. David holds a BS in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a PhD in Biochemistry from Brandeis University.
Vince P Mihalik, MS
Board Member
Vincent Mihalik has a combined 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. He most recently served as the Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, and Chief Commercial Officer of Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Amylin, he was Vice President Global Brand Development and Commercialization for the Diabetes and Endocrine Platform at Eli Lilly. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Lab Systems and Molecular Biochemicals at Roche Diagnostics. From 1990 to 1998, he served in various management capacities at Boehringer Mannheim including President Diabetes Care North America. He held various positions of increasing responsibility at American Hospital Supply Corporation (AHSC) and Baxter Healthcare, after the latter acquired AHSC in 1985. Vincent holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Pennsylvania State University and a Masters in Management from Northwestern University.
Niles Utlaut, MD
Board Member
Advisory Board
Daniel M. Bradbury, DMS
Dan Bradbury is the managing member of BioBrit, LLC, a life sciences consulting and investment firm based in La Jolla, CA. Dan is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Equillium, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQ), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical need. He served as CEO of Equillium until January 2020. He is the former President, CEO and Director of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on metabolic diseases. During his 18-year tenure at Amylin, the company launched three first-in-class medicines, including the first once-a-week therapy to treat diabetes. He served as Amylin’s Chief Executive Officer from March 2007 until its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in August 2012. Before joining Amylin, Dan worked in marketing and sales roles for ten years at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. Dan serves on the board of directors of Biocon Limited (NSE: BIOCON), Castle Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTL), Equillium, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQ), Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICPT) and a number of private companies and philanthropic organizations. Dan received a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Nottingham University and a Diploma in Management Studies from Harrow and Ealing Colleges of Higher Education in the United Kingdom.
Marvin Caruthers, PhD
Marv Caruthers is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Colorado and a pioneer in the biotechnology field. As one of the co-founders of Amgen and Applied Biosystems, Marv’s groundbreaking scientific research in nucleic acid chemistry led to the development of DNA synthesis techniques that remain the industry standard today. Marv is also a founding investor in miRagen Therapeutics and member of the Board. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Marv was awarded the National Medal of Science for 2006, the nation’s highest distinction honoring scientific achievement. Marv holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Northwestern University.
Gilad S. Gordon, MD, MBA
Gilad Gordon serves as clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and is a principal of the ORRA Medical Consulting Group providing consulting expertise in the development and implementation of clinical trial programs in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. He brings over 33 years of industrial and academic experience, including tenures at Eli Lilly Company, Synergen, Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, and FeRx. Gilad is a recognized authority in the areas of new drug research and development, clinical trial design and execution, regulatory compliance and outcomes, research in the healthcare industry in oncology, hepatology, and immunology. He has received awards of recognition from Harvard Medical School, the American College of Physicians, and the American College of Chest Physicians. In addition to serving on the board of directors of the Georgetown Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Diseases and Jewish Family Services, Gilad is active at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Gilad received his A.B. in Biochemistry from Harvard University, his M.D. from Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his M.B.A from the University of Washington.
Thomas Keuer, MS
Tom Keuer brings over 30 years of technical expertise in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries including leadership positions with ARCA Biopharma, Insmed, Baxter International, Somatogen and Monsanto. In his current position as COO with ARCA, Tom has overall responsibility for the company’s technical development programs in the chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) area and also serves as the head of project management. Prior to ARCA, he was Senior Vice President of Insmed Therapeutic Proteins, with responsibility for all process development and manufacturing programs at the company including leadership of the GMP manufacturing site in Boulder, CO. Prior to Insmed, Tomas was Vice President of Engineering for Baxter International’s Bioscience Division with global responsibility for all capital projects related to manufacturing of biotechnology products. Tom served as Vice President of Manufacturing for Somatogen, Inc, a Boulder-based biotechnology company. He received his M.S. in Biochemical Engineering from Rice University as a Monsanto–sponsored delegate.
William S. Marshall, PhD
Bill Marshall is an independent life sciences consultant to various biopharma companies, investors, foundations and academic institutions. Prior to that he was the President, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder and Director of miRagen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGEN). Prior to founding miRagen, Bill was Vice President of Technology and Business Development for Bioscience at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Bill was also a founder of Dharmacon, Inc., which was acquired by Fisher Scientific International, serving as the Executive Vice President for Research and Operations and General Manager. Prior to joining Dharmacon, Bill worked at Amgen, Inc., most recently as Associate Director of Research, Site Head for Research and Head of the Nucleic Acid and Peptide Technology Department. He is author and co-author of over 50 research papers and 80 patents and currently serves on the Board of FluoroFinder, LLC. Bill earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in Chemistry in the laboratory of Professor Marvin Caruthers at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
David L. Snitman, PhD
David Snitman is currently a principal at DL SNITMAN LLC, a consulting firm providing business development services to the biotechnology industry. He was a co-founder of Array BioPharma and served as Chief Operating Officer & Vice President, Business Development from 1998 to 2015. While at Array, he was responsible for negotiation numerous deals with major pharmaceutical companies including Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Celgene. He was a member of Array’s Board of Directors from May 1998 to October 2012. Prior to forming Array, David held senior positions with Amgen including Associate Director, New Products and Technology, and Manager of Amgen’s Boulder research facility. David received a B.S. in chemistry from Northeastern University and a Ph.D. in the synthesis of natural products from the University of Colorado. He was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Design
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Strategy
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Digital
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Marketing
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