Gemin X Appoints Sanderling's Robert McNeil, Ph.D. as Chairman
- Additional Directors Named To Board -
Montreal, QC — June 20, 2001 — Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc. (Gemin X), today announced the election of Robert McNeil, Ph.D., founder and General Partner of Sanderling Biomedical Venture Capital as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. McNeil brings over 25 years of investment and management experience with early-stage biomedical companies to the Board of Gemin X Biotechnologies. Additionally, the company re-elected Robert Gorman, Ph.D., President of Saguaro Consulting and former research executive at Pharmacia & Upjohn and elected Claude Vezeau, Pharm. D., Partner and Vice President of Investments at BioCapital, a leading Investment Fund in Canada.
"I am pleased to accept this position with Gemin X as I am confident that the executive management team along with its Board of Directors will continue to build a successful biopharmaceutical company," said Dr. McNeil. "Sanderling served as the lead investor for Gemin X's recent $12.6M fundraising because of the Company's strong discovery programs. Now, as the Chairman, I have the exciting opportunity to be involved in the growth and development of Gemin X, a company devoted to discovering treatments against cancer."
Dr. McNeil founded Sanderling Biomedical Venture Capital in 1979. While at Sanderling, he served as a seed-stage investor in Advanced Cardiovascular Systems and Ventrex, two highly successful medical device companies. He also served as founder, CEO, and/or Chairman of several premier biotechnology companies, including CoCensys, Acea, and Peregrine Pharmaceuticals. Prior to founding Sanderling, Dr. McNeil served as portfolio manager and investment analyst for Shuman Agnew & Co., a San Francisco-based investment firm. Dr. McNeil earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics from the University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Gorman previously served as Corporate VP of Discovery Research for Pharmacia Upjohn. Dr. Gorman has served on a number of national scientific committees, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study Sessions, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of America (PMA) Pharmacology Study Section, and the American Heart Association (AHA) Executive Council. Dr. Gorman specializes in drug discovery research and has authored over 120 publications.
Dr. Vezeau is a partner at BioCapital. He played a key role in the creations of several biotechnology companies based in Quebec. He is the chairman of Conjuchem and serves on the board of Labopharm. Prior to BioCapital, Dr. Vezeau held several positions at Bristol Myers in the clinical, regulatory, product development and marketing divisions, both in Canada and the United States before joining Searle Canada as the head of the Company's marketing efforts. Following his work at Searle Canada, Dr. Vezeau served as President, BioChem Vaccines, a subsidiary of BioChem Pharma and led several key initiatives including start-up of state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing operations in Quebec City, start-up of the vaccine development facility in Boston and the negotiation and conclusion of an important development and commercial alliance with SmithKline Beecham.
Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc. specializes in the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics. The company's expertise is in apoptosis, or programmed cell death by harnessing the body's natural defense against injured or damaged cells. Using its proprietary discovery platform, Gemin X has identified a family of small molecules that effectively inhibit the Bcl-2 protein, a validated drug target implicated in B cell lymphoma, breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. Additionally, the company has programs dedicated to the identification of novel cancer targets and therapeutics; discovering small molecules that promote apoptosis in cells infected with latent viruses; and finding compounds that act against p53 independent chemo-resistant cancers. Gemin X, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, was founded in 1997, and employs approximately 30 people.
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