Board of Managers
Our Board of Managers comes from diverse backgrounds with extensive expertise in medicine, stem-cell research, finance, management, business development, and high-growth startups.
Christof Westenfelder, MD
Chairman of the Board of Managers
Dr. Westenfelder has extensive experience in Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, and is Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of Utah, and former Chief of Nephrology, George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center. He successfully developed an MSC therapeutic for the prevention of Acute Kidney Injury in on-pump cardiac surgery patients, founded and was CEO of AlloCure to develop this therapy, obtained an IND, and shepherded the therapy from preclinical through a successful Phase 1 and into Phase 2 clinical studies. He is widely recognized as an expert in Mesenchymal Stromal Cell biology and therapy and has given multiple presentations and invited lectures at various national and international scientific meetings. As CEO, Dr. Westenfelder raised in excess of $20M for AlloCure and has raised 15M to date for SymbioCellTech where he currently serves as its CEO.
Axel Zander, MD
Dr. Zander is emeritus Professor of Medicine and Former Chief of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Center at the University of Hamburg in Germany, and has been a visiting Professor at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He has conducted early studies with the Gambro Company on cell expansion which led to the Cell expansion device now manufactured by Terumo. Dr. Zander has extensive experience with clinical studies using MSCs for regenerative purposes. He has served as PI on several studies in cellular therapy and stem cell transplantation. He cofounded and worked with Dr. Westenfelder at AlloCure and served as its VP. He currently serves as SymboCellTech’s VP.
Anna Gooch, PhD
Dr. Gooch has fifteen years experience in Cell Therapy research and commercialization. She earned a doctorate in cellular, viral and molecular biology, and has special expertise in adult stem cell therapies and early phase clinical trials and operations. She has given many presentations and invited lectures at various national and international scientific meetings. She has worked with Drs. Westenfelder and Zander at AlloCure, serving as Clinical Operations Manager, overseeing and managing the Phase 1 trial and preparing the Phase 2 IND and tech transfer, and oversaw and consulted on pre-clinical research. She currently serves as SymbioCellTech’s CSO.
G. Russell Reiss, MD
Dr. Reiss is a cardiothoracic surgeon and scientific investigator with extensive training and background in Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine including the therapeutic use of adult stem cells in cardiac and renal patients. He has successfully obtained multiple FDA stem cell INDs for the treatment of ischemic heart disease and renal failure patients and currently serves as both an officer and consultant for Life Science companies throughout their discovery to commercialization process. Dr. Reiss has previously collaborated with the SymbioCellTech corporate team as a clinical, scientific and regulatory advisor and now serves as Chief Operating Officer and Investor Relations.
Robert Maddock III, MBA
Mr. Maddock is a Senior Vice President and a member of the Investment Committee at Corient in New York City. In addition to managing portfolios for high net worth clients, pensions and other institutions, he conducts fundamental research on energy stocks. Prior to joining Inverness in 1993, Mr. Maddock worked at White Oak Capital Management and was an Investment Officer at the Bank of New York. He earned a BA from the University of Utah in 1985 and an MBA from New York University in 1992. Mr. Maddock has served as a former Trustee and Vice President for the Putnam County Land Trust.
Mahmoud Loghman-Adham, MD
Dr. Loghman-Adham is a pharmaceutical professional with a subspecialty in pediatric nephrology and a strong academic research background. He is an expert in clinical trials (phase 1 to 4) in metabolic, renal, pulmonary, immunology / inflammatory diseases, heart failure, and hematology / oncology. as well as an expert in translational Medicine and early clinical development. Dr. Loghman-Adham is a strategic thinker with proven leadership in managing clinical and multifunctional teams and has extentsive experience in business development and evaluation of licensing and partnering opportunities. He is an advisor to Biotech companies re: positioning of new molecular entities, indication selection, competitor evaluation, protocol development. He has experience with study reports and other regulatory documents for Health Authority submissions and has experience in organizing Advisory Boards and workshops. He is a member of the Drug Safety Committee, and Protocol Review Committee and has given multiple scientific presentations and invited lectures at national and international meetings.
James Horton
Mr. Horton is a managing partner at H2M Capital in Salt Lake City, Utah, a modern venture capital firm that supports the most promising founders in high-growth markets. Mr. Horton holds board of director positions in multiple companies including Plansight and Nikola, where he is also the Finance Chair for the Advisory Board. Mr. Horton completed his advanced business education at the University of Oxford Said Business School and holds a BA in English and Business from Brigham Young University.
Regan B Hansen, MD
Dr. Hansen is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon practicing at Lewiston Orthopedics since 1999 after completing his medical training at the University of Utah School of Medicine and residency training at the prestigious Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Hansen received his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University where he was active in football, receiving All-Western Athletic Conference honors. He is currently licensed in Idaho and Washington and is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Hansen’s expertise in total joint reconstruction allows him to perform numerous joint replacement surgeries annually, making him one of the highest volume surgeons for joint reconstruction.
Eric Gosink, PhD
Dr. Gosink has been an entrepreneur in residence mentoring start-up companies, and currently is commercializing biotechnologies for the University of California. He specializes in early stage technology with expertise in scientific research, technology transfer, patent management, business development, strategic alliances, negotiating, market research, business mentoring and educational outreach. He is skilled in complex commercial and academic operations. Mr. Gosink served as a post-doctoral research fellow studying cellular biology after receiving a PhD and MS in Physiology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He also worked as a research technician for the Veterans Administration Medical Center and obtained a BA in Biochemistry & Cellular Biology from UC San Diego.