Celavie Biosciences Team
Sandy Solmon
CEO and President
- A dynamic entrepreneur recognized for innovation, philanthropy and cutting edge research
- Founder and CEO, Sweet Street Desserts®, the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen gourmet desserts reaching over 70 countries with more than 700 employees worldwide
- Awarded 17 US copyrights for the design of food products
- Honors include:
- Honorary Doctorate, Alvernia University
- 2014 Cornell University Hospitality Innovator Award
- Culinology Top Innovation Award by Research Chef’s Association
- Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business Award
- Lead venture investor, Celavie Biosciences LLC
Oleg Kopyov, MD, PhD, Doctor of Medical Sciences
Developer of concept and stem cell technology and surgical technique as a basis for creating curative treatments for neurodegenerative disorders; developer of patents; co-founder of the company
- Instrumental in the research and development of neurosurgical treatments for brain diseases
- Special interests include pathology, cerebellar ataxia, epilepsy, and stroke
- Director of Research, California Neuroscience Institute, St. John’s Regional Medical Center, Los Angeles
- Director of Clinical Research, The Neuroscience Institute, Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles
- Head, Department of Experimental Neurosurgery, Kiev Research Institute of Neurosurgery, Ukraine
- Doctor of Medical Sciences degree, Kiev Research Institute of Neurosurgery, 1985
- PhD in Neurophysiology and Neuroanatomy, Kiev Research Institute of Neurosurgery, 1973
- Medical Doctor degree, Kiev Medical Institute, 1969
- Research projects include:
- Animal and clinical experimentation aimed at developing new neurosurgical treatments for Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Alzheimer’s diseases, epilepsy, and spinal cord trauma
- Employing deep brain stimulation (DBS) and stem cell technology for brain repair
- Pioneered fetal tissue transplant for Parkinson’s disease in the early 1990s
- Published over 150 articles and monographs
Ignacio Madrazo Navarro, MD, MSc, PhD, FACS, FAANS
Principal Investigator of Exploratory Pilot Study
- Over 54 years of experience as a neurosurgeon, professor, and researcher
- Neurosurgeon, Hospital Angeles Pedregal, Mexico City
- Performed first experimental transplantation of nerve cells taken from a human embryo
- Specializes in the treatment of Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases
- Human OK99 Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with Severe Parkinson’s Disease
- Current research includes central nervous system (CNS) regeneration mechanisms of the spinal cord
- Pioneer in the area of brain transplants
- Head, National Investigation, National Medical Center La Raza, Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS)
- Researcher, Level lll, National System of Researchers
- Member, Advisory Council of Sciences of the Presidency of the Republic, Mexico
- PhD, Medical Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City
- In 2012, recognized for his work for the treatment of Parkinson’s by the National Academy of Medicine, Mexico
- Published over 200 articles for international magazines and 4 books
Christopher Duma, MD, FACS
Principal Investigator, Phase I Trial and Clinical Advisor
- Over 30 years experience as a board-certified neurosurgeon with specialties in surgical brain tumor management, Gamma Knife and CyberKnife™ radiosurgery, and the surgical treatment of movement disorders
- Medical Director, Hoag/UCI Gamma Knife Program, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, CA
- Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Irvine
- Head, Division of Radiosurgery, UC Irvine, School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery
- Vice-Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
- Member, International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society
- Member, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Member, American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Raymond J. Hage, Jr.
Strategic Advisor
- Over 25 years of leadership in pharmaceuticals, biologics and consulting – sales, marketing, new product planning, business development, regulatory, intellectual property, manufacturing and early-stage development
- Founder, President, CEO, and Board Member, Hapten Sciences, Inc., identifying and developing novel, early-stage products that will contribute to the well-being of people around the world
- Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Novavax
- Over 11 years with Eli Lilly, including Sales, Sales Management, Marketing, Pricing, Market Research, Strategic Planning, and Director of US Women’s Health
- Founder and President, Focal Point Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (eye diseases, US Army Grant)
- Executive Program, University of Michigan
- MBA Finance and Marketing, Fisher School of Business, The Ohio State University
- BS in Business and Economics with honors, University of Kentucky
Clemente Associates, Ltd
Medical and Regulatory Advisor
- Over 25 years across disciplines in the pharmaceutical industry
- Chief Medical Officer, Clementi Associates
- Academic appointment in the School of Medicine and in the College of Pharmacy, the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio
- Held executive positions at Wyeth, including Vice President of New Products Marketing and VP Global Medical Communications within Global Medical Affairs
- Early industry career at E.R. Squibb & Sons, G.D. Searle and Eastman Kodak/Sterling Drug/Sanofi Winthrop in clinical research, regulatory affairs and strategic planning/portfolio management
- Experienced with promotional review and compliance, MSL strategies and issues, medical information/call centers, clinical research – all phases, medical marketing and product crafting/positioning, insourcing/off-shoring strategy development and management
- Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine
James Robinson
Manufacturing and Regulatory Advisor
- Over 30 years experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, process development, and quality operations
- Vice President, Technical Operations, Vaccines, Biologics and Sterile Manufacturing, Merck & Co.
- Vice President, Technical and Quality Operations, Novavax, responsible for developing recombinant virus-like particle vaccine for influenza, RSV and other targets
- Over 20 years in executive management at sanofi pasteur in production, development and engineering; most recently as Vice President, Industrial Operations; executive responsible for US vaccine supply
- Industrializing vaccine and therapeutic protein manufacturing technologies, by managing the production of over 2 billion doses of nearly every approved vaccine, including influenza, tetanus, meningitis, chicken pox, shingles, rotavirus, MMR, HPV, hepatitis A&B, and development of recombinant protein vaccines
- Editorial Advisory Board Member and featured in Life Science Leader Magazine in 2012 for transforming Merck’s approach to vaccine manufacture
Howard Schwartz
Legal Advisor – DLA Piper® USA LLP
- Structures and negotiates mergers and acquisitions, complex collaborations, joint ventures, and financings for multinational bio-pharmaceutical and device companies, as well as emerging-growth and other successful businesses
- Advises boards of directors and significant shareholders on disclosure issues, corporate communications policies and fiduciary duty matters
- Represents life sciences clients in their operational matters, such as supply, distribution, clinical trials, manufacturing and research and license arrangements between industry and academic institutions
- Clients extend throughout the US, Europe and Asia as well as to emerging markets
- Deal experience includes all segments of the technology and IP-driven industries—pharma, biotech, medtech, diagnostics, animal health, vaccines, and health services—for aspects of business structures, including franchise, joint venture and acquisition
- For over 20 years has focused on meeting the specialized corporate, commercial and transactional needs of growing companies
- Former Co-Chair, DLA Piper’s Life Sciences practice group
- Recognized as a leading practitioner in his field by peers, including in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for the practice area of biotechnology
