Allan Robins, Ph.D. was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer in July 2011 and concurrently serves as Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, a position he has held since 2004. In addition to his duties as Acting CEO, Dr. Robins oversees company-wide manufacturing activities along with research operations in Athens, Georgia. Prior to ViaCyte, Dr. Robins served as Chief Scientific Officer at BresaGen, Inc, the United States subsidiary of BresaGen Limited, an Australian biotechnology company that has since been acquired by Hospira, Inc. Under Dr. Robin’s leadership, BresaGen, Inc. was awarded significant support for its stem cell research from the National Institutes of Health. BresaGen merged with ViaCyte’s predecessor companies in 2004. Prior to BresaGen, Inc., Dr. Robins was Chief Scientific Officer at BresaGen Limited, where he helped raise over $30 million and developed a proprietary expression system which continues to be used in the production of protein pharmaceuticals. Dr. Robins received a B.S. with honors in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Adelaide in Australia. He followed his studies with postdoctoral work at Cambridge University in England.
Anthony J. Gringeri, Ph.D. is Vice President and Chief Development Officer and oversees preclinical, regulatory, quality and clinical operations. Dr. Gringeri’s career includes 14 years of service at Amgen, where he held several executive level positions, including Vice President, Product Development and Executive Director, Scientific Operations. He served as product development team leader for key drugs, including Aranesp® and EPOGEN®, and for Amgen’s cell therapy program. His other vice presidential roles while at Amgen were in scientific outreach and licensing, and project management & strategic planning. Dr. Gringeri‘s past experience also includes the role of Chief Operating Officer at Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT) based in the Netherlands and focused on gene therapies for orphan diseases. As COO, Dr. Gringeri was instrumental in the filing of AMT’s initial public offering and European regulatory submissions for its lead product. Dr. Gringeri earned his B.A. with honors in biology and Ph.D. in pharmacology at the University of Rochester, New York.
Michael J. Scott, Ph.D. is Vice President, Device Research & Development and is responsible for all device development and manufacturing activities, including design, engineering, and testing. Prior to joining ViaCyte, Dr. Scott served as Senior Director, Heart Valve Therapies at Edwards Lifesciences. In this capacity, he managed high profile products that are currently in preclinical and clinical trial phases with commercialization expected later this year. Dr. Scott’s past experience also includes the role of Vice President of Research and Development at Orqis Medical Corporation, a venture-backed medical device startup. Dr. Scott led Orqis to the first human use of a sophisticated implantable blood pump system for the treatment of congestive heart failure. Dr. Scott was educated in Canada, earning a Ph.D. in medical biophysics from the University of Western Ontario, and a B.A.Sc. with honors and an M.A.Sc. in civil engineering (orthopedic bioengineering) from the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
Kevin D’Amour, Ph.D. joined ViaCyte in 2002 in the role of scientist and held positions of increasing responsibility before his promotion to Chief Scientific Officer in June 2011. Dr. D’Amour’s key duties include overseeing the alignment of ViaCyte’s research strategy with its business and operational goals, and publicly addressing scientific aspects of the Company’s technology platform. Prior to joining ViaCyte, Dr. D’Amour performed pre-doctoral research with Dr. Fred Gage at The Salk Institute where he studied stem cell plasticity in neural stem cells. His past experience also includes a research position at Gen-Probe, Inc. Dr. D’Amour is an inventor on Viacyte’s key patents in the stem cell area and he has co-authored several high profile publications in renowned scientific journals. Dr. D’Amour performed his undergraduate studies at the University of New Hampshire and earned his Ph.D. in biology at UCSD.
Liz Bui, J.D., Ph.D. joined ViaCyte in 2007 and serves as Vice President and Intellectual Property Counsel. In addition to overseeing all matters related to intellectual property, Dr. Bui is instrumental in the execution of corporate partnerships, licensing contracts, and other key business alliances. Prior to joining ViaCyte, Dr. Bui was with the law firm of DLA Piper, in the Global Life Science Sector, where she focused on IP asset management and protection strategies. She began her law career as a technology specialist at the firm of Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly. Dr. Bui holds a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles and was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine where her research focused on the biochemistry of Alzheimer’s disease. She received her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California.
Anne Sandan, C.P.A. has served as Controller & Senior Director of Corporate Administration since 2007. She also serves as Corporate Secretary. Ms. Sandan is responsible for accounting and financial reporting, as well as human resources, information systems and facilities management. Prior to ViaCyte, Ms. Sandan was Director of Accounting Compliance at Carl Zeiss Vision, responsible for company-wide accounting policies and adherence to U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. She also led Sarbanes-Oxley compliance efforts for the SOLA International division and over 10 of its worldwide operating entities. Ms. Sandan began her career with the audit division of Arthur Andersen LLP. This led to significant leadership roles in accounting across a wide variety of industries, including wireless technology, REITs, media-based corporate training, hospitality and entertainment. Ms. Sandan is a cum laude graduate of the University of San Diego, where she received a B.B.A. in accounting. Ms. Sandan is a California certified public accountant.