Executive Management
John S. West is Novocell’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. West joined Novocell in May 2009 after former CEO Alan Lewis moved on to become President and CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Previously, Mr. West served as Chief Executive Officer of Solexa, from 2004 until the company’s acquisition in 2007. During Mr. West’s tenure at Solexa, the company became public through a reverse merger, raised nearly $100M, and launched its first commercial product. This product lowered DNA sequencing costs over 100-fold, achieved almost $100M revenue in its first full year, and became the dominant system for genome-scale genetic research. Mr. West led the sale of the company to Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) for over $600M, and the business market cap subsequently exceeded $1B. Prior to Solexa, Mr. West served as VP of DNA Platforms, approximately a $1B business, at Applied Biosystems, Inc. (ABI), now Life Technologies. Prior to joining ABI, Mr. West was President of Princeton Instruments, a private company with transformational technology for low light imaging and spectroscopy. The company grew over 10 times in revenue, under the leadership of Mr. West, with much of the growth leveraging advances in cell biology, until it was sold to Roper Industries (NYSE:ROP), where Mr. West continued as subsidiary President. Mr. West holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering from MIT, and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
E. Edward Baetge, Ph.D., is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Novocell formed by the merger of CyThera and BresaGen Inc. in 2004. He was recruited to CyThera as Chief Scientific Officer in 2001 to head its then emerging human embryonic stem cell program. Prior to joining CyThera, Dr. Baetge held the position of Chief Scientific Officer at Modex Therapeutics Ltd from 1997-2001., in Lausanne, Switzerland, which developed one of the first autologous adult stem cell products for the treatment of chronic skin ulcers. Before Modex, Dr. Baetge held management positions at CytoTherapeutics from 1992-1997 and at Bristol-Myers Squibb from 1987-1992 . He holds a Ph.D. in molecular neurobiology from Cornell University and completed postdoctoral work at Cornell University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Baetge has published extensively in the field of cell therapy and has produced a number of cell technology patents.
Mitchell H. Finer, Ph.D. joined Novocell in January 2009 as Senior Vice President of Development and Operations. He spent the past two decades building and managing biotechnology companies from discovery through market launch, in addition to pioneering the development of human monoclonal antibodies, cell and gene therapies. Dr. Finer has previously served as CEO of Intracel Holdings LLC and Genteric Inc, and as Vice President of Research and Development for the Gencell Division of Aventis Pharma (now Sanofi Aventis). He was also a founder and Vice President of Research for Cell Genesys Inc, and a founder of Abgenix and Avalanche Biotechnologies. He is currently a Director of both Intracel Holdings LLC and Advantagene Inc. Dr. Finer received a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
Allan Robins, Ph.D., is Novocell’s Vice President and Chief Technical Officer and oversees the company’s operations in Athens, Georgia. Dr. Robins began his career as operations manager at BresaGen Limited, an Australian biotechnology company, where he later became chief scientific officer and helped raise over $30 million. While at BresaGen Limited, he developed a proprietary expression system which continues to be used in BresaGen Limited’s production of protein pharmaceuticals. In 2000, Dr. Robins helped BresaGen Limited establish its United States subsidiary, BresaGen, Inc., to focus on its stem cell technology. Dr. Robins served as BresaGen, Inc.’s chief scientific officer until it merged with CyThera in 2004 and subsequently merged with Novocell later that year. 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.
Anne G. Bang, Ph.D., is currently Director of Stem Cell Research at Novocell. Dr. Bang has over 20 years of proven experience in the fields of molecular and developmental biology with an emphasis on neurodevelopment. Since joining Novocell in 2005, she has directly applied this background and technical expertise, which has been a cornerstone for engineering human embryonic stem cells. As a member of the management team, she also oversees staffing and various administrative matters for the Company’s research activities, ensuring efficiency and compliance with program commitments as well as monitoring the achievement of critical milestones. Dr. Bang received a B.S. degree with honors from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California in San Diego. She completed work as a post-doctoral fellow and as a Senior Research Scientist in the Neurobiology Department at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.
Liz Bui, J.D., Ph.D., is Novocell’s Director, Intellectual Property & Corporate Development. Dr. Bui directs all activities including IP strategy, patent prosecution and licensing agreements. Dr. Bui is also an integral part of the company’s corporate development, interfacing with potential investors and strategic collaborators. Prior to joining Novocell, Liz was an associate/patent agent at DLA Piper LLP; the largest private law firm in the United States. While attending law school full-time at Pepperdine University School of Law, Dr. Bui was a technology specialist with the law firm of Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly, LLP in Santa Monica, California. Prior to her legal career, she was a professor of biological sciences at Mt. San Antonia College, Walnut, California. Dr. Bui was a NIH Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of California in Irvine (UCI) doing Alzheimer’s research. Dr. Bui received her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Bui also serves the San Diego community as a member of the Board of Directors of Touissant Academy of Arts and Sciences (TAAS), a school and shelter for homeless teenagers. TAAS is a part of Father Joe’s Villages group of charities.
Anne Sandan, C.P.A., is Novocell’s Controller & Senior Director of Corporate Administration and Corporate Secretary. She managed all aspects of accounting, internal and external SEC financial reporting, cash management and budgeting for a variety of private and publicly-held companies. Ms. Sandan also provides comprehensive experience in administrative functions, including HR, IS and facility management. Prior to entering the biotechnology industry, she 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 SOLA International and to over 10 of its worldwide operating entities. Ms. Sandan began her career in 1990 with the audit division of Arthur Andersen LLP. This led to significant leadership roles in accounting where she was instrumental in implementing best practices in a wide variety of industries, including wireless technology, REITs, media-based corporate training and hospitality and entertainment. Ms. Sandan is a cum laude graduate of University of San Diego, where she received a B.B.A. in accounting. She is an active member of the community, currently serving as board member and treasurer of a non-for-profit San Diego performing arts organization for youth. Ms. Sandan is a California certified public accountant.