Catalysts for innovation
The Innovalyst Managing Partners created the Intellectual Capital Network (ICaN), the resource model of choice for forward-thinking businesses. Through ICaN, Innovalyst creates fit-for-purpose teams of industrial life science experts that can help organizations develop competitive products, attract strategic partners, and overcome commercial barriers. Currently seventy-five strong, these experts are the lynchpin to Innovalysts’ promise for radical thinking. The wealth of experience within the Innovalyst ICaN enables the company to:
- Provide peer-rich critical thought,
- Deliver comprehensive, coordinated life sciences R&D and business services,
- Supply external infrastructure at the C-level, providing ideally-suited interim executives,
- Maintain a corporate presence in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and
- Operate efficiently and cost-effectively.
The Innovalyst team brings deep domain expertise to the life sciences. The Innovalyst team has:
- Worked as Fortune 50 executives, scientists and entrepreneurs,
- Led the research, development and commercialization of drugs, biologics, vaccines, diagnostics, devices, and laboratory tools,
- Led the development of dozens of disruptive innovations,
- Consulted for more than 400 clients,
- Facilitated licensing and partnering agreements,
- Helped companies maximize the value of their intellectual property, and
- Advised clients on regulatory and reimbursement issues.
Dr. Paul L. Domanico, PhD,
Managing Partner
Paul is a founder and Managing Partner at Innovalyst. He has extensive knowledge and experience in life sciences technology development, drug discovery, biochemistry, and the computer sciences. He has significant experience in business development, and creating joint ventures and new companies.
Paul has over twenty-five years of experience in the life sciences and in executive management with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and E.I. du Pont de Nemours. From 2000 through early 2007, he was Vice President for Technology Development for GSK Research and Development in the US. Under his leadership, six innovative technologies were commercialized in the areas of automated protein microcrystallography, enzyme microfluidics, protein microarrays, ultra-high throughput screening technologies, advanced software tools for drug discovery and systems validation.
Paul serves on several scientific advisory boards. He is a mentor to graduate and undergraduate students at the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and at the NC State University, Jenkins Graduate School of Management, and has lectured at these institutions on many occasions. He chairs the Faculty Seed Grant Review Committee for the UNC Medical Excellence Fund. Paul was a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Nanotechnology and North Carolina’s Economy.
Paul holds a PhD in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Medicine from Penn State University. He received his post-doctoral training in Molecular Biophysics at E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.
He is an avid golfer, surfer, and musician.
Download Dr. Domanico's resume for more information.
v: 919.544.1732 ext 3001
m: 919.413.4754
Mr. Hugh Dawson, MS, MBA
Managing Partner
Mr. Dawson has focused his career on strategic business growth, with emphasis on portfolio risk management, future scenario planning and new product development at Fortune 50 companies and biotech start-ups. He is currently founder and managing partner at Innovalyst LLC, a consulting firm that helps catalyze innovation across broad product R&D stages.
Prior to Innovalyst, he was the Head of Global Biotech Licensing at Syngenta Biotechnology Inc., where his team concentrated on licensing, collaboration, strategic alliance, joint development and other intellectual property issues in mergers, acquisitions and partnering activities.
In 2001 he co-founded and was Chief Business Officer of Accera, where he successfully raised equity capital and completed a first in human study for a novel treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This lead to Accera’s commercial product marketed today. Before that Hugh was Head of Discovery and Commercialization at Novartis in Switzerland, responsible for a new screening program to identify novel natural product bio-actives for use in both food and drug applications. Mr. Dawson started his career with Abbott Nutrition, where he spent twelve years with progressive responsibility in sales, marketing and contract management. He also has two years of clinical experience at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
He received his B.S. in Nutritional Science at University of Wisconsin and M.S. in Nutrition Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee. He has an MBA from Duke University, concentrating on finance and executive management.
Download Mr. Dawson's CV for more information.
v: 919.544.1732 ext 3003
m: 919.491.2989
Dr. Drake Eggleston, PhD
Managing Partner
Dr. Eggleston is an internationally known and respected scientist and senior pharmaceutical executive. He enjoyed a highly successful 26-year career in positions of increasing responsibility in R & D with a major pharmaceutical company. During a seven year secondment to the United Kingdom, he built a new department that initiated new research areas and capabilities to support the drug discovery enterprise in partnership with Medicinal Chemistry for SmithKline Beecham and the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Centers for Excellence in Drug Discovery. As a member of a pharmaceutical research executive team that delivered transforming capabilities for lead generation and optimization to drug candidates, he led scientific groups that supported the progression of >150 new chemical series from initial identification through to clinical studies in the period from 2001 through 2007. His groups also were instrumental in indentifying and applying cutting edge technologies to the drug discovery enterprise. The MUX technology for high throughput, multi-channel LC/MS analysis, developed in partnership with MicroMass, is one example of the technological innovations that emerged from within those groups.
Dr. Eggleston used strengths in analysis, adaptability and team building combined with an entrepreneurial, hands-on and inclusive style to foster leadership and vision in drug discovery fueled and fulfilled by innovation, perseverance, resilience and teamwork. During his tenure as Vice President of Computational, Analytical & Structural Sciences for GSK he structured, managed, and nurtured the activities of 200+ scientists at six research sites in the USA, UK, and Italy supporting Discovery Research and each of the Centers for Excellence in Drug Discovery. He contributed strategically as a member of an executive team to define direction and components of a new pharmaceutical Discovery Research organization focused on transforming lead discovery and integrating processes to deliver a full pipeline of potential drugs. These activities included active participation on the Technology Investment Board for GSK and review of numerous investment opportunities for the company. He also helped to define and progress initiatives in Predictive Toxicology and ADME assessments for early stage lead optimization campaigns.
In collaboration with scientists from the Wellcome Trust and Genome Canada, Dr. Eggleston was a co-initiator of the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), the world's largest public-private partnership devoted to the determination of 3-dimensional structures for human proteins. He also served on the SGC Board of Directors for its initial four year phase.
Since retiring from GSK, and prior to helping found Innovalyst, Dr. Eggleston was a consultant for life science venture capital firms, drug discovery start-ups, the Wellcome Trust, and Genome Canada.
Download Dr. Eggleston's CV for more information.
v: 919.655.1732 ext 3004
m: 919.749.6536
Dr. John Bilello, PhD
Managing Partner
Dr. John Bilello has over 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology sector, as well as academic and government laboratories. Dr Bilello is currently President and Chief Scientific Officer of Ridge Diagnostics a biotech company that is developing neuropsychiatric diagnostics and label-free point-of-care biomarker detection technology. From 2002-2006 he was the Director of Technology Development in Translational Medicine and Genetics at Glaxo Smith Kline R&D. Prior to joining GSK he was the Director of Preclinical Research and Development at two successful biotechnology companies: SRA Life Sciences and VIRCO Lab USA.
Dr Bilello has a long history of innovative basic and clinical research and development. In addition to working extensively in phase I and phase II settings, he was also active in evaluating preclinical efficacy as well as pharmacokinetics and dynamics. As an outgrowth of these activities he has authored over fifty publications in refereed journals and more than ten book chapters. John is both a current and long-standing member of the editorial board for the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (from 1/95-12/12). A recipient of a recent (8/10) NIH ARRA and NSF Phase II (4/09) SBIR grants, he has also been a member of NIH Study Sections and NIH/VA/FDA Panels. At Roche he created an automated assay for screening potential antitumor, antiviral and cytostatic agents. At GSK he led a team which evaluated, triaged and eventually managed the application external companies’ proteomic and protein microarray platforms to drug development. Successfully managing the adoption of external technology led to the development of tools for use in stratifying patients and monitoring efficacy in early enabling clinical studies of new therapeutics.
Download Dr. Bilello's CV for more information.
v: 919.544.1732 ext 3002
m: 919.491.2700
Joe Kalinowski
Principal
Mr. Joe Kalinowski is a Principal of Innovalyst, where his work is focused on medical devices, clinical diagnostics and laboratory tools. Joe is also a Principal of Trilogy Associates, a management consulting firm he founded in 1989.
Kalinowski has executed consulting engagements for more than 50 clients dealing with business strategy and planning, opportunity assessment, product concepts and specifications, market research, commercialization planning, acquisitions and divestitures, technology assessment, product design, competitive intelligence, partnering, diversification studies, and marketing effectiveness.
Kalinowski was with Corning’s life science businesses for 11 years, where he held positions of increasing responsibilities for research, development, program management, line management, and eventually venture management for an emerging business in medical informatics for Ciba Corning Diagnostics (now Siemens Diagnostics).
Joe then joined Ohmeda as Director of R&D for its noninvasive monitoring business in pulse oximetry. He was responsible for the development of a variety of new monitors, disposable and reusable sensors, and OEM products. He later joined the management team of Betagen, a young biotechnology venture in DNA blot imaging, analysis, and preparation. He served as VP of Development with responsibility for existing products and the formulation of new business opportunities in the creation of tools for life science research.
He later joined Deknatel as Director of Business Development, immediately following its leveraged buyout from Pfizer. At Deknatel (now part of Teleflex Medical) Joe identified new product opportunities, brought initiatives through the business planning stage, and developed external alliances for new business.
Mr. Kalinowski has bachelor and graduate degrees in electrical engineering from Rutgers University and the University of Illinois, respectively. He has been elected to membership in Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honoraries. He is a Life Senior Member of IEEE and is active in community economic development and entrepreneurial advocacy.
v: 919.544.1732 ext 3008
Preston Linn
Principal
Mr. Linn is an Innovalyst Principal who specializes in alliance creation. His 40 years of experience include R&D of novel technologies and Business Development.
Preston began his career as a research Chemist. He has worked at RTI International, Union Carbide Ag Products and Becton Dickinson Technologies (BD). While at BD, he helped develop the real-time, isothermal, homogeneous molecular diagnostics assay that was commercialized as BD ProbeTec-ET, a $130 MM/yr platform for sexually transmitted diseases. Preston also managed the BD Incubator from 1999 to 2007 where he worked with over 15 start-up life science companies that have gone on to create over 500 technology jobs and together represent a market capitalization in excess of $1B.
In addition to his position at Innovalyst, Preston is the VP of Alliances for Advanced Animal Diagnostics, an emerging animal health diagnostics company.
Mr. Linn serves or has served on several strategic committees to promote the role of biotechnology in solving human health and agriculture problems. These include the American Society for Microbiology, NC Biotechnology Center, Center for Innovation Management Studies and various University technology transfer groups. Preston also serves on the Board of Directors for the Crohn’s Disease Initiative at Texas Tech University Health Center and is a big supporter of the One Health Concept.
Mr. Linn is co-inventor on 15 issued U.S. Patents and co-author of 21 publications. He graduated from UNC with a BS in Chemistry. He is retired from the NC Air National Guard as LTC.
Preston’s family has resided in North Carolina since the mid-1700s and his ancestors lived along side Daniel Boone.
v: 919.544.1732 ext 3009
Kathy Meserve
Principal
Ms. Meserve is an Innovalyst Principal who conducts research, business development and licensing work on behalf of Innovalyst’s clients.
Kathy began her 20 year career in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry working as a scientist in the laboratories of Genentech and GSK. For the past half of her career, she has honed her written and oral communication skills working in project management, portfolio management, business development, pharmaceutical technology evaluation, and technology scouting.
Over her career, she has acquired a strong drug development process breadth, ranging from target identification in the discovery phase, through NDA approval, and market launch. Therapeutic breadth has been acquired through preclinical and clinical stage work in respiratory, oncology, MDR bacterial infections, ophthalmology, inflammation, dermatology, and metabolic indications such as diabetes and obesity.
Ms. Meserve earned a BA in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a coursework focus to support a career in biotechnology.
Kathy is a soprano with the North Carolina Master Chorale, and enjoys traveling, photography, writing, and hiking.
v: 919.544.1732 ext 3010
Stephan Ogenstad, PhD
Principal
Dr. Stephan Ogenstad is a Principal of Innovalyst, where his work is focused on biometrics. Stephan is also the President of Statogen Consulting LLC.
Ogenstad has over 25 years of industry experience. In 1997, he joined Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Massachusetts and served as Vice President of Biometrics until 2006. Between 1982 and 1996, Dr. Ogenstad also served in executive positions at Amgen in California, Parexel International in Massachusetts, and Astra in Sweden. From 1976 through 1982, Dr. Ogenstad operated as statistical advisor to members of the Nobel Prize committee of Medicine and Physiology. He earned a PhD in Statistics from the University of Stockholm, and tenured as a professor of statistics at the Dept. of Statistics, University of Stockholm.
Dr. Ogenstad is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and is President of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Statistical Association, and elected program chair for the section on Statistical Consulting for ASA for 2009. Dr. Ogenstad lectured and taught courses in experimental design, drug development and in various other areas of biostatistics at the Karolinska Institute and the Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden. He is also a frequent presenter at international conferences. Dr. Ogenstad has had numerous professional affiliations as well as society memberships. He has been the president of the Swedish Society for Medical Statistics, council member of the Swedish Statistical Association, council member and co-founder of the European Federation of Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry, and chair of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Biostatistics and Data Management. Dr. Ogenstad has contributed to the filing of 14 NDA/BLA submissions in Europe, USA and Japan. He has more than 80 publications, book chapters, and presentations in 
the areas of biostatistics and medicine.
v: 1.919.761.8840
Greg Pahel, Ph.D.
Principal
Dr. Pahel is an Innovalyst Principal with a focus on the identification, evaluation and development of early stage therapeutic and technology assets.
Greg has 20+ years experience in drug discovery with major pharma, initially cloning, expressing, engineering and characterizing both therapeutic proteins and biological reagents. As his career progressed he assumed greater responsibly including target discovery efforts in osteoarthritis (OA) utilizing a number of cutting edge genomic technologies. This resulted in filing a patent on a number of novel genes with elevated expression in OA cartilage. At the formation of GSK Greg moved into the Metabolic Disease Center for Excellence in Drug Discovery where he directed a group tasked with developing and executing cell and animal models for target validation and small molecule optimization. In this role Greg successfully initiated and led matrix program teams in both target discovery and lead optimization. He has hands-on experience with genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic technologies as well as laboratory automation. Greg is recognized for his problem solving ability coupled with his tenacious gathering, in depth analysis, and cogent presentation of information.
Dr. Pahel received excellent training for his chosen career path, obtaining a B.A. in Biochemistry from Rice University and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition to the patent he has 17 peer-reviewed publications as well as numerous poster and podium presentations.
Greg is an avid, if challenged, golfer who enjoys relaxing with a scotch and cigar when the opportunity arises. He is also involved on occasion in planning and executing corporate events through his wife Janice Mrkonjic’s Destination Management Company, Savvy Event Designs®, LLC.
v: 919.544.1732 ext 3011
Henry Suzuki
Principal
Henry Suzuki is a Principal of Innovalyst, where his work focuses on intellectual property, licensing, partnering, and business development in Brazil. Henry is also a Partner and Director at Axonal Consultoria Tecnológica Ltda., founded in 2002.
Suzuki is very knowledgeable about Brazil’s business ecosystem and well connected to government agencies, pharmaceutical, veterinary and agrochemical industries, scientific and academic institutions, and pharmaceutical and healthcare consultancy firms.
From 2004 to 2009, Suzuki was also the Technical Director of Incrementha RD&I, a pharmaceutical research, development and innovation company. He was responsible for structuring the company and for coordinating new project activities, intellectual property, clinical and pre-clinical research, regulatory affairs, and scaling up. He was directly responsible for licensing procedures, development of proprietary technology platforms. Suzuki was also the inventor or co-inventor in several projects. As an intellectual property consultant, he led over a hundred patentability and freedom-to-operate studies. He also worked on subsidies for technical exams and nullity proceedings, as well as on planning, guiding and drafting several patents, especially on proprietary platforms. Suzuki is an expert in search engine systems. He provided training for companies, research institutions and governmental agencies, including the INPI (Brazilian Patent Office) and INT (the National Institute of Technology) to support patent searches, and technical and commercial information searches.
At Axonal, Suzuki helps to identify, assess, and promote new technologies, and structure technology-based businesses and their intellectual property.
Suzuki holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from the Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade de São Paulo (FCF-USP) and a graduate degree in Business Administration from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM-SP). He is also an Industrial Property Agent, registered at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI).
e: hsuzuki@innovalyst.com
v: + 55 (11) 9609-9012
ICaN Representatives
The following Affiliates are representative of the breath of skills within Innovalyst's Intellectual Capital Network.
Bev Cormier
Business commercialization of early-stage companies, corporate restructuring, interim executive management, business development and strategic partnering, and sales & marketing strategy development
Nick Davies, MS
Expert in manufacturing strategy and rationalization, strategic sourcing and outsourcing, global supply chain start-ups
John Didsbury, Ph.D.
Background in medical microbiology, molecular biology and immunology and extensive experience in both science and business aspects applied to the analysis, selection and development of optimal drug candidates
Stephen Frye, Ph.D.
Organic/Medicinal chemistry
Contributed to the discovery of several marketed drugs
Jim Frost MD, PhD, MBA
Radiologist, nuclear medicine physician with experience in molecular and clinical medical imaging for pharmaceutical applications applied to drug development
Steve Gordon, Ph.D.
Biomedical engineer in applied medically related mechanics with experience in the field of musculoskeletal (orthopaedic and bone) disorders and injuries
Tim Hopper
Accomplished medical device operations, sales and marketing executive with expertise in strategic planning & implementation in disposable product/market sectors
Bruce McCreedy, Ph.D.
Microbiology and Immunology background with strategic drug and diagnostic development expertise in pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors
Cynthia Pritchard, Ph.D.
Expert at product development, clinical trial management and regulatory submissions with FDA and EMA, virologist
Melanie Trull, Ph.D.
Expert in providing technology assessments, market and competitor analysis, and other strategic business information for life science companies. Human healthcare background with scientific training in biotechnology and plant biology.
John Van Drie, PhD
Internationally-recognized leader in Computer-Aided Drug Discovery (CADD) and a pioneer in virtual screening technologies