Management
Janina Baranowska-Kortylewicz, M.Sc., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Janina Baranowska-Kortylewicz earned her M.Sc. from the Wrocław University of Technology (Politechnika Wrocławska) and her doctorate from the University of Kentucky. She continued her postgraduate research at Albert B. Chandler Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. She is currently a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, J. Bruce Henriksen Cancer Research Laboratories. She also runs the UNMC Harry J. Bahr Radiolabeling Facility where under her supervision radioactive drugs and radioimmunoconjugates are prepared for clinical studies.
The core of research activities of Dr. Baranowską Kortylewicz’s laboratories is centered on the design, synthesis and evaluation of radioactive drugs for the targeted molecular radiotherapy and non-invasive diagnosis of cancer. Dr. Baranowska-Kortylewicz holds several U.S. and international patents. Recently, the Investigational New Drug application for the use of a new radioactive drug discovered and developed in her laboratories was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Baranowska-Kortylewicz is a member of the editorial boards of several international journals and a member of national and international scientific organizations. Her expertise in the development of new radioactive drugs earned her a place in several review panels, including the study sections of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, the Scientific Review Committee of the UNMC Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, UNMC IACUC, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2009 International Grant Program among others.
Board of Directors
Sam Al-Murrani, Ph.D., M.B.A., Chairman
Dr. Sam Al-Murrani is Managing Director of Babylon BioConsulting LLC, a human and animal health-based consultancy firm specializing in pre-revenue and early stage valuations of Human and Animal Health companies and providing clients with investor outreach, due diligence, business development, intangible asset management, and valuation services. He is also CEO of Bimini LLC, a privately owned manufacturer of pet dose-form health supplements and health treats.
Dr. Al-Murrani is a recognized expert and innovator with numerous publications, presentations, and several issued patents in the US and globally. His publications cover topics relating to membrane receptors, signal transduction, transcription factor research, genomics, and human and animal health can be found in various peer-reviewed scientific journals. Dr. Al-Murrani is also the sole inventor of several recently granted patents from the USPTO and European patent office relating to the discovery of biomarkers for chemoresistance, disease progression, and treatment efficacy in ovarian cancer patients as well as other patents relating to animal health. Dr. Al-Murrani acted as peer-reviewer within the Molecular Signaling study section for the American Heart Association for several years ending in 2009 and he also reviewed manuscripts for the Brain Research Bulletin and Physiological Genomics. A summary of his professional experience can be found on his LinkedIn page.
He earned his undergraduate degree in Animal Science from the University of Edinburgh and completed his Ph.D. in Immunology and Biochemistry at the Roslin Institute and the Department of Veterinary Pathology at the University of Edinburgh. He holds an M.B.A. in finance from Baker University.
Sara Mary Hall, M. Sc., Member
Ms. Hall is Chief Executive Officer of Orion BioScience Inc. A scientist by training with over twenty years experience in Silicon Valley in fundraising, partnering, IP, BD, IR/PR, regulatory/clinical issues, and successful exits, Sara has co-founded and led two private companies and led a third, public company prior to Orion. Sara holds undergraduate degrees in violin performance and microbiology and an MSc in virology from the University of Kansas. Sara is on the Board of Directors of KU Innovation and Collaboration, the commercialization arm of KU/KU Med, and BioKansas, and is deeply involved in regional initiatives for women and girls in the sciences and, as a professional violinist, in the addition of the Arts to STEM curricula (aka STEAM). The winner of two R&D 100 awards for scientific innovation while still at the bench, Sara is a creative, experienced, and driven executive with a specialty in and passion for first-in-class therapies.