In additional to Dr. Goldstein and Mr. Finkelstein, the following are members of the RegeneRx Board of Directors:
Dr. Goldstein has served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors and our Chief Scientific Advisor since he founded our company in 1982. Dr. Goldstein has been a Professor of Biochemistry since 1978 and served as Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences until 2009. Dr. Goldstein is a recognized expert in the field of immunology and protein chemistry, having authored over 430 scientific articles in professional journals. He is also the inventor on over 25 issued and/or pending patents in biochemistry, immunology, cardiology, cancer and wound healing. Dr. Goldstein discovered several important compounds, including T a1, which is marketed worldwide, and Tß4, which is the basis for RegeneRx’s clinical program. Dr. Goldstein has served on the Board of Trustees of the Sabin Vaccine Institute since 2000 and on the Board of Directors of the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute since 2006. Dr. Goldstein has also done pioneering work in the area of medical education, developing distance learning programs offered through “Frontiers in Medicine,” a medical education series that Dr. Goldstein developed. The Board believes that Dr. Goldstein’s scientific expertise, industry background and prior experience as our founder all position him to make an effective contribution to the medical and scientific understanding of the Board, which the Board believes to be particularly important as we continue our Tß4 development efforts.
Mr. Finkelstein has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors since 2002. Mr. Finkelstein also served as our Chief Executive Officer from 1984 to 1989 and as the Vice Chairman of our Board of Directors from 1989 to 1991. Mr. Finkelstein has worked as an executive officer and consultant in the bioscience industry for the past 34 years, including serving from 1989 to 1996 as chief executive officer of Cryomedical Sciences, Inc., a publicly-traded medical device company. Mr. Finkelstein has significant experience in developing early-stage companies. He has been responsible for the regulatory approval and marketing of several medical devices in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Finkelstein has served on the executive committee of the Board of Directors of the Technology Council of Maryland since 2006, MdBio, Inc. since 1998 and currently chairs the MdBio Foundation, all of which are non-profit entities that support bioscience development and education in the State of Maryland. Mr. Finkelstein received a business degree in finance from the University of Texas. The Board believes that Mr. Finkelstein’s history and long tenure as our Chief Executive Officer positions him to contribute to the Board his extensive knowledge of our company and to provide Board continuity. In addition, the Board believes that his experience at prior companies has provided him with operational and industry expertise, as well as leadership skills that are important to the Board.
Mr. Don Elsey has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2010. Currently, Mr. Elsey serves as an advisor to the CEO of Lyra Therapeutics, a private company pioneering a new therapeutic approach to treat debilitating ear, nose and throat diseases. Mr. Elsey was the CFO of Lyra until his retirement in December 2020. Previously, Mr. Elsey served as CFO of Senseonics, Inc., from February 2015 to February 2019, a medical device company focused on continuous glucose monitoring. From May 2014 until February 2015, Mr. Elsey served as chief financial officer of Regado Biosciences, a public, late-stage clinical development biopharmaceutical company. From December 2012 to February 2014, Mr. Elsey served as chief financial officer of LifeCell, Inc., a privately held regenerative medicine company. From June 2005 to December 2012, he served in numerous finance capacities, most recently as senior vice president and chief financial officer, at Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a publicly held biopharmaceutical company. He served as the director of finance and administration at IGEN International, Inc., a publicly held biotechnology company, and its successor BioVeris Corporation, from April 2000 to June 2005. Prior to joining IGEN, Mr. Elsey served as director of finance at Applera, a genomics and sequencing company, and in several finance positions at International Business Machines, Inc. He received an M.B.A. in finance and a B.A. in economics from Michigan State University. Mr. Elsey is a certified management accountant. The Board believes that Mr. Elsey’s experience as chief financial officer of a public company is particularly valuable to our business in that it positions him to contribute to our board’s and audit committee’s understanding of financial matters.
Mr. McNay has served as a member of our Board of Directors since 1987. He is currently Chair, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Principal of Essex Investment Management Company, LLC, positions he has held since 1976 when he founded Essex. He has direct portfolio management responsibilities for a variety of funds and on behalf of private clients. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Board. Prior to founding Essex, Mr. McNay was Executive Vice President and Director of Endowment Management & Research Corp. from 1967. Prior to that, Mr. McNay was Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at the Massachusetts Company. Mr. McNay serves as a Distinguished Trustee and member of the Investment Committee and Trustee Science Committee of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He is also a Trustee Emeritus of the Boston Ballet, a Trustee Emeritus of Children’s Hospital, as well as an Honorary Advisor of the Museum of Fine Arts. Mr. McNay is also an Overseer Emeritus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Yale University School of Management Advisory Committee. He received his A.B. degree from Yale University and his M.B.A. degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The Board believes that Mr. McNay’s extensive financial experience is valuable to our business and also positions him to contribute to the audit committee’s understanding of financial matters.
Mr. Mauro Bove has served as a member of our Board of Directors since 2004 and has more than 30 years of business and management experience within the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Bove is currently based in Hong Kong and in Europe, serving as a consultant to emerging pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Previously, Mr. Bove led for more than 20 years the Corporate & Business Development of Sigma-Tau Finanziaria S.p.A., formerly the holding company of Sigma-Tau Group, a leading international pharmaceutical company (Sigma-Tau Finanziaria S.p.A. — now Essetifin S.p.A. — and its affiliates are collectively our largest stockholder). Mr. Bove, who resigned this role with Sigma-Tau on March 31, 2014, has also held a number of senior positions in business, licensing and corporate development within Sigma-Tau Group. Mr. Bove obtained his law degree at the University of Parma, Italy, in 1980. In 1985, he attended the Academy of American and International Law at the International and Comparative Law Center, Dallas, Texas. The Board believes that Mr. Bove’s extensive business and management experience within the pharmaceutical industry allows him to recognize and advise the Board with respect to recent industry developments.
Dr. Alessandro Noseda has served as a member of our Board of Directors since 2019. Dr. Noseda is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of the Rare Disease Business Unit of Essetifin S.p.A. After graduating as medical doctor in 1984 from the University of Milan and following a post doctorate at Bowman Gray School of Medicine (USA), he joined the pharma and biotech industry in 1988 where he held different managerial roles up to C suite positions. He has significant experience in R&D (from research to interaction with regulatory agencies in different high specialty therapeutic areas) and strategic/business operations.