Leadership
Management Team
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Derek has more than 25 years of diverse biopharmaceutical experience across the product lifecycle from pre-IND through launch. Derek brings to PhotonPharma extensive leadership experience spanning strategy, operational execution, and financing.
Prior to joining PhotonPharma, Derek served as the Global Commercial Development Lead at Rallybio where he was responsible for developing the commercial vision, capabilities, and operational plans as well as communicating these plans to potential investors and business development partners.
Previously, Derek worked at Chiasma where he built capabilities to prepare and execute the company’s first commercial launch. Derek assisted in the successful sale of the company to Amryt Pharma. At Alexion, Derek built and led a global team responsible for the commercialization of Ultomiris® and for marketing Soliris®. Derek also worked for 12 years with increasing responsibilities at Boehringer Ingelheim in the U.S. and in Germany in roles spanning product launches, new product planning, and market access. Derek began his career as a management consultant at Accenture.
Derek earned a BA in Cellular Structure and Function and in Economics at Middlebury College and an MBA at The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
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Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology
Colorado State University
BS, The Ohio State University
PhD, California Institute of Technology
Dr. Goodrich holds a faculty appointment as a tenured Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology at Colorado State University and an adjunct position as a Professor of Chemistry at The Ohio State University.
Dr. Goodrich has worked in medical research for over 37 years in the fields of transfusion, transplantation medicine, and pathogen reduction technologies. As the former Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Research Center (2016-2023), Dr. Goodrich had responsibility for oversight of the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing and Academic Resource Center (BioMARC), the Regional Biocontainment Labs (RBL) and the Research Innovation Center (RIC) at Colorado State University.
He formerly served as the Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Scientific and Clinical Affairs for Terumo BCT, a medical device company based in Lakewood, Colorado. His most recent work funded by the NIH, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and Department of Defense is focused on the development of new methods and processes for vaccine production and the development of cancer immunotherapy platforms. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) and serves as a special government employee in the Department of Health and Human Services as a member of the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA). He also serves as an Associate Editor of the journal Frontiers in Immunology.
Dr. Goodrich is a 2018 honorary recipient of the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3) for his work on programs of importance to the US Army Medical Command. He has also been recognized by Colorado State University with the CSU Ventures Award for Innovative Excellence in 2021 in recognition of his leadership activities during the COVID pandemic in bringing new technologies and capabilities to bear in addressing public health. He holds over 50 patents and has co-authored 200 peer-reviewed publications. He is an inventor of the Mirasol™ PRT, Innocell™ and SolaVAX™ technology platforms and the co-founder of 4 biotech startup companies during his career.
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Bio to come.
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Dr. Susan Yonemura is a Bioengineering PhD with over a decade of experience in the Medical Device and Biopharma industries. She excels in data analysis, communication, and team leadership, focusing on developing team strengths to enhance performance and engagement. At PhotonPharma, Dr. Yonemura is leading a senior design project with students from the School of Biomedical Engineering at Colorado State University focused on developing disposables and equipment for riboflavin and UV treatment, optimized for cancer immunotherapy. This initiative, which includes collaboration with external engineering consultants and clinical advocates, is designed to serve as proof of concept for future ARPA-H grant submissions. Her work in these areas will play a key role in advancing the company's innovation and growth.
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Dr. Brill has over 35 years of leadership in International Regulatory Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, where he led global teams through all stages of drug and biologic development, including FDA approvals and commercialization in major markets. His expertise includes Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Strategies, and Quality Compliance, with a focus on Oncology, CNS, and Metabolic therapeutics. In the last five years, he has been the lead Regulatory and Quality Compliance consultant for multiple U.S. and EU biotech startups, successfully guiding them through key milestones, including first FDA/EMA interactions and “first in human” clinical trials. Dr. Brill holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Rutgers University.
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Anjelica Doriety serves as the Administrative Assistant for PhotonPharma, leveraging her SHRM-CP credentials to ensure efficient office management and HR support. She holds a Master’s in Business Management and Organization and a B.S. in Psychology, which equip her with a strong foundation in organizational dynamics and human behavior. Anjelica's diverse background enables her to contribute effectively to the operational success of PhotonPharma, supporting the team in its mission.
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Beth is a healthcare professional with extensive experience in pharma, biologics, and medical device development, covering pre-clinical to post-marketing stages. She has led clinical trials (Phase I-III) in oncology, trauma, cardiovascular, and more, and managed global projects across various regions, including the US, EU, and Asia. Starting her career as a registered nurse, Beth has a proven track record of leadership in Clinical Affairs, guiding teams and initiatives from product development to market launch. She holds a BSN from Loma Linda University and is a certified Life and Corporate Coach.
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Noelia Altina joined PhotonPharma on June 1, 2023, with a strong background in molecular biology and biochemistry, earning her doctorate in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program at Colorado State University. Specializing in personalized medicine to treat solid tumors, her work focuses on cell immunotherapy, addressing key challenges in oncology such as identifying tumor-specific antigens with strong immunogenicity. At PhotonPharma, Noelia processes cancer tissues and cell lines to create Innocell products, conducting assays to analyze cancer markers and assess cell proliferation before and after inactivation treatments.
In addition to her scientific expertise, Noelia is dedicated to mentorship and community service. She has guided students and collaborated on multidisciplinary research projects, resulting in multiple publications. Her experience as a Community Coordinator at CSU allowed her to support international students and foster inclusive environments, skills she applies in her professional and personal life. Noelia’s passion for innovation and collaboration makes her a vital part of PhotonPharma’s mission to advance cancer immunotherapy.
Board of Directors
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Dr. Opgenorth has > 35 years of experience in biopharma; 20 with Abbott Laboratories' Pharmaceutical division as a bench scientist and then as an executive creating and leading drug discovery teams that advanced 12 drugs into clinical development, including AbbVie's HCV drugs ViekiraPak and Mavyret. He led Abbott-biotech partnerships with Metabolex, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, KaroBio AB and Enanta Pharmaceuticals. Since Abbott, Terry served as the CEO of Vidasym, completing a human proof of concept study of VS-505 in Australia and a successful IND filing in the U.S. for VS-105. He is also the co-founder/CSO of VetDC, a veterinary oncology company that developed and launched the first FDA-CVM approved drug, Tanovea, for treatment of canine lymphoma and most recently served as the Executive Director for CSU Ventures' LAUNCHPAD, a program to support startup companies based on licensed technology from Colorado State University. Terry also serves as a director for VetDC, ForCast Orthopedics, and KromaTiD. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts (biology) from Calvin University, and M.S. and Ph.D degrees in Physiology from University of Illinois-Urbana.
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Derek has more than 25 years of diverse biopharmaceutical experience across the product lifecycle from pre-IND through launch. Derek brings to PhotonPharma extensive leadership experience spanning strategy, operational execution, and financing.
Prior to joining PhotonPharma, Derek served as the Global Commercial Development Lead at Rallybio where he was responsible for developing the commercial vision, capabilities, and operational plans as well as communicating these plans to potential investors and business development partners.
Previously, Derek worked at Chiasma where he built capabilities to prepare and execute the company’s first commercial launch. Derek assisted in the successful sale of the company to Amryt Pharma. At Alexion, Derek built and led a global team responsible for the commercialization of Ultomiris® and for marketing Soliris®. Derek also worked for 12 years with increasing responsibilities at Boehringer Ingelheim in the U.S. and in Germany in roles spanning product launches, new product planning, and market access. Derek began his career as a management consultant at Accenture.
Derek earned a BA in Cellular Structure and Function and in Economics at Middlebury College and an MBA at The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
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Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology
Colorado State University
BS, The Ohio State University
PhD, California Institute of Technology
Dr. Goodrich holds a faculty appointment as a tenured Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology at Colorado State University and an adjunct position as a Professor of Chemistry at The Ohio State University.
Dr. Goodrich has worked in medical research for over 37 years in the fields of transfusion, transplantation medicine, and pathogen reduction technologies. As the former Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Research Center (2016-2023), Dr. Goodrich had responsibility for oversight of the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing and Academic Resource Center (BioMARC), the Regional Biocontainment Labs (RBL) and the Research Innovation Center (RIC) at Colorado State University.
He formerly served as the Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Scientific and Clinical Affairs for Terumo BCT, a medical device company based in Lakewood, Colorado. His most recent work funded by the NIH, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and Department of Defense is focused on the development of new methods and processes for vaccine production and the development of cancer immunotherapy platforms. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) and serves as a special government employee in the Department of Health and Human Services as a member of the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA). He also serves as an Associate Editor of the journal Frontiers in Immunology.
Dr. Goodrich is a 2018 honorary recipient of the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3) for his work on programs of importance to the US Army Medical Command. He has also been recognized by Colorado State University with the CSU Ventures Award for Innovative Excellence in 2021 in recognition of his leadership activities during the COVID pandemic in bringing new technologies and capabilities to bear in addressing public health. He holds over 50 patents and has co-authored 200 peer-reviewed publications. He is an inventor of the Mirasol™ PRT, Innocell™ and SolaVAX™ technology platforms and the co-founder of 4 biotech startup companies during his career.
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Alan S. Rudolph has had an active career in translating interdisciplinary life sciences into useful applications for biotechnology development and commercialization. His experience spans basic research to advanced development in academia, government laboratories, and in the nonprofit and private sectors. His scientific training translated into positions of leadership in each of these sectors with management of over $4B in investments in life sciences and biotechnology. Working for the Defense Department at the US Navy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, he led major programs in blood products, bioinspired engineering and neurotechnology. As founder and CEO, he led companies in medical countermeasures including cell therapeutics at Cellphire and protein diagnostics at Adlyfe and raised both non-dilutive and venture sources of capital in support. Dr. Rudolph also served as Vice President of Research at Colorado State University where he led a major expansion of research revenues and impacts. He has published more than 100 technical publications, three books, and has a number of issued patents from his work. He has a doctorate degree in zoology from the University of California at Davis and an MBA from George Washington University.
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Dr. Baiker provides over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, and until his recent retirement served as President and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim USA. Previously, he held various roles at Boehringer Ingelheim, including Head of Global Development, Head of Global Manufacturing and Global Quality, as well as Head of the Biopharmaceutical Business Unit. Currently, Dr. Baiker is a Venture Partner with Wellington Partners, chairs the Board of Trustees of the Max Planck Institute of Polymer Research and sits on multiple boards of biopharmaceutical start-up companies. Dr. Baiker studied medicine at the Universities of Bochum, Berlin, Ulm, Scheffield and Munich and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Ulm and an MBA from Pace University in New York.
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Gary B. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., is an accomplished pharmaceutical executive and strategic business leader with extensive experience in the development of drugs from first in-human studies to approval and commercialization. He brings innovative approaches to the process, leveraging advantageous regulatory pathways and close collaborations with investigators, patient advocacy groups and key academic and government consortiums.
Recently, Dr. Gordon served as the Vice President, Oncology Department at AbbVie (a spin-off of Abbott), where he oversaw the development of AbbVie’s oncology projects. He drove drug development innovations, expanded the staff, and advanced the Oncology pipeline. He played a critical role in the oncology business expansion, leading to Abbvie’s current position in Oncology. This includes the approval of venetoclax, several major acquisitions and other collaborations. Gary was on the Abbvie-Genentech team that received the 2017 Prix Galien award for the Best Pharmaceutical Product.
Dr. Gordon joined Abbott in 2003 as Global Project Head, rapidly advancing to the role of Divisional Vice President, Global Oncology Development.
Prior to AbbVie, Gary was Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Ovation Pharmaceuticals from 2001 to 2003. In this role, he helped obtain funding and five on market products.
He entered the pharmaceutical industry in 1995, joining the G.D. Searle division of Monsanto, which eventually became part of Pharmacia. Dr. Gordon’s responsibilities included programs related to COX-2 inhibitors for the prevention and treatment of cancer, the development of angiogenesis inhibitors, and involvement in the hematopoietic and cancer immunization programs. He also helped establish a tissue bank and an Industry Academic interface program. He also co-chaired an AACR task force focused on the treatment and prevention of intraepithelial neoplasias.
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Milton Chang, Ph.D., is an angel investor mentoring and advising entrepreneurs (www.incubic.com). He is the author of Toward Entrepreneurship (www.miltonchang.com). Dr. Chang has served on many boards and was president/CEO of Newport and New Focus, taking both companies public. He has also successfully incubated more than a dozen startup companies. Dr. Chang earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with highest honors from the University of Illinois and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. He was awarded Distinguished Alumni by both universities and is a Trustee of Caltech. Dr. Chang has served on the Visiting Committee of NIST and also on an SEC advisor board.