David Scheer
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tengion
President of Scheer & Company
Mr. Scheer possesses more than two decades of experience with activities in venture capital, corporate strategy, and transactional advisory services focused on the life sciences. In venture capital, Mr. Scheer has been involved in the founding and has been a member of the Boards of Directors of ViroPharma, Inc., OraPharma, Inc., now a unit of Johnson & Johnson, Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., now a unit of Pfizer, Inc. (of which he was Chairman), Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Sopherion Therapeutics, Inc (of which he was Chairman). He has led engagement teams from Scheer providing corporate strategic advisory services to a broad range of publicly- and privately-held companies. Mr. Scheer has also led or played a significant role in a series of transactions involving corporate alliances, licensing arrangements, divestments, acquisitions and mergers in the life sciences. He received his A.B. cum laude from Harvard College, and an M.S. from Yale University.
Steven Nichtberger, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Nichtberger is a veteran of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries with over 15 years leading US and global organizations and overseeing successful product development, launch, commercial operations, and business development activities. As co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Tengion, Dr. Nichtberger has led the company since its inception in 2004. He has been a visionary and driving force in building the scientific, manufacturing and commercial infrastructure within Tengion capable of advancing multiple neo-organs and tissues from discovery to late stage clinical trials, including building the world's first facility to grow human organs. In 2008 and 2009, Tengion was recognized by The Scientist magazine as one of the top ten healthcare companies to work for in the US. Tengion was also recognized in 2008 when Dr. Nichtberger was awarded the prestigious Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year® award for his visionary leadership.
Prior to co-founding Tengion, Dr. Nichtberger was a member of the senior management team at Merck, where he held a variety of positions including: leadership of the global marketing organization with responsibility for developing marketing strategy for all Merck brands globally; operational leadership with P&L responsibility for a $3.5 billion US product portfolio; and, leadership of the New Product Planning function. He also played an integral role in several corporate licensing, divestiture, and product acquisition deals. Previously, Dr. Nichtberger founded and developed a profitable, privately-held company that licensed intellectual property in the field of internet-based paperless couponing. He holds a BA in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, a BS in Economics from the Wharton School, and an M.D. from the School of Medicine and Biosciences, SUNY at Buffalo. He is currently on the board of overseers of the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences, the board of directors of Pennsylvania Bio, where he is chairman, the board of directors of BioAdvance, the external advisory board of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Carl-Johan Dalsgaard, M.D., Ph.D.
Partner, HealthCap Venture Capital
Dr. Dalsgaard also serves as CEO of certain companies in which HealthCap has invested. He has been the start-up CEO of Biolipox AB, CePeP AB. Biofactor Therapeutics AB, and Biocrine AB. Prior to joining Odlander Fredrikson in 2000, Dr. Dalsgaard gained 10 years of senior management experience from the pharmaceutical industry as VP Preclinical Research, Astra Pain Control AB; President, Astra Pain Control AB and most recently VP and Head of Therapy Area Pain Control, AstraZeneca R&D. He became MD at the Karolinska Institute, has a Ph.D. in neurobiology, post-doc experience from Harvard Medical School, served as a tutor for Ph.D. students and published 79 scientific articles in the areas of neurobiology, cell biology and surgery. Dr. Dalsgaard has fulfilled specialist training for board certificate in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Karolinska Hospital.
Brenda D. Gavin, D.V.M.
Managing Partner, Quaker BioVentures
Dr. Gavin is a founding partner of Quaker BioVentures. Previously, she was President of S.R. One, Limited (S.R. One), GlaxoSmithKline's bioscience venture capital investment company, and a general partner of EuclidSR Partners, an independent venture capital limited partnership focused on healthcare and information technology. Since its inception in 1985, S.R. One has invested in more than 100 life sciences companies and 20 venture funds. Dr. Gavin was responsible for many of the direct venture and strategic investments made by S.R. One, and she served as a board member or active board observer for many of its portfolio companies. She is currently a board member of Celator Pharmaceuticals,Tengion, Inc.,TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals, and Tranzyme Pharma; she is an active board observer of Nucleonics, Inc and Diasome Pharmaceuticals. In addition, she serves on the boards of the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, Innovation Philadelphia, BioAdvance (the Biotechnology Greenhouse Corporation of Southeastern Pennsylvania), and the Pennsylvania State University Research Foundation; she also serves on the International Advisory Board of the Monell Institute. Dr. Gavin is a past board member of the National Venture Capital Association . Dr. Gavin is a graduate of Baylor University. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas - San Antonio.
Gary J. Kurtzman, MD
Managing Director - Life Sciences Group, Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.
Dr. Kurtzman is Managing Director in the Life Sciences Group at Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE), a provider of growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative life sciences and technology companies, where he is responsible for identifying and partnering with companies focused on molecular diagnostics, medical devices, regenerative medicine and specialty pharmaceuticals services. As part of Safeguard’s Life Sciences Group, Dr. Kurtzman brings more than 17 years of experience in operations and investments, leveraging his expertise to enable businesses to grow their products and services, as well as to discover new partnering potential. Dr. Kurtzman currently serves on the board of directors for Safeguard Scientifics’ partner companies: Advanced BioHealing, Alverix, Avid Radiopharmaceutics, Molecular Biometrics, NuPathe and Tengion. Dr. Kurtzman was previously managing director of BioAdvance, an early stage life sciences investor, and held various positions at Pluvita Corporation, Genovo and Avigen, and Gilead Sciences.
Dr. Kurtzman received his BS from Stanford University and his MD from Washington University and post-doctoral training at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Stanford University. He is a board-certified internist with a hematology sub-specialty. He is the author of more than 40 peer reviewed scientific publications, reviews and book chapters and the inventor on 18 issued U.S. patents. Dr. Kurtzman is currently a lecturer in Health Care Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches bioentrepreneurship.
Lorin J. Randall
Financial Consultant