Bill Niland, President & CEO Bill Niland serves as Chief Executive Officer and President at ReGelTec, Inc. Bill was the CEO of Harpoon Medical a startup in Baltimore, MD with a unique Mitral Valve repair technology that was successfully sold to Edwards LifeSciences in Dec 2017 after successful clinical trials and CE approval. Bill was also Founder of Vapotherm, Inc. (VAPO) and served as its Chairman and Chief Business Officer. Bill was responsible for exploring new business and application areas for Vapotherm's technology. . In 1992, Mr. Niland founded Advanced Sleep Technologies, which evolved into National Sleep Technologies ("NST"), and served as its Chief Executive Officer. Bill’s 35 year career has been spent exclusively in the healthcare industry. He spent the first 10 years with Mediq/PRN, Becton-Dickinson and Oxygen Enrichment Company where he held sales and marketing positions. He served as the Chairman of Vapotherm, Inc. He is an inventor on 15 patents. Mr. Niland holds a Bachelors degree in Law, Justice from Rowan University Glassboro, NJ.
Dr. Anthony M. (Tony) Lowman, CTO and Co-Founder Anthony M. (Tony) Lowman is the CTO and co-founder of ReGelTec, Inc. and has served as the Dean of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at Rowan University since 2013. His research contributions have focused on thepreparation, characterization and evaluation of the behavior of compatible, crosslinked polymers known as hydrogels, which have been used as biocompatible materials in medical devices and controlled release devices for the delivery of peptides and proteins. He has published more than 100 refereed journal articles and book chapters, and has more than 20 US and worldwide patents issued. His work has attracted more than $20M funding from the Depts of Defense, Energy and Commerce, NIH, NSF, the Whitaker Foundation and private industry. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers. He was previously honored as one of the top 100 Scientific Innovators in the world under the age of 35 as named by the MIT-Technology Review Magazine. Previously, Tony co-founded Gelifex, Inc., a company pursuing non-invasive methods for using hydrogels for repair of the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. Gelifex was acquired by Synthes in 2004. Previously, he has held academic appointments at Temple University and Drexel University. Tony received his education in chemical engineering at the University of Virginia (B.S., 1993) and at Purdue University (Ph.D., 1997).
Mark Collins, CPA, CFO Mr. Collins has a broad background in accounting, information systems, human resources, purchasing, manufacturing and customer service. He has 30 years of experience in the manufacturing environment including medical device, industrial and automotive industries. Half of those years was spent in the startup arena. He spent the last 5 years at Harpoon Medical / Edwards Life Science where he built a strong corporate foundation across multiple disciplines to support the company’s development and successful exit to Edwards. Prior to joining Harpoon Medical, Mr. Collins was a controller of Vapotherm and plant controller for a division of Emerson. Mr. Collins has a Bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Nigel Smith, Ph.D., Clinical Affairs Consultant Medical Device Technology innovation requires persistence, flair and tenacity to bring novel products through the development cycle to market. Nigel has a passion and has worked for many years within the Medical Device Industry both as an Academic and Leader on Applied Research. ‘I have an enduring passion for applying technology solutions to challenging orthopaedic conditions and bringing them through the global regulatory processes to market and into patients’. Since founding Biomedical Consultancy Ltd in 1999, this bespoke consultancy has provided support and services that has led to the introduction of leading technologies in Spine and Joint Replacement Interventions now treating many patients worldwide. My educational background includes Master in Business Administration (Open University), Doctoral Thesis in Synthetic Heterocyclic Chemistry and BSc (Chemistry) from Bath University. Widely published and Inventor on over 18 patents which have delivered commercial improvements with treatment of patients and commercial success.
Eric Brewer, Ph.D., Polymer Engineer Erik Brewer is a polymer chemist at ReGelTec. In addition, he is a full-time lecturer and Chair of Innovations and External Partnerships at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Prior to joining ReGelTec, he was an Associate Scientist at Merch Research Lab’s Biopharmaceutics division. He is a graduate of Drexel University (BS ’07, PhD ’14), where he majored in Chemical Engineering.
Dr. Thomas P. Schaer, VMD Accomplished research and preclinical services executive with 20+ years of experience and success in new product introduction and product development lifecycle management. Successfully identifies new information and generates opportunities to create evidenced-based strategies that advance innovation and develop new business. Heralded as founder of Penn Vet Translation Platform for preclinical product R&D including product de-risking and regulatory submissions. Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of preclinical regulatory requirements for regulatory submissions; boasts proven track record of successful approvals of submissions to FDA and other international agencies. Collaborates effectively with cross-functional teams in challenging and changing environments. An influential leader and change agent recognized for sound judgment, solution development, forward- facing vision, and key decision making skills. Resourceful, innovative, proactive, and respected.
Zita Yurko, RAC, VP of Regulatory Affairs/Quality Systems (RA/QS) Zita Yurko has over 20+ years of experience in the area of medical device regulatory affairs and quality systems. She was the VP of RA/QS at Harpoon Medical where she was responsible for securing ISO 13485 certification and gaining CE mark for the company’s MDD Class III device. She has experience with FDA pre-submission meetings, and supported the approval for all EU clinical sites where the Harpoon device was studied. Prior to Harpoon, she was the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Respironics, where she gained extensive experience with FDA class 1 and 2, EU MDD Class I, IIa, and IIb devices in addition to international market submissions and reimbursement strategies.
Peter Wilson, VP of R&D Mr. Wilson brings 25+ years of experience of medical device experience to ReGelTec. He began his career at Boston Scientific where he worked on peripheral stents and vena cava filters. He has also worked as an early employee with Micrus Endovascular (acquired by J&J), Vivant Medical (acquired by Covidien), Emphasys Medical (acquired by Pulmonix), and Harpoon Medical (acquired by Edwards Lifesciences). Mr. Wilson is an inventor on more than 25 US patents. His broad experience ranges from early R&D development to manufacturing operations.
Peter Boyd, JD, MBA, Business Development & Legal Consultant Peter Boyd is a business development executive with a broad range of business and legal experience. Mr. Boyd worked with Mr. Niland at his last two companies, Harpoon Medical and Vapotherm. Most recently, Mr. Boyd worked with Edwards Lifesciences. He joined Edwards through the Harpoon Medical acquisition and was the Harpoon representative to a three-person post-merger integration team where he focused on European commercialization efforts and the overall commercialization strategy for the Harpoon product offering. Mr. Boyd was a member of the co-founding team at Harpoon Medical and was responsible for fundraising, business development, strategy and oversaw all legal aspects for the company. Prior to Harpoon, he was an associate at Latham & Watkins in their Silicon Valley emerging growth companies and corporate department. During his tenure at Latham, Mr. Boyd represented a wide range of early stage companies in the healthcare and technology spaces in a variety of transactions including venture financings, joint ventures, licensing transactions and M&A deals. As an attorney and entrepreneur, Mr. Boyd has participated in dozens of preferred stock and convertible debt financings totaling more than $200M. Mr. Boyd has a JD and an MBA from UVA and is an inventor on 5 issued US patents and 2 patent applications.
