About Us
NanOlogy, LLC is a clinical-stage oncology company advancing a supercritical precipitation technology platform designed to enhance the efficacy of tumor-directed therapy while minimizing the serious adverse effects associated with systemic cancer treatments.
Overview
Technology: The NanOlogy proprietary supercritical precipitation (SCP) technology platform precipitates dissolved drug substances with sonication and compressed supercritical carbon dioxide to form stable large surface area microparticles (LSAMs) of pure drug containing no excipients whatsoever. LSAMs have a disproportionately large surface area to particle size ratio that enables entrapment of particles at the disease site and continuous local molecular drug release over time. The initial investigational drugs based on the SCP technology are NanoPac® (LSAM paclitaxel) and NanoDoce® (LSAM docetaxel) clinically demonstrated to release drug at the disease site active against the tumor for weeks while clearing from the body gradually at subtoxic levels.
Therapeutic Potential: Therapeutic potential exists for cancer patients across the disease spectrum with NanOlogy tumor-directed investigational drugs. In local disease, the goal is to delay or prevent solid tumor progression as an alternative to organ removal or other invasive procedure as the only curative option. In metastatic disease, the goal is to effect an immunogenic response by sustained primary tumor cell death to boost the local and systemic response to immunoncology therapy without adding to systemic toxicity.
NanOlogy was formed in 2015 by DFB Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with CritiTech, and US Biotest and is led by representatives from each company.
NanOlogy Team
Paul is Chairman and CEO of DFB Pharmaceuticals and NanOlogy. In 1990, Paul and two partners founded DFB with the purchase of DPT Laboratories from Alcon. From there, Paul expanded DFB into a portfolio of healthcare companies growing from $18 million to more than $400 million in annual sales, with operations in Texas, New Jersey, Germany, and Canada. This growth was achieved with no shareholder dilution. By the end of 2012, DFB had sold major operating companies including Coria to Valeant, Healthpoint to Smith & Nephew, and majority interest in DPT to Renaissance Pharmaceuticals. In all, under Paul’s leadership, DFB has realized more than $1.5 billion of value to date.
In 2013, Paul and a remaining partner invested some of the proceeds into a new vision for DFB. This vision leveraged retained operating company, Phyton Biotech, to establish a foothold in oncology, and discover new investment opportunities in oncology. This led to the identification of an innovative submicron particle production technology, and collaboration with CritiTech and US Biotest in 2015, to develop a large surface area microparticle (LSAM) drug platform under a newly created affiliate, Nanology, LLC. Through Nanology, Paul assembled a team of internal and external experts who have progressed the drug platform into multiple clinical trials in oncology and related illnesses.
Today, Paul continues to lead DFB and NanOlogy and is also involved in a number of philanthropic endeavors. Before founding DFB, Paul had nearly two decades of executive leadership experience with Johnson & Johnson and Baxter. He is also the past owner of three industrial distribution companies, which he turned around to profitability from Chapter 11 status at acquisition, and, ultimately, sold to a large, public corporation. Paul serves on the board of directors of Renaissance Acquisition Holdings LLC, Multicultural Alliance, and RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor of Law from Loyola University.
Gere serves as Vice President of Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for NanOlogy. Gere is also CEO and Chairman of US Biotest, and played a key role in establishing the collaboration with CritiTech and DFB to form NanOlogy. He, and his team at US Biotest, are responsible for regulatory affairs, clinical trial design, and oversight of clinical trials for NanOlogy.
Gere’s aptitude for drug development was demonstrated while a professor at the University of Southern California, where his research received funding from the NIH, Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, and BARDA. This work led to the elucidation of the renin-angiotensin system in epithelial tissue repair and preovulatory follicle development in the ovary. Projects initiated at the discovery level in Gere’s laboratory at USC were advanced to US Biotest, a drug development company he founded to support regulatory activities and perform clinical trials.
Gere has since contributed to development and regulatory approval of many products sold worldwide, and has collaborated with several “big pharma” companies in creating successful products. He has been recognized for this work by many professional societies in the United States and around the world.
Gere graduated from the University of Kansas, majoring in comparative physiology and cell biology. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine, completed his residency at Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California-Los Angeles County Medical Center, and completed his fellowship at NIH and Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital.
Mark is Chief Legal Officer and a Managing Director of DFB, and has over 25 years of experience as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to serving as DFB’s General Counsel, Mark is on the DFB and Phyton Biotech Executive Committees and part of the Nanology management team and board.
As outside counsel, Mark joined the DFB board of directors in 1990, and joined DFB as its Chief Legal Officer in 1993. He has also established and led Quality, Regulatory Affairs and Compliance functions across multiple pharmaceutical businesses in the DFB family of companies. Prior to joining DFB, Mark spent twelve years as a corporate lawyer in private practice. He currently serves on the board of DFB Pharmaceuticals LLC, TableTop Media LLC.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor in Law from Southern Methodist University.
Maxwell serves on the NanOlogy senior management team and board of NanOlogy. He is also a Managing Director of DFB and is part of a team that manages DFB’s business interests in pharmaceutical manufacturing and product development. Maxwell serves on the DFB and Phyton Biotech Executive Committees and plays a lead role in developing, evaluating, structuring, and executing new business and investment opportunities.
Prior to his current role, Maxwell was Vice President of Corporate Development for DFB, where he led strategic planning, acquisition and growth initiatives across multiple life science and medical technology businesses. For four years prior to its sale, he was a member of the senior management team of Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, leading business development and international sales and marketing. He initially joined DFB as Director of Corporate Finance with responsibility for capital raising and financial planning and analysis for DFB and its portfolio of companies.
Before joining DFB, Maxwell was an investment banker with Bank of America Securities, where he was responsible for the execution of capital raising and M&A transactions in a variety of industries. He currently serves on the boards of Renaissance Acquisition Holdings LLC, TableTop Media LLC, Bio NorthTX, and Trinity Valley School.
Maxwell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University, and a Master of Business Administration from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Marc is a Managing Director of DFB and is part of a small talented team responsible for identifying new healthcare investment opportunities and leading them through development to value creation. Currently, Marc serves on the management team and board of NanOlogy, LLC, a clinical-stage oncology company and DFB affiliate, which he helped establish in 2015 to advance tumor-directed drug therapy. Prior to his current role, Marc led the transformation of Phyton Biotech, a company wholly owned and operated by DFB, to a standalone commercial API business.
Marc has been with DFB since 1993 with leadership roles in business development, marketing, project management, and operations across the DFB family of companies. Earlier in his career, Marc worked for Procter & Gamble as a market analyst, Merck as a pharmaceutical representative, and as a clinical pharmacist in Ohio and Texas.
A graduate of the Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Pharmacy, Marc received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
Sam is Chairman of CritiTech and has been with CritiTech in leadership roles since 2003. He played an integral role in establishing and advancing CritiTech’s submicron particle technology, which now forms the basis for the NanOlogy drug platform.
Sam has been involved in funding and development of early stage life science and technology companies for over three decades. He has been extensively involved in supporting life science and technology commercialization and has held a variety of roles with the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC). KTEC is now managed by the Kansas Board of Regents through the Kansas Epscore program, and Sam continues to serve on the advisory committee. In addition, Sam has held leadership roles with the Kansas University Center for Research, and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees. Sam is also President of TerraMetrics Agriculture, Inc., a satellite remote sensing company with several applications in the agriculture industry.
Upon earning a Master of Business Administration, Sam entered the banking business and served with several organizations beginning with First National Bank of Topeka. He returned home to join First National Bank of Lawrence and eventually Douglas County Bank. He left Douglas County Bank to establish his own investment group and also was one of the founders of University National Bank where he still serves on the board of directors.
Matthew is the president of CritiTech, Inc. where he is responsible for leading corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, and business operations. He has nearly two decades of executive leadership and investment management experience with early-stage life sciences companies. Start-up technology companies with whom Matthew has worked for or assisted have raised over $200,000,000 in private equity capital. Under his guidance, CritiTech has successfully utilized its Supercritical Precipitation Technology to develop numerous drugs, including the oncology drugs being developed by NanOlogy. Matthew also serves as the president of CritiTech Particle Engineering Solutions, a pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization, customers of which include “Top 15” pharmaceutical companies. Matthew started his professional career as a senior consultant with Deloitte Consulting, where he provided strategy and information technology consulting services to Fortune 1000 companies.
Matthew serves on the boards of CritiTech, CritiTech Particle Engineering Solutions, and NanOlogy. He also serves on the board of Truity Credit Union, founded in 1939, that now serves over 69,000 members and manages more than $800 million in assets. Phillips 66, Conoco Phillips, and Tyson Foods are among the many Select Employee Groups served by Truity.
Matthew received a Juris Doctor in Law and Master of Business Administration from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Business Administration (summa cum laude) from Benedictine College.
Mike is the Chief Scientific Officer of CritiTech, Inc. He joined CritiTech in 2014 and has over 40 years of experience in in the development of pharmaceutical products including 10 years with Sandoz, 13 years with Marion Laboratories and successor companies, 7 years with Quintiles, 4 years with Cardinal Health and 9 years at the University of Kansas.
During his career, Mike contributed to the development and launch of several new and reformulated products including Gris-PEG® tablets, Triaminic® cold medications, Tavist® syrup, Tavist-D® tablets, Mellaril® suspension and tablets, Parlodel® tablets, Zinecard® injectable solution, Cardizem QD® capsules, Anzemet® tablets and injectable solution, Allegra D® tablets, Allegra® suspension, Pentasa® capsules, Silvadene® cream, and Chlora-Prep®. Most recently, Mike spent 9 years at KU helping early stage oncology compounds advance from research into clinical trials.
Mike received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1972 and an honorary PhD in 2005 from Missouri Western State University. He received Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1977 from the University of Kansas.
