Distinguished Leaders in Medical Research and Cell Therapy Named to BioCision's Inaugural Advisory Board

LARKSPUR, Calif., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today BioCision, LLC, a leader in advanced temperature management technologies that standardize biomaterial handling, announced the establishment of the company's first advisory board. Lori Kunkel, MD, former chief medical officer at Pharmacyclics, Inc., will serve as chair of the board, and will be joined by Scott Burger, MD, principal at Advanced Cell & Gene Therapy, Jon Rowley, PhD, chief executive and technology officer of RoosterBio, Inc., and Lee Buckler, founder and managing director of the Cell Therapy Group.

"Advances in cell therapy and regenerative medicine are changing healthcare as we know it, but drug product preparation and handling continue to present significant obstacles," said Rolf Ehrhardt, MD, PhD, BioCision CEO. "This board includes internationally recognized scientific, clinical, and business leaders who are uniquely qualified to aid BioCision as we continue to develop innovative products and solutions to address these challenges for our customers."

Dr. Lori Kunkel, Principal D2D, LLC

Dr. Kunkel brings extensive experience in developing and commercializing oncologic and immunologic therapies, with over 20 years of executive responsibilities in industry including clinical, regulatory, medical affairs and licensing. As chief medical officer at Pharmacyclics, she was instrumental in achieving breakthrough designation for the company's lead product, ibrutinib. Previously, Dr. Kunkel spent ten years in academic and clinical research and served as a faculty member in the Division of Hematology/Oncology Bone Marrow transplant unit at University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Scott Burger, Principal at Advanced Cell & Gene Therapy

As principal at Advanced Cell & Gene Therapy, Dr. Burger consults on the development and commercialization of cell therapy, gene therapy, and tissue-engineered products, providing expert assistance in due diligence and strategic partnering, GMP/GTP manufacturing, process development, characterization and comparability, and regulatory affairs. Previously, Dr. Burger spent eight years directing the University of Minnesota Cell Therapy Clinical Laboratory, a GMP laboratory that manufactures cell therapy and gene therapy products for clinical trials and transplantation, and served as VP of R&D at Merix Bioscience, a dendritic cell therapy company. 

Dr. Jon Rowley, Chief Executive and Technical Officer of RoosterBio, Inc.

Dr. Rowley has made it his personal goal to make significant contributions to the commercial translation of living cellular technologies. He holds a PhD from the University of Michigan in Biomedical Engineering and has authored over 30 peer reviewed manuscripts and 15 issued or pending patents related to biomaterials development, tissue engineering, and cellular therapy. Dr. Rowley most recently spent 5 years as Director of Innovation and Process Development in Lonza's Cell Therapy CMO business.  

Mr. Lee Buckler, Founder and Managing Director of the Cell Therapy Group

Mr. Buckler is focused on the cell therapy and regenerative medicine industries, consulting on business development strategies, competitive intelligence, market research and analysis, deal-making, marketing and communications, and sales-lead generation. He founded Cell Therapy News and Cell Therapy Blog, and serves on the editorial board of the journals BioProcess International and Regenerative Medicine. Before transitioning to biotech, Mr. Buckler earned a law degree from University of British Columbia and was a practicing commercial attorney.

"BioCision products support the cell therapy workflow in a controlled, temperature-defined, and reproducible manner. Our portfolio, including CoolCell® alcohol-free cell freezing containers and CoolBox™ ice-free cooling systems, is compatible with a wide range of cell types, flexible enough to fit into any manufacturing process from an early laboratory setting to a controlled, cGMP-grade procedure in the cleanroom, and scalable from early development into clinical and commercial settings," Dr. Ehrhardt added. "We look forward to working closely with the members of our advisory board, especially as we continue to expand our position as the optimal partner to support research and product development in cell therapy and regenerative medicine in the years ahead."  

About BioCision, LLC

BioCision is a leading provider of innovative tools for standardizing temperature-sensitive sample and biomaterial handling, cryopreservation and storage procedures. BioCision products are used worldwide by researchers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cell therapy, biobanking, academic and health care industries. For more information visit http://www.biocision.com/, or visit the BioCision blog – Sampling Science® - for news and expert insight at http://blog.biocision.com/. Follow @BioCision on Twitter and "Like" the BioCision Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BioCisionLLC.  

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SOURCE BioCision, LLC