Makucell™ Announces Its Distinguished Senior Management Team

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. and LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Makucell, Inc., a life science company dedicated to the development, manufacture and distribution of non-prescriptive topical products formulated to address the challenges of aging and photo-damaged skin through the direct-to-physician channel, announces its core senior management team of distinguished senior managers. Each individual has more than 20 years of experience working within the clinical, scientific and commercial areas of the skin care market, at prestigious organizations. Joining co-founder and Board Chairman, Michael Kahn, Ph.D., the Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC's Keck School of Medicine, is Lawrence A. Rheins, Ph.D., who is taking the helm as President and CEO. With him, as Vice President and Chief Science and Medical Officer is Mark Dahl, M.D., and Allison Wren, Ph.D. assumes the role of Vice President for Product Development.  Leading the sales team is Michael Casanova, Vice President of Sales.

"Makucell has a highly credible senior management team to launch the company and our revolutionary, proprietary, science-based products," comments Dr. Lawrence Rheins, Makucell's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our initial studies on our skin care line have been overwhelmingly positive, and the first product users have given us enthusiastic praise with regard to our products' remarkable effectiveness." 

Dr. Michael Kahn adds, "The members of Makucell's core team are all leaders in the commercial skin care business, scientific research and medical dermatology fields. Everyone on the team is an enthusiastic supporter of the technology platform and our science-based products. We are continuing to meticulously conduct studies, testing for efficacy, and look forward to reporting the near-term results."

Lawrence A. Rheins, Ph.D. has spent his career in all aspects of skin science and business, developing extraordinary expertise. He brings 25 years of experience in cosmetic, over-the-counter and prescription dermatology to Makucell. Most recently, he served as President of Aria Aesthetics, a subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark. Prior to Aria, he was the President of Histogen Aesthetics, a regenerative medicine company. He acted as the Vice President of Science and Technology at Floratech International, a supplier of quality botanically-derived ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industries. Dr. Rheins founded DermTech International, which specialized in molecular tests using skin specimens, and was the Executive Director at Advanced Tissue Sciences. During his tenure at Procter & Gamble, he was a divisional toxicologist and manager of the Skin Laboratory. Dr. Rheins holds several patents and has authored more than 60 articles on immunology, toxicology, dermatology and in vitro alternatives. He received his Master of Science and Ph.D. (immunology) degrees from the University of Cincinnati.

Mark Dahl, M.D., Vice President, Chief Science and Medical Officer, has focused his medical career on teaching, research and patient care. He was the Professor and Chairman of the Departments of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota and at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Arizona just prior to joining Makucell. He served as the President of the American Academy of Dermatology and has been named a Master Dermatologist by that august organization. A former Vice President of the Society of Investigative Dermatology, his laboratory concentrated on inflammation, immunology and infectious diseases of the skin with particular interest in eczemas and rosacea. He received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School, with his residency service at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center. He is an honorary member of the American Academy of Dermatology, the British Academy of Dermatology and national dermatological societies of South Africa, Chile, Mexico and Canada.

Allison Wren, Ph.D., Vice President for Product Development brings more than 20 years of experience in product development, quality control and regulatory affairs management to Makucell. As the founder of The Wren Group, a small consultancy, she assists companies in their product development initiatives for the pharmaceutical, medical device, cosmetic and dietary supplement industries in the U.S. and Europe, successfully launching numerous products. She cofounded PremCare Medical Technologies in 2008, developing intellectual properties from the University of Florida. Dr. Wren started a new biomedical business for Kelco (San Diego), then a subsidiary of Monsanto, involving oral delivery systems, alginate-encapsulated Islets of Langerhans and developed markets for extracted and fermented polysaccharides. Prior to Kelco, she co-founded a venture capital funded enterprise, BritCair, Ltd, a manufacturing business selling wound dressings from an extract of seaweed, alginic acid, a moist wound healing product. In 1990, Merck acquired BritCair for $30.4M and merged with its dermatological subsidiary Calgon Vestal Laboratories. At that juncture, Dr. Wren became Vice President for Research and Development, responsible for all aspects of research, product development, quality management, engineering services, clinical trials and medical information. Dr. Wren is a central nervous system pharmacologist with a degree from Manchester University in the UK. Her post-doctoral research investigated the role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in solid tumors of the GI tract and the maturation of the human fetal lung.

Michael Casanova, Vice President of Sales, has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry sales and management experience. Mr. Casanova has been in the prescription and non-prescription dermatology aesthetic space for 22 years. He has also acted as a consultant in dermatology sales for several start-up medical and aesthetics companies. He served with Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (formerly ICN Pharmaceuticals) as a National Sales Manager and Sr. Regional Sales Manager for the company's Dermatology prescription and non-prescription franchise, receiving numerous awards in sales, team-building and management over a 22 year period. Mr. Casanova holds a B.A. in Biology and Psychology from Syracuse University.

About Makucell
Makucell Inc. (www.Makucell.com) is a life science company dedicated to the development, manufacture and distribution of non-prescriptive topical products formulated to address the challenges of aging and photo-damaged skin.  Based on scientific research at the Eli & Edythe Broad Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, Makucell's products are formulated to enhance the skin's appearance, making it stronger and more youthful-looking. The company's new proprietary technology, Asymmtate™, works with an individual's own skin stem cells to maintain cellular differentiation as we age. Makucell has a full portfolio of products in its pipeline directed toward improving the appearance of skin, hair and nails which uses the Asymmtate core technology platform.

For media and investment inquiries, please contact Lawrence Rheins, Ph.D. [email protected] or 1-855-MAKUCELL.

About USC Stevens Institute for Innovation
The USC Stevens Institute for Innovation (http://stevens.usc.edu) is a university-wide resource in the Office of the Provost at the University of Southern California that helps identify, nurture, protect, and transfer to the market the most exciting innovations from USC. It also provides a central connection for industry seeking cutting-edge innovations in which to invest. As part of this role, the USC Stevens Institute manages the university's intellectual property portfolio stemming from its $560M annual research program. Furthermore, the USC Stevens Institute develops the innovator as well as innovations, through educational programs, community-building events, and showcase opportunities.

Media Contact:
Lawrence A. Rheins
[email protected]
1-480-305-2061

SOURCE USC Stevens Institute for Innovation