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Team Members: |
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J.
Joseph Kim, Chairman |
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Kevin
W. Rassas, President |
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Doug
Kern, D.V.M., M.S., Vice President, Business Development |
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Thomas
S. Kim, J.D., Senior Director, Intellectual Property |
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Patricia
Brown, D.V.M., Ph.D., Director, Clinical Research &
Development |
J. Joseph Kim,
Ph.D., Chairman
Dr. Kim is a veteran of the biopharmaceutical
industry. Prior to VGX, Dr. Kim led efforts in manufacturing and process
development of several FDA-approved products and developmental therapeutics
at Merck. These products include FDA-approved vaccines for Hepatitis
as well as developmental vaccines and therapeutics for HIV/AIDS. Dr.
Kim has published over 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book
chapters, holds numerous patents and sits on several editorial boards
and review panels. Dr. Kim has garnered many honors during his career.
In 2002, Dr. Kim was named as one of the world's top 100 young innovators
by Technology Review magazine. The "TR100", as this group
is called, was chosen by a very distinguished Panel of Judges (which
includes 2 Nobel Prize Laureates). Also in 2002, Dr. Kim was chosen
as one the "40 under 40" by the Philadelphia
Business Journal as one of the 40 most dynamic professionals
who are under 40 years of age in the region. Dr. Kim was also selected
on the list of the "50 Most Influential Men" in the October
2003 and in the October 2006 "Power Issue" of Details
Magazine. In 2004, Dr. Kim and Inovio were
selected as one of 30 Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum.
Furthermore, Dr. Kim was featured in the “Who’s Next 2005”
issue of Newsweek International, which included
a group of 10 leaders, scientists, and executives at the forefront
of change and impact in the world. Most recently in 2006, Dr. Kim
has been named a Young Global Leader by the Forum of Young Global
Leaders, an affiliate of the World Economic Forum. Dr. Kim was among
175 leading executives, public figures and intellectuals under the
age of 40 from 50 countries. Dr. Kim has also been featured in articles
in Forbes and the New Yorker
and in numerous other Media Outlets.
Dr. Kim was trained in economics, engineering and biological sciences
at MIT where he was a U.S. Senate Honors Scholar. He holds a Ph.D.
in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and
an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School.
Kevin W. Rassas,
President
Mr. Rassas has over 30 years
of pharmaceutical industry experience, including senior level general
management responsibility for several major international markets
with Wyeth and Searle. He has a strong strategic and operational
focus with a proven track record of delivering solid revenue growth
and bottom line results. Mr. Rassas has played a major role in the
integration of large and complex businesses and has instituted numerous
programs to improve operating efficiencies. His background includes
significant experience in International Operations, P&L Management,
Strategic Planning, Business Development, Finance and Administration,
New Product Introductions, Joint Ventures, Project Management, and
Human Resources.
Mr. Rassas received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University
of Notre Dame and his MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of
Management at Northwestern University.
Doug
Kern, D.V.M., M.S., Vice President, Business Development
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Dr. Kern, Vice President of Business Development for VGX Animal Health,
has over 20 years of experience in the animal health industry. In
addition to his private practice experience, he has held top leadership
roles in four animal health start-up companies.
Dr. Kern earned his DVM from the University of Minnesota. Following
a brief but very successful development of a swine practice in Illinois,
he completed a master’s degree at the University of Illinois
in the Integrated Food Animal Management Systems (IFAMS) in 1991.
In 1995 Dr. Kern received his certificate in business management form
the Harvard Business School.
After completion of his Master’s degree, in 1991 Dr. Kern joined
NOBL Labs, a small and entrepreneurial swine vaccine company. While
at NOBL, Dr. Kern held increasingly more challenging positions, and
was president of the company when it was acquired by Boehringer Ingleheim
in 1997.
During his tenure with NOBL, the company experienced rapid growth
and he developed one of the industry’s leading sales and technical
service teams. Dr. Kern’s team developed and launched multiple
innovative products, and set the industry standard for how drug companies
support swine producing customers.
Dr. Kern also served as the US General Manager of a Canadian animal
health biotechnology company and subsequently recruited by Baylor
College of Medicine to head up ADViSYS, an animal health biotechnology
company formed to commercialize ground breaking GHRH technology for
animals. ADViSYS merged with Inovio, in early 2007 and,
now operates as VGX Animal Health. It will be the first company in
the world to develop and successfully market a DNA therapy for food
and companion animals.
Dr. Kern is a co-inventor on the company’s key GHRH and Gene
delivery electroporation patents, and has dedicated his career to
bringing plasmid based GHRH, and DNA vaccine therapies to the Animal
Health world.
Back to top 
Thomas S. Kim, J.D.,
Senior Director, Intellectual Property
Mr.
Kim is an experienced patent attorney, having worked for both
large Intellectual Property law firms and Fortune 500 companies.
Most recently, Mr. Kim served as Senior Counsel to the gene discovery
group at DuPont Company, where he provided legal counsel on a
variety of patent issues and drafted and prosecuted patent applications
related to DNA molecules and transgenic organisms. In private
practice, most recently with the national firm of Woodcock Washburn,
Mr. Kim counseled clients ranging from start-up to Fortune 50
companies on various chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech patent
matters.
Mr. Kim received a J.D. from Washington University School of Law
in St. Louis, a M.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois,
and a B.S. in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Mr. Kim is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
State of Illinois, and is registered to practice before the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office.
| Patricia
Brown, D.V.M., Ph.D., Director, Clinical Research
& Development
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Dr. Brown has worked in the area of Veterinary
Medicine for over 40 years. Dr. Brown obtained her BS in Animal
Science and PhD in Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology from
the University of Minnesota and a DVM from the Ontario Veterinary
College.
She began her career as a qualified medical laboratory scientist
working with veterinarians and scientist, first at the Veterinary
College in Cambridge England, and later at the Ontario Veterinary
College. She later was employed by a primary breeder of turkeys
to design and run a microbiology and serology testing laboratory
required for their Mycoplasma meleagridis eradication program.
She was promoted to Director of Health programs and Technical
Services which involved customer relations, trouble shooting,
and technical services in Eastern and Western Europe, North
and South America while administering the Mycoplasma meleagridis
eradication program.
After graduation she worked in a Small Animal Practice and then
joined a veterinary diagnostic and animal health company in
Minnesota where she was promoted to Director of Technical Services.
Dr. Brown developed clinic-based microbiology systems for use
in swine, dairy and small animals and managed the Diagnostic
Tissue, Serology and Mastitis Laboratory. In addition she contracted
and administered a FSIS $3+ million program for data collection
in processing plants for the FDA’s, FSIS HIMP Program.
In 2002 Dr. Brown joined ADViSYS (now VGX Animal Health) and
as Director of Clinical Services provided professional veterinary
services in support of clinical trials and other studies involving
animals for the development of the company’s products
and research and development. She supervised and assured the
integrity of studies and clinical trials involving companion
and food animals for the company and its licensees. She is familiar
with the regulatory agency requirements and guidelines for the
conduct of clinical studies, (cGLP, cGCP and cGMP), and has
contributed to submissions to these regulatory agencies.
Dr. Brown is co-inventor on a number of the GHRH and gene delivery
system patents in the VGX Animal Health portfolio. She is also
the author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Dr. Brown brings a unique set of experience and skills to VGX
Animal Health which enables her to guide products from scientific
discovery through application for the health and well being
of companion and food animals worldwide.
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