“Striving for the cures, a bright future for medicine”

An engineer at heart, with a Bachelor in Materials and Master in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto, an MBA and Master of Science in Finance from Indiana University and a Master of Microbiology and Cell Sciences from the University of Florida, Alex’s career defining moment was his thesis work on the controlled release of biologics for tissue engineering and spinal cord injury repair - work that was subsequently published in Biomaterials and the Journal of Controlled Release. It was during this time that Alex began to explore the extraordinary world of cells, trillions of building-blocks that comprise the human body.

Starting his career in R&D, Alex led the buildout of Allergan’s molecular cell biology, histopathology, and in vivo physiology laboratories in Santa Barbara, California. His early work eventually resulted in the approval and launch of market-leading brands including Latisse and Juvederm. As recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies burst on the healthcare scene, Alex transitioned into late-stage development and operations joining the up-and-coming New York biotech Regeneron. Having assembled a world-class team, he led the buildout of the drug product, protein delivery, and packaging technical operations functions responsible for clinical and commercial manufacturing of a number of future blockbuster products including Dupixent, Praluent, and Kevzara. At Biogen, Alex led the team that was instrumental at industrializing and launching a number of biosimilar products, including Benepali and Imraldi, as well as the first disease modifying treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy, the Spinraza antisense oligonucleotide.

Alex expanded his scope of responsibilities when he joined Avedro (Glaukos) to oversee the full spectrum of end-to-end operations, including internal and external manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, engineering, and facilities. His team was instrumental at launching the first US-approved treatment for Keratoconus - Photrexa, a first-in-class synthetic flavin mononucleotide. Most recently, Alex led the operations and project management teams at Anika Therapeutics, launching a number of biopolymer-based products for Rheumatology and Ophthalmology. A proud moment, when a supply chain that spanned 85 countries with a portfolio of over 850 products supplying industry leaders including Johnson and Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim, Medline, and Medtronic, performed without skipping a beat during the global pandemic – engineered for resilience.

"Remedium was founded on a fundamental belief that “any disease can be cured” and many, with combinations of already proven technologies, significantly streamlining development."

Today, Alex is the Chief Operating Officer of Remedium Bio, a company that is focused on developing curative therapies for a number of highly debilitating conditions. Remedium was founded on a fundamental belief that “any disease can be cured” and many, with combinations of already proven technologies, significantly streamlining development. Remedium’s lead candidate product is a hallmark example of this, using the proven biological mechanism of FGF18 protein treatment to regrow cartilage in Osteoarthritic joints, a pathology that impacts nearly 1 in 7 US adults with no currently approved disease modifying treatments. Remedium’s approach combines the clinically validated FGF18 protein with a proven delivery vector, and modular combinations of clinically qualified genetic sequences to enable streamlined development that if successful, could reverse cartilage loss in Osteoarthritis after just a single injection – a tall order given that no other approved treatment is able to slow, let alone reverse cartilage loss in Osteoarthritis.

At Remedium, Alex oversees viral vector and lipid nanoparticle development and manufacturing, plasmid production, and the development and industrialization of a broad array of gene editing tools, assays, and processes that will enable Remedium’s pipeline technology. “Gene and Cell therapy is the future, not only for rare diseases that are being targeted at these initial phases, but for a broad range of conditions ranging from cardiac insufficiency to arthritis”, says Alex as he reinforces the bright future ahead. “We are now entering an era of engineered medicine, a time of cures, beyond the palliative treatments of the past – and these cures will be enabled by our present-day ability to effectively treat both the intracellular and extracellular space while minimizing off-target effects.” Alex is convinced that, with the dawn of recombinant proteins and antibodies, medicine attained the ability to, for the first time, treat the extra-cellular space in a safe, specific, and efficient manner that was not possible with the small molecule drugs of the past. More recently, gene therapy and oligonucleotides allowed us targeted access to the intracellular environment, the ability to control the interior microcosm of cellular function. Finally, cell therapy and tissue engineering will in time enable the complete restoration of entire tissues, organs, and physiological systems – a bright future for medicine that will make a historical impact on humanity. IE