Last Updated September 29, 2021
NEWARK, NJ, March 10, 2020 – The New Jersey Innovation Institute’s (NJII) Biopharma division is pleased to announce the formation of their advisory committee which includes experts from across the industry.
The committee will meet quarterly and provide strategic direction to the division as well as help identify emerging opportunities and challenges in the area of regenerative medicine.
“This group of recognized experts will provide insights and strategic advice to help us develop capabilities and tools to support the biopharma industry’s ability to adapt to new technologies and innovations in cell and gene therapy,” said NJII Senior Vice President for Biopharma, Dr. Haro Hartounian. “I’ve known many of the committee members for years, but getting them all together, on our team, is a great honor.”
The chairwoman of the committee will be Dr. Joanne Beck, chief operating officer of Boston Pharmaceuticals. “NJII has made significant progress in the area of regenerative medicine and we are very excited for the launch of their new center and the opportunity for companies of varying sizes to leverage the center for cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing projects as well as workforce development.” Beck stated.
Members of the committee include:
- Joanne Beck, Chief Operating Officer, Boston Pharmaceuticals
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Kevin Belfield, Dean of Science and Liberal Arts, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
- Steve Dziennik, Director, Global Technical Operations Biologics, Merck
- Shannon Eaker, Cell and Gene Therapy Enterprise Technical Leader , Cytiva
- Haro Hartounian, Senior Vice President, Biopharma, New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII)
- Kelvin Lee, Director, National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL)
- Peter Marks, Director – Center For Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), serving as liaison with FDA
- Rick Morris, SVP of Research & Development, Pall Biotech
- Hari Pujar, Operating Partner, Flagship Pioneering
- Greg Russotti, Chief Technology Officer, Century Therapeutics
- Joseph Tarnowski, SVP, Cell and Gene Therapy Platform, GlaxoSmithKline, Medicinal Science and Technology, R&D
The Biopharma division that Dr. Hartounian leads provides both well-established biopharmaceutical companies and promising start-ups access to a more affordable, efficient and flexible option for product development as well as workforce development programs that focus on the latest advances and technologies for cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing.
NJII, a New Jersey Institute of Technology corporation, is set to open the multi-million dollar Cell and Gene Therapy Development Center on the university’s Newark, NJ campus this May. The facility will be the first of its kind in Newark, and the only such center on a university campus in the United States.
About NJII
The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is an NJIT corporation that applies the intellectual and technological resources of New Jersey’s public polytechnic university to challenges identified by industry partners in key economic sectors. NJII currently manages solutions and programs for Biopharma, Data & Technology, Defense, Entrepreneurship. Healthcare and Human Capital.