Haro Hartounian is the founder, senior vice-president, and general manager of BioCentriq, a revenue generating Cell and Gene Therapy Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization. He engineered the launch of BioCentriq, the only facility of its kind in Newark, NJ and the first such center on a university campus anywhere in the United States. He also led the creation of NJIT’s new Professional Master’s Degree Program in Cell and Gene Therapy Sciences.
Dr. Hartounian provided strong leadership to drive an aggressive growth and profitability strategy for BioCentriq’s business and provided the necessary direction and dynamic leadership to R&D, manufacturing, business development, regulatory and compliance, and operations. He developed an approach that enables BioCentriq to forge client relationships that move beyond the traditional service outsourcing model into true end-to-end collaborations. Dr. Hartounian grew the organization by recruiting top-notch scientists, engineers, and professionals whose expertise aligned with goals of BioCentriq. He assembled a world class technical advisory board of external experts who provide insights into BioCentriq’s strategic initiatives.
Dr. Hartounian has nearly 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry working for large and mid-size biopharmaceutical companies, including DuPont, Monsanto, SkyePharma and Vyteris. He has built several companies and has a proven track record of delivering unprecedented performance and growth He played an instrumental role in two FDA approved product launches — DepoCyt, and DepoMorphine— and served as the chief executive officer and board member of two public and two private biopharmaceutical companies. He also founded three biopharmaceutical companies — MicroIslet, Protagenic Therapeutics, and DiaVacs.
Haro's past roles include securing funding, manufacturing, product and process development, business development and alliance management, strategic planning and partnering transactions. Specific product lines and indications have included cell therapy, diabetes, CNS disorders, oncology, women’s health, pain management and drug delivery. Dr. Hartounian is an adjunct associate professor of Chemical Engineering at Columbia University and earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.
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