George N. Nikopoulos PhD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer & President
Dr. Nikopoulos has worked with and advised a number of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and med-tech companies in addressing their pre-market, start-up and early stage commercialization programs. Dr. Nikopoulos’ expertise includes translating complex technologies and innovations into strategies for commercialization, market research, and business development as well as pre-clinical toxicology study design, and research and development.
Dr. Nikopoulos received his BSc. from the University of Western Ontario, his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Maine, where he received a fellowship from the American Heart Association, and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, where he was the recipient of the Fairfax Award.
Susan E. Quaggin, MD
Founder
Dr. Quaggin graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto in 1988 and received her specialty degree in Internal Medicine in 1992. She completed her sub-specialty training in Nephrology in 1993 at U of T and did a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University where she studied the genetic basis of kidney development.
In 1997, she returned to Toronto to do a second post-doctoral fellowship in mouse genetics in the laboratory of Janet Rossant. From 1997 until 2012, she was at the University of Toronto where she was a Senior Scientist at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, a practicing Nephrologist at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Gabor-Zellerman Professor in Renal Medicine.
Dr. Quaggin has served as an elected councilor of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), is a member of the ISN executive Council and was elected to the American Association of Physicians (AAP) in 2013. She received the Kidney Foundation of Canada 2009 Award for Research, a Finnish Distinguished Professorship in 2012 and the Alfred Newton Richards Award for Basic Science from the International Society of Nephrology in 2013. In addition, Dr. Quaggin sits on the editorial boards of several journals, and has organized a number of international renal and vascular meetings.
In January 2013, Quaggin joined Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as the Charles Horace Mayo Professor of Medicine, where she serves as the director of the Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute (FCVRI) and chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
Quaggin’s research program focuses on genetic pathways required to establish and maintain the integrity of microvascular beds including the glomerular filtration barrier – a highly selective filter that separates the blood from the urinary space. To understand the pathways and interactions between perivascular cells and the endothelium, her research team has developed a number of genetic models that permit cell and time-specific manipulation of gene expression.
Christopher A. Smith
Chairman, Board of Directors
Christopher is a successful and experienced entrepreneur, with a wide range of experience with the initial execution of business concepts. Christopher, among other accomplishments, was the former founder and President of Chippery, a fresh snack food concept. More recently, he was a founding consultant to Bionik Laboratories in Toronto, a company which specializes in advanced exoskeleton development and human mechanical developments.
In addition, Mr. Smith is an active participant and consultant in other developing technologies currently at the start up stage in both energy conservation and sound technology. He has also had extensive experience in the area of patent and trade mark administration. His early roots and entrepreneurial skills were developed while working in the entertainment industry.
Geoffrey D. Smith
Secretary, Board of Directors
Geoffrey is the Secretary of the Board of Directors. He specializes in supporting and building small companies and has extensive experience as a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 companies in many fields of expertise. He has managed capital raises for many of these companies and has played a vital role in those company’s management or boards throughout their development. The areas of business have included real estate, entertainment, gaming, food, sustainability, medical and technology based companies. He is currently CEO of G Smith and Co Innovation Advisory Ltd. and advises on commercialization of medical technology and companies.
