Armand Balboni, MD, PhD
Chair
Armand Balboni's career includes medical research and drug development experience in civilian, academic and military organizations, most recently as a partner at Bloom Burton & Co. where he was the firms senior advisor for regulatory and medical affairs. As an active duty military officer, Dr. Balboni served as a staff officer at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). He completed a military staff fellowship at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and went on to serve as the deputy director of clinical and regulatory affairs for the U.S. Army. Armand completed his doctoral work in the MD/PhD program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and earned his law degree at Brooklyn Law School.
Theresa Matkovits, PhD
Lead Independent Director
Dr. Theresa Matkovits has more than 20 years of experience as a leader in global drug development and commercialization, with extensive expertise in infectious disease. She currently serves as the Chief Development Officer at Matinas Biopharma where she serves as an Executive Leadership Team member, joining the company in October 2018.
Dr. Matkovits is responsible for leading the Global Development efforts of the company’s development pipeline products, including their Infectious Disease products. Prior to this role, she was the Chief Operating Officer at ContraVir (Nasdaq: CTRV) now Hepion, where she led global development of the company’s clinical-stage antiviral portfolio. She also served as ContraVir's Executive Vice President, Head of Drug Development, where she was responsible for leading all global drug development functional areas for the company's infectious disease programs. Dr. Matkovits’ career also includes steering the clinical development and approval efforts for Natpara® at NPS Pharmaceuticals; serving as a Vice President and Innovation Leader at The Medicines Company (Nasdaq: MDCO), where she managed global development and commercialization efforts for the Company’s infectious disease franchise; and several leadership positions at Novartis in its U.S. Medical and Drug Regulatory Affairs and Global Development Divisions.
Dr. Matkovits is a member of the Board of Directors for BioSurplus and Chairperson of Good Cap Pharmaceuticals, and previous director of Aradigm Corporation (Nasdaq: ARDM). Dr. Matkovits earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - New Jersey Medical School.
Brian Bloom
Member
Brian Bloom co-founded Canada’s leading healthcare investment banking firm, Bloom Burton & Co. in 2008, and serves as Bloom Burton’s chairman and CEO. Brian also serves on the Board of Directors of Appili Therapeutics, Triumvira Immunologics and Satellos Bioscience. Brian was formerly the Chairman of the Board of Grey Wolf Animal Health, a member of the Life Sciences Advisory Board at the National Research Council of Canada, the Dean’s Advisory Board at McMaster University and on the Board of Directors of BIOTECanada and the Baycrest Foundation.
Prior to Bloom Burton, Brian spent six years at Dundee Securities in the healthcare and biotechnology institutional sales and equity research groups. Brian started his career at New York-based investment banking firms SCO Financial Group and Molecular Securities. Brian received an Honors Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from McMaster University and subsequently studied at the Mount Sinai Graduate School for Biological Sciences of New York University, with a focus in molecular endocrinology and biophysics.
Brian is the proud recipient of the McMaster University 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award in Science and the co-recipient of the 2023 Life Sciences Ontario Community Service Award.
Juergen Froehlich, MD
Member
Dr. Froehlich’s career spans multiple decades and covers a broad range of drug development successes. It includes strategic planning and execution of all phases of drug development and regulatory interactions across therapeutic areas such as cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and hepatitis C. He has worked with biologics, peptides, small molecules and RNA therapeutics at companies including Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Quintiles, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Ipsen, Vertex, Aradigm Corporation, EnBiotix, Genevant and Spexis AG. He was instrumental in obtaining successful marketing authorizations worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, and the E.U. As Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs of Aradigm Corporation, he conducted a Ph 3 trial program with a liposomal formulation of ciprofloxacin for inhalation in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFBE) and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lung infections.
Currently, as Chief Medical and Development Officer of Spexis AG, he is overseeing early and late-stage development activities for inhaled Colistin and inhaled Murepavadin to treat chronic PA lung infection, and is involved in preclinical activities, supported by the CARB-X funding, to identify novel antibiotics overcoming antibiotic resistance. He was an invited panel member at a U.S. Food and Drug Administration workshop in 2018 for inhaled antibiotics in cystic fibrosis and NCFBE.
Prakash Gowd, MBA, Pharm, CDir
Member
An accomplished healthcare executive, Mr. Gowd brings over 25 years of extensive experience in biopharma, capital markets, and entrepreneurship, including leadership roles in startups, publicly-traded and private companies. He currently serves as Vice President at TIAP, a not-for-profit organization that identifies, funds, and accelerates transformative, member-sourced, early-stage medical innovation into successful Canadian companies. Before joining TIAP, Mr. Gowd was Chief Operating Officer and Head of Corporate Development at a mental health and psychedelic medicine company where he played pivotal roles in building a network of clinics, bringing the company public, optimizing value of the U.S. operations, executing acquisitions, and managing the sale of the business. Previously, as Co-founder of a genetic testing company in medical cannabis, he worked collaboratively to assemble the team, develop and market the test, and eventually sell the company. He is also a seasoned capital markets professional, having served in senior equity research and investment banking roles at CIBC World Markets, National Bank Financial, and Canaccord Capital. The foundation of his career was built in commercial operations and new product development in the pharmaceutical industry.
Mr. Gowd served as Audit Chair and Director at FendX Technologies and at Isotechnika Pharma, the predecessor company to Aurinia Pharmaceuticals. He holds an MBA from McGill University, undergraduate degrees in Pharmacy and Zoology from the University of British Columbia, and a Chartered Director designation.
Don Cilla, PharmD, MBA
Member
Dr. Cilla brings to Appili over 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with extensive clinical and regulatory expertise that includes direct involvement with developing products, including Lipitor™ and Difcid™.
His career includes positions in key leadership, scientific, and program management roles in research and development in pharmaceutical, biotech, and generic drug companies, including Takeda (Shire Pharmaceuticals) and AstraZeneca (MedImmune).
In prior roles, Dr. Cilla led and / or participated in the global development of more than 40 products, with six products having made it through regulatory approval to be commercialized. He also has held multiple consulting roles, outsourcing his drug development expertise to help build and lead teams for companies in need of functional area expertise.
Dr. Cilla earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Chair
Armand Balboni's career includes medical research and drug development experience in civilian, academic and military organizations, most recently as a partner at Bloom Burton & Co. where he was the firms senior advisor for regulatory and medical affairs. As an active duty military officer, Dr. Balboni served as a staff officer at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). He completed a military staff fellowship at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and went on to serve as the deputy director of clinical and regulatory affairs for the U.S. Army. Armand completed his doctoral work in the MD/PhD program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and earned his law degree at Brooklyn Law School.
Member
Dr. Theresa Matkovits has more than 20 years of experience as a leader in global drug development and commercialization, with extensive expertise in infectious disease. She currently serves as the Chief Development Officer at Matinas Biopharma where she serves as an Executive Leadership Team member, joining the company in October 2018. Dr. Matkovits is responsible for leading the Global Development efforts of the company’s development pipeline products, including their Infectious Disease products. Prior to this role, she was the Chief Operating Officer at ContraVir (Nasdaq: CTRV) now Hepion, where she led global development of the company’s clinical-stage antiviral portfolio. She also served as ContraVir's Executive Vice President, Head of Drug Development, where she was responsible for leading all global drug development functional areas for the company's infectious disease programs. Dr. Matkovits’ career also includes steering the clinical development and approval efforts for Natpara® at NPS Pharmaceuticals; serving as a Vice President and Innovation Leader at The Medicines Company (Nasdaq: MDCO), where she managed global development and commercialization efforts for the Company’s infectious disease franchise; and several leadership positions at Novartis in its U.S. Medical and Drug Regulatory Affairs and Global Development Divisions. Dr. Matkovits is a member of the Board of Directors for BioSurplus and Good Cap Pharmaceuticals, and previous director of Aradigm Corporation (Nasdaq: ARDM). Dr. Matkovits earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - New Jersey Medical School.
Member
Brian Bloom co-founded Canada’s leading healthcare investment banking firm, Bloom Burton & Co. in 2008, and serves as Bloom Burton’s chairman and CEO. Brian also serves on the Board of Directors of Appili Therapeutics, Triumvira Immunologics, Satellos Bioscience and Qing Bile Therapeutics. Brian was formerly the Chairman of the Board of Grey Wolf Animal Health, a member of the Life Sciences Advisory Board at the National Research Council of Canada, the Dean’s Advisory Board at McMaster University and on the Board of Directors of BIOTECanada and the Baycrest Foundation.
Prior to Bloom Burton, Brian spent six years at Dundee Securities in the healthcare and biotechnology institutional sales and equity research groups. Brian started his career at New York-based investment banking firms SCO Financial Group and Molecular Securities. Brian received an Honors Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from McMaster University and subsequently studied at the Mount Sinai Graduate School for Biological Sciences of New York University, with a focus in molecular endocrinology and biophysics. Brian is the proud recipient of the McMaster University 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award in Scienc
Member
Dr. Froehlich’s career spans multiple decades and covers a broad range of drug development successes. It includes strategic planning and execution of all phases of drug development and regulatory interactions across therapeutic areas such as cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and hepatitis C. He has worked with biologics, peptides, small molecules and RNA therapeutics at companies including Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Quintiles, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Ipsen, Vertex, Aradigm Corporation, EnBiotix, Genevant and Spexis AG. He was instrumental in obtaining successful marketing authorizations worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, and the E.U. As Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs of Aradigm Corporation, he conducted a Ph 3 trial program with a liposomal formulation of ciprofloxacin for inhalation in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFBE) and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lung infections. Currently, as Chief Medical and Development Officer of Spexis AG, he is overseeing early and late-stage development activities for inhaled Colistin and inhaled Murepavadin to treat chronic PA lung infection, and is involved in preclinical activities, supported by the CARB-X funding, to identify novel antibiotics overcoming antibiotic resistance. He was an invited panel member at a U.S. Food and Drug Administration workshop in 2018 for inhaled antibiotics in cystic fibrosis and NCFBE.
Member
An accomplished healthcare executive, Mr. Gowd brings over 25 years of extensive experience in biopharma, capital markets, and entrepreneurship, including leadership roles in startups, publicly-traded and private companies.
He currently serves as Chief Business Officer of Tailored Genes, a viral vector development and manufacturing organization, where he leads corporate development initiatives. Previously, Mr. Gowd held executive positions at Novamind, a firm specialized in mental health and psychedelic medicine, as well as Lobo Genetics, a genetic testing company. He is also a seasoned capital markets professional, having served in senior equity research and investment banking roles at CIBC World Markets, National Bank Financial, and Canaccord Capital. He started his career as a pharmacist and worked in the pharmaceutical industry in commercial operations at GSK.
Mr. Gowd served as Audit Chair and Director at FendX Technologies and at Isotechnika Pharma, the predecessor company to Aurinia Pharmaceuticals. He holds an MBA from McGill University, a BSc Pharmacy from the University of British Columbia, and is a Chartered Director.
Member
Dr. Cilla brings to Appili more than 30 years of program management experience in the drug development industry, with extensive clinical and regulatory expertise that includes direct involvement with 20 programs that became commercialized products, including Lipitor™ and Difcid™. His career includes positions in program management, drug product team leadership, clinical pharmacology, clinical development, and administration in large pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and generic drug companies. He has worked across a broad range of development positions in companies including Shire Pharmaceuticals (Takeda), MedImmune (AstraZeneca), and Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals. He also has held multiple consulting roles, outsourcing his drug development expertise to help build and lead teams for companies in need of functional area expertise. Dr. Cilla earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
