SAN DIEGO – April 2, 2012 – Animal Cell Therapies (ACT), a company specializing in veterinary diagnostics and cell-based therapies, today announced it has added three new specialists to accelerate the company’s clinical and commercial plan. Preston Munsch has joined as the company’s head of business development, Dr. Chih-Min Lin as senior director of research and development, and Dr. Zhongling Feng as director of product development.
“These three talented professionals add significant experience and capability fueling more pace and quality against our key development milestones,” said Adam Irving, CEO of Animal Cell Therapies. “Our founder, Dr. Kathy Petrucci, and myself are thrilled to welcome Preston, Dr. Lin and Dr. Feng to the team, and know their stem cell experience, knowledge and hard work will benefit investors and customers.”
Munsch brings 14 years of experience to the role, most recently leading Cheetahlink, a consulting firm for the animal health industry. As the founder, he provided expertise in market channel strategies, product development, online marketing initiatives, business development and market position branding for a wide range of clients. Munsch launched his career in the animal health industry in 1998, when he was hired as the national sales manager for the newly formed Specialty Products Division for Loomix, LLC. In that role, he expanded the company beyond their existing market by developing an equine and companion animal nutraceutical line of products.
Dr. Lin (PhD) joins ACT as a stem cell scientist with a track record leading research teams in the biotechnology industry and also brings extensive experience in research and developmental biology. As a research scientist with Stemedica Cell Technologies, Lin developed stem cell validation assays for characterizing stem cell potency and safety, stem cell isolation methods and large-scale stem cell production methods. He was also involved with filing an Investigational New Drug (IND) for stem cell therapies. Lin received a PhD from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in 2006. Dr. Feng (MD, PhD) brings to ACT a unique blend of academic and industry experience intranslational stem cell and cancer research and development. Feng received his MD in China in 1993, completed his residency training in radiation oncology and earned a PhD in Oncology in 2000. In 2001, sponsored by a fellowship from Harvard Medical School, Feng conducted research at the Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences and Medicine (CBBSM) and the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Before ACT, Feng worked at Nitto Denko Technical Corporation as chief scientist. Feng serves on the editorial board of the World Journal of Stem Cells.
About Animal Cell Therapies
Founded in January 2008 in San Diego, California, Animal Cell Therapies (ACT) is the manifestation of veterinarian, Dr. Kathryn Petrucci, whose vision is to improve the lives of animals through thoughtful research and development, innovation and strategic partnerships. At the Company’s California-based stem cell research and development facility, the ACT team is focused on developing and delivering revolutionary cellular treatment and services to their customers. For more information, visit www.actcells.com
