Company Leadership
JAKE TOWNSEND
Chief Executive Officer/ Founder
Chief Executive Officer and company Founder Jake Townsend is an executive leader in the development and commercialization of transdermal patch technology-innovation and drug-device combination products with more than a decade of experience in leading world class commercial, clinical and scientific development teams to breakthrough results. He is the inventor of Celumigen’s lead product candidate, as well as inventor of several novel drug device delivery systems at various stages of current development. Working in the areas of immunology/virology, and with immunomodulators, he has particular expertise in guiding the formulation and development of novel drug delivery systems/ transdermal patch delivery under the designation 505 (b) 2, and has consulted for numerous global pharmaceutical corporations in this sector. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices. Prior to Celumigen, he founded Townsend Initiatives; a business consultancy and strategic communications and brand-marketing firm with a client list that included the governments of Mexico and Sri Lanka and private sector brands including Aston Martin and Amazon to which he provided strategic business counsel to leadership and led teams to conceive and implement strategies and programs to successfully elevate products, services and sectors. He is a former Director of Brand Marketing Communications at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts where he led an international team located in three countries. He is the author/ co-author of numerous publications. As Adjunct Professor in the Master’s program of the School of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California he lectured in the practice of Public Diplomacy. He holds a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston where he concentrated on next generation nuclear reactor technology and policy, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
NOAH CRAFT, MD, PHD
Senior Strategic and Clinical Advisor
Dr. Craft is a physician-scientist-entrepreneur. Most recently, he was the cofounder and CEO of Science 37, a transformative technology-enabled clinical research company. At Science 37, he helped raise more than $100M and the company is now the industry leader in Virtual Clinical Trials. Prior to Science 37, Dr. Craft was the Chief Medical Officer for VisualDx, and Chief Science Officer at Direct Derm. Prior to this, for 15+ years Dr. Craft ran a translational research laboratory at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute focused on the skin microbiome, parasite immunology, and cancer vaccine development. He is on the Board of Directors at BioGraph 55 and Science 37, and is a Senior Advisor to multiple life science and technology companies. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and holds multiple patents. Dr. Craft received a B.S. from Brown University and then completed his MD/PhD, residency in dermatology, and post-doctoral research at UCLA.
BRIAN BERMAN, M.D., PhD, F.A.A.D.
Senior Clinical and Scientific Advisor
Dr. Berman is a scientific and clinical leader in dermatology whose academic, research and clinical work continues to add to the development of new drugs and therapies that treat diseases of the skin. Among other therapeutic areas of focus, Dr. Berman is a recognized expert in the treatment of HPV, the virus that causes warts. Professor Emeritus of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery at The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Vice President & Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology. He is the author of more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific and clinical articles, chapters and books; member of the Scientific Advisory / Boards of The European Journal of Dermatology, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, and SKINmed, Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology Consultant / advisor to many established and developing dermatology pharmaceutical companies, and has led teams in the successful development of drugs in dermatology
MARY SPELLMAN, M.D., F.A.A.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Spellman is a board‑certified dermatologist with more than 30 years of clinical research experience. She is the former Chief Medical Officer of Menlo Therapeutics and Revance Therapeutics and was Senior Medical Director at Biogen Idec, Connetics Corporation, and Novartis. She directed the clinical research group in dermatology at the University of California, San Diego. She has extensive leadership capability in the development and commercialization of topical and oral small molecules, biologicals, devices, and cosmeceuticals, and has directed primary clinical support for multiple INDs, NDAs in US, and MAAs in Europe. She led development of Luxiq, OluxE, Veltin, BG12 (Teecxidera), among other therapeutics. Spellman earned an M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin and is a diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.
BRET BERNER, PhD
Product Development
Dr. Berner stands alone among experts in transdermal drug delivery: More than 80 published papers, 30 patents, and has co-authored two seminal books on transdermal drug delivery. Expertise in drug formulation, PK, drug delivery, CMC, and product development. Vice President at Depomed Pharmaceuticals: developed the first marketed gastric retentive tablets in the US. Vice President at Cygnus: directed development of the first contraceptive transdermal patch and portions of the iontophoretic glucose monitoring system. Director, Basic Pharmaceutics Research at Ciba-Geigy: directed multiple transdermal patch projects including nicotine, estradiol, estradiol-NETA, and buprenorphine as well as osmotic and oral hydrogel tablets, and buccal delivery systems. Managed an IP group for eight years and directed discussions with patent attorneys for over 25 years in drafting, prosecution, and litigation of patents
DENNIE DYER
Vice President, CMC, Operations
Dennie Dyer is a vastly experienced pharmaceutical operations executive who led the development and commercial launch of many successful prescription therapeutics including Intermezzo, Monodox, Condylox, Fluoroplex and Cordran; products that together sold as a portfolio to Almirall in 2013. Dennie has extensive hands-on experience in commercial supply chain leadership, management and commercial launches and more than 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical and OTC product development, FDA documentation, commercial marketing launches, facilities design and operations. Successful track record in contributing to the success of start-up pharmaceutical and OTC companies by developing strategic alliances with major contract service companies for the out-sourcing of API’s, dosage form development, package development, analytical services, RA/QA, production and commercialization of all types of dosage forms and medical devices.To date, over 47 pharmaceutical & OTC products and devices have been successfully commercialized. His leadership positions have included: Vice President of Operations at Transcept Pharmaceuticals; Vice President of Operations SkinMedica; Director of Operations at Oclassen Pharmaceuticals and Allergan.