RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Humacyte, Inc., a pioneer in biotechnology and regenerative medicine, announced today that former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, and healthcare executive, Dale A. Sander have been elected to the Board of Directors effective September 1, 2015 bringing the size of the Humacyte Board to eight directors.
“We are delighted and honored to welcome these two new Board members to join the impressive Humacyte Board already in place. Dale and Kathleen bring deep and specific experiences to Humacyte that are especially relevant and appreciated as we enter into Phase III development,” said Carrie S. Cox, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Humacyte.
Honorable Kathleen Sebelius
A leading voice on health policy, Ms. Sebelius is one of the foremost experts on national and global health issues. From 2009 to 2014, Ms. Sebelius served in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet as the 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), leading the effort to pass and implement significant health reform through the Affordable Care Act. In 2011, Forbes named Ms. Sebelius one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Prior to serving as secretary of HHS, Ms. Sebelius was the Governor of Kansas, served two terms as the Kansas insurance commissioner, and four terms in the Kansas Legislature. Ms. Sebelius earned a master of public administration degree from the University of Kansas, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity Washington University.
“Secretary Sebelius is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished healthcare industry leaders of our time and we are honored to have her join our organization,” said Ms. Cox. “Her tenure in the public sector, and deep understanding of the rigors of the regulatory process and policy will provide unique perspective and insight to support our goals to improve care for Humacyte’s first application for patients with End Stage Renal Disease.”
Dale A. Sander
Mr. Sander has a strong record of success throughout his career across diverse disciplines and geographies, including over 20 public and private equity offerings, M&A development, corporate partnerships, product development, licensing and commercialization across North America, Europe and Asia. He has led international operations in four life science companies through stages ranging from early start-up through commercial launch, with specific areas of expertise in biologics, small-molecule therapeutics and medical devices.
Mr. Sander currently serves as Senior Vice President, Global Accounting Officer at Sutherland Global Services, Inc., where he manages global accounting and legal operations, compliance and risk management for this leading global business process outsourcing and technology-enabled services company.
Previously, Mr. Sander held the Chief Financial Officer role at Biolex Therapeutics where he developed and implemented a financial plan to facilitate the achievement of an aggressive product development strategy and raised $175 million in private equity rounds with domestic and international investors. Prior to his role at Biolex Therapeutics, Mr. Sander held leadership positions at life science companies Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Xytronyx, Inc., and Tactyl Technologies, Inc. Mr. Sander is currently on the Board of Directors for Apollo Health Street Limited and Sutherland Healthcare Solutions, Inc. Mr. Sander earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from San Diego State University, graduating with honors in 1981 and is a certified public accountant licensed in California.
“Dale Sander’s experience with numerous life science companies, his global business and financial acumen, and proven ability to establish partnerships in key target markets and geographies will provide a meaningful influence on guiding Humacyte through the next phase of growth and beyond,” said Ms. Cox.
About Humacyte
Humacyte, Inc., a privately held company founded in 2004, is a medical research, discovery and development company with clinical and pre-clinical stage investigational products. Humacyte is primarily focused on developing and commercializing a proprietary novel technology based on human tissue-based products for key applications in regenerative medicine and vascular surgery. The company uses its innovative, proprietary platform technology to engineer human, extracellular matrix-based tissues that can be shaped into tubes, sheets, or particulate conformations, with properties similar to native tissues. These are being developed for potential use in many specific applications, with the goal to significantly improve treatment outcomes for many patients, including those with vascular disease and those requiring hemodialysis. The company’s proprietary technologies are designed to create off-the-shelf products that, once approved, can be utilized in any patient. The company web site is www.humacyte.com.
