Mr. Becker has more than 15-years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, C-level industry executive, drug developer, Wall Street securities analyst and registered financial advisor. Before establishing MD Becker Partners LLC in 2008, he served as president, chief executive officer, and member of the Board of Directors for several publicly-traded biotechnology companies including commercial-stage Cytogen Corporation (acquired by EUSA Pharma) and development-stage VioQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. While at Cytogen, Mr. Becker held positions of increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Business Development, Industry Relations, Investor Relations and Chief Executive Officer of AxCell Biosciences, a subsidiary of Cytogen focused on signal transduction pathways. During his tenure at Cytogen, Mr. Becker raised in excess of $130 million in new capital through both public offerings and private placements and in-licensed Caphosol(c), a topical oral agent and prescription medical device for the treatment of oral mucositis and xerostomia. Prior to joining Cytogen, Mr. Becker was with Wayne Hummer Investments LLC, a Chicago-based regional brokerage firm, where he held senior positions as a biotechnology securities analyst, financial advisor and portfolio manager. Mr. Becker placed as a biotechnology/life sciences finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in both 2004 and 2005 and was listed in BusinessWeek's "CEO's 40 and Under" article in December 2006. He attended DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Garlich has over 20 years experience as a scientist, successful inventor and director of drug discovery and development. He co-founded Semafore Pharmaceuticals (then called ComChem Technologies) in 2000 and has since directed all of the company’s scientific research activities, including scientific strategy, drug discovery and preclinical drug development efforts. Dr. Garlich has served as the principal investigator for six peer-reviewed grants awarded to Semafore totaling over $4.5 million. Until 2007, Dr. Garlich also served as president of the company. Previously, Dr. Garlich worked for 11 years in the pharmaceutical division of Dow Chemical, where he invented and developed multiple drug candidates, including the bone cancer drug Quadramet®, approved by the FDA for hematological and other bone-related disorders. Dr. Garlich is an inventor on 23 United States patents and author of numerous publications and presentations. In addition to multiple industry memberships and organizational affiliations, he has been a reviewer for the National Cancer Institute’s SBIR Grant program on multiple occasions, and is adjunct professor at Purdue University School of Pharmacy. Dr. Garlich received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Missouri and was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Florida's School of Pharmacy.
Mr. Sima has 20 years experience in science based companies and is currently chief operating and financial officer of Semafore. In 2006-2007, Mr. Sima became interim CEO of Semafore, raising capital and overseeing the company’s operations and strategic direction, as well as the initiation of its first clinical trial. He has been an executive at Semafore since 2003, when he became chief operating officer and vice president of contract services, while also joining Semafore’s Board of Directors. As Semafore’s COO, Mr. Sima has led the operational, human resources and financial activities for the company. Previously, Mr. Sima was founder and president of SIMALABS International, an environmental contract analytical services company, which he started in 1991 and which provided start-up Semafore with its initial offices and infrastructure when the company was first established. Mr. Sima grew SIMALABS to over 70 employees and had four operations in three states when he sold the company in 2003. Mr. Sima holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Iowa.