Scientific Advisory Board

Reinhard Gabathuler, Ph.D., CSO, Chairman //
Dr. Reinhard Gabathuler obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1982, and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of Washington, Seattle. Over the years, he held various research positions, namely at the Swiss Institute for Cancer Research, in Lausanne, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, and the Biotechnology Laboratory of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Gabathuler's discovery of a new vector for delivery of therapeutics to the brain led to the creation of Synapse Technologies Inc., where he began as Director, Blood‑Brain Barrier Research, and ultimately rising to the position of Vice-President, Research. The company was later acquired by BioMarin where Dr. Gabathuler assumed the position of Vice-President, Brain Research.  Since joining AngioChem in 2004, Dr. Gabathuler has applied his extensive knowledge in directing the R&D programs thus advancing the Company’s products.  He has been a recognized expert in the biology of blood-brain barrier for over 15 years. 

Richard Béliveau, Ph.D., Scientific Founder //
Dr. Richard Béliveau obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Université Laval in 1980 and completed postdoctoral studies at Cornell University.  He has held a teaching position at the Department of Chemistry-Biochemistry of the Université du Québec à Montréal since 1984. Dr. Béliveau is an associate Professor at the Department of Physiology of the Université de Montréal, and is a member of the Group of Experimental Therapy of Cancer at the Jewish General Hospital.  He is also a member of the Vascular Malformation Unit and Department of hemato-oncology at Sainte-Justine Hospital. Since 1996, he has been the Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Medicine at both UQAM and Sainte-Justine Hospital.   He is the Head of a research team composed of over 50 researchers at UQAM and Sainte-Justine Hospital, and he has authored 150 articles and 250 communications. 

Albert Moghrabi, MD, FRCPC //
Dr. Moghrabi is a hematologist-oncologist at Verdun Hospital and Lakeshore Hospital in Montreal. He is Associate Professor at the University of Montreal.

Karoly Nikolich, Ph.D. //
Karoly Nikolich has been the US partner and advisor of dievini since 2007.  He has also served as CEO of Amnestix, Inc, and as board and SAB member of several biotech companies.  Before joining dievini, he was executive director of the Neuroscience Institute at Stanford University. Karoly co-founded several biotech companies, including AGY Therapeutics with Bob Swanson in 1998.  He started his career in the biotech industry as a scientist at Genentech 25 years ago where he initiated and built the company’s first neuroscience research program. Later, he was VP Research at Lynx Therapeutics (acquired by Solexa/Illumina). Karoly is currently also Consulting Professor at Stanford Univeristy Medical School and was formerly Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California. As a scientist he co-authored 125 publications.  He has been an investment advisor to several public and private venture funds. Karoly is a graduate of Eotvos University in Budapest, Hungary, and conducted postdoctoral studies at Tulane University in New Orleans and at the University of California San Francisco.

Danica Stanimirovic, Ph.D. //
Dr. Danica Stanimirovic, MD, Ph.D., is Director of the National Research Council-Institute for Biological Sciences Neurobiology Program (over 60 researchers and technical staff) and Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa.  She provides strategic scientific directions to the program that combines hypothesis-driven and applied research to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Stanimirovic has led scientific and technology development projects funded by the NRC, CIHR, Heart and Stroke Foundation and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. She published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and holds several patent applications. She served on various national and international committees, NIH Special Emphasis Panels, and Scientific Advisory Boards of biotech companies.  Dr. Stanimirovic is internationally recognized expert in endothelial cell biology and the blood-brain barrier.