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Start-up Assurance Biosciences Raises $1.2M While Working out of UT’s Biotech Commercialization Ctr. - cbl
By citybizlist Staff
FRIENDSWOOD -- According to an SEC filing, start-up Assurance Biosciences Inc. has raised $1.17 million from 12 investors in its $2.97 million mixed-securities offering.
The Friendswood-headquartered company is leasing space from the Biotechnology Commercialization Center of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston . Assurance Biosciences is developing a salivary-based cancer detection assay from technology of UT's Dental Branch at Houston .
Principals named in the filing are President and CEO Derek Maetzold and director Stephen Schwartz.
Maetzold is also the founder, president and CEO of Castle Biosciences Inc., also of Friendswood. Castle's primary focus is to develop and offer biomarker-based cancer diagnostic assays that support physicians in making better treatment decisions for patients with orphan cancers.
Reg D filing: http://tinyurl.com/23kud2m
Bio from Castle Biosciences' Web site:
Derek Maetzold - CEO
Derek is founder, President, CEO, and Board member of Castle Biosciences, Incorporated. He is a senior biopharmaceutical leader with twenty-four years of healthcare experience, including experience and responsibility in commercial start-up leadership, business development transaction experience development and commercialization deals, US and global marketing and sales management experience and new product planning and product launch leadership. He has led and directed the strategic plan development, infrastructure plan and organizational focus and execution for both orphan / specialty and mass market products.
From June 2003 to May 2008 he served as Officer, Vice President, Sales and Marketing of Encysive Pharmaceuticals, where he was directly responsible for all commercial areas from start-up to execution of marketing, sales, managed markets, distribution, and reimbursement.
From 1999 to 2003, Derek worked at Schering Corporation, initially serving in the Cardiovascular and Allergy Global Marketing groups - overseeing pre-launch planning for Zetia and the international launch of Clarinex. He left Schering as Senior Director Business Development where he initiated and successfully negotiated several licensing and collaboration agreements.
Prior to Schering, he worked at Integrated Communications from 1998 to 1999 where he oversaw the global business account of Novo Nordisk , Denmark . He served as Director / Asso. Director of Marketing, North America at Amylin Pharmaceuticals from 1996 to 1998. Derek started his career at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation (now Novartis) from 1985 to 1996; working in sales and US pre-launch and launch product management. In addition to receiving a B.S. in Biology from George Mason University , he also completed coursework at the University of Calgary Health Sciences Center and the MBA program at UC-Riverside.
Posted: July 8, 2010