Management
Michael Fonstein, PhD
President & CEO
Dr. Fonstein has founded and served as CEO of several successful biotech companies including Integrated Genomics (currently Igenbio), Cleveland Biolabs (NASDAQ: CBLI), and Panacela Labs.
Through his management, the companies grew from concepts to established ventures, secured multiple rounds of financing (totaling about $200M), went public (CBLI), garnered contracts with Fortune 100 companies worth tens of millions of dollars, and procured major governmental grants and contract funding.
He is intimately familiar with drug development with experience in all of its stages, from proof-of-concept to Phase III clinical development.
During his years in academia, Dr. Fonstein founded a genomic center at the University of Chicago and became a recognized expert in this area. He published numerous papers in top peer-reviewed journals and in the early 2000s supervised sequencing and analysis of nearly 40 bacterial and fungal genomes.
President & CEO
Dr. Fonstein has founded and served as CEO of several successful biotech companies including Integrated Genomics (currently Igenbio), Cleveland Biolabs (NASDAQ: CBLI), and Panacela Labs.
Through his management, the companies grew from concepts to established ventures, secured multiple rounds of financing (totaling about $200M), went public (CBLI), garnered contracts with Fortune 100 companies worth tens of millions of dollars, and procured major governmental grants and contract funding.
He is intimately familiar with drug development with experience in all of its stages, from proof-of-concept to Phase III clinical development.
During his years in academia, Dr. Fonstein founded a genomic center at the University of Chicago and became a recognized expert in this area. He published numerous papers in top peer-reviewed journals and in the early 2000s supervised sequencing and analysis of nearly 40 bacterial and fungal genomes.
Randy Saluck, MBA, JD
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Saluck has been the Chief Financial and Strategic Officer of Accelerated Pharma since March 2015. From 2005 to 2015, Randy was the Managing Member and portfolio manager of Mortar Rock Capital Management, LLC where he invested in numerous public and private companies and often worked behind the scenes to provide strategic advice to such companies. From 1998 to 2004, Mr. Saluck was a senior analyst at Tyndall Partners and a portfolio manager for Meisenbach Capital. Prior to that, Randy was an investment banker at Salomon Brothers, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Saluck started his career as a corporate attorney, advising clients in a full range of corporate matters such as public and private equity and debt offerings and mergers and acquisitions. Randy earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, with a concentration in Finance and Accounting, his law degree from the University of Virginia, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Saluck has been the Chief Financial and Strategic Officer of Accelerated Pharma since March 2015. From 2005 to 2015, Randy was the Managing Member and portfolio manager of Mortar Rock Capital Management, LLC where he invested in numerous public and private companies and often worked behind the scenes to provide strategic advice to such companies. From 1998 to 2004, Mr. Saluck was a senior analyst at Tyndall Partners and a portfolio manager for Meisenbach Capital. Prior to that, Randy was an investment banker at Salomon Brothers, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Saluck started his career as a corporate attorney, advising clients in a full range of corporate matters such as public and private equity and debt offerings and mergers and acquisitions. Randy earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, with a concentration in Finance and Accounting, his law degree from the University of Virginia, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dmitry Prudnikov, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Prudnikov has over 20 years of experience in drug research and development. He held top management positions at Janssen Pharmaceuticals and executive positions several clinical research organizations (CROs) where he led dozens of clinical trials for top drug candidates. His leadership included trials leading to the approval of Topiramate, Cladribine, and Raptiva, among others. Besides his leadership within the CRO field, Dr. Prudnikov held top management roles in two early- stage biotech companies guiding clinical research from hit-to lead and on to Phase II trials.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Prudnikov has over 20 years of experience in drug research and development. He held top management positions at Janssen Pharmaceuticals and executive positions several clinical research organizations (CROs) where he led dozens of clinical trials for top drug candidates. His leadership included trials leading to the approval of Topiramate, Cladribine, and Raptiva, among others. Besides his leadership within the CRO field, Dr. Prudnikov held top management roles in two early- stage biotech companies guiding clinical research from hit-to lead and on to Phase II trials.
Ekaterina Nikolaevskaya
Chief Operating Officer
Prior to joining Accelerated Pharma, Ms. Nikolaevskaya served as executive and operational director at Panacela Labs, where 5 innovative research projects were developed from hit to lead and the top asset has now Phase I. She has over 15 years’ experience in drug research and development. Through her executive roles at ClinStar , she oversaw clinical development of multicenter clinical Phases II - IV studies for different Bristol-Myers Squibb drug candidates. Her work contributed to several regulatory approvals including Glucophage, Avapro, Plavix, Abilify, Yervoy, and Baraclude. She was also the co-founder of Prudentas and FNP Clinical, CROs specialized in early clinical development, and served there as its Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining the industry she spent a decade in genetic research.
Chief Operating Officer
Prior to joining Accelerated Pharma, Ms. Nikolaevskaya served as executive and operational director at Panacela Labs, where 5 innovative research projects were developed from hit to lead and the top asset has now Phase I. She has over 15 years’ experience in drug research and development. Through her executive roles at ClinStar , she oversaw clinical development of multicenter clinical Phases II - IV studies for different Bristol-Myers Squibb drug candidates. Her work contributed to several regulatory approvals including Glucophage, Avapro, Plavix, Abilify, Yervoy, and Baraclude. She was also the co-founder of Prudentas and FNP Clinical, CROs specialized in early clinical development, and served there as its Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining the industry she spent a decade in genetic research.
Michael Kurman, MD
Chief Clinical Advisor
Michael R. Kurman, MD, has spent over thirty years in the oncology drug development field. He is a board certified medical oncologist who practiced community oncology in New Jersey where he participated as an investigator in oncology clinical trials sponsored by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and the Memorial Adjunct Staff Oncology Group (MASOG). During his career in the pharmaceutical industry, he has held positions of progressive responsibility at Janssen Pharmaceutica as Director of Oncology, at Cyotgen Corporation as Senior Director of Research and at U.S. Bioscience as Vice-President for Research. Prior to establishing his consultancy, Dr. Kurman served as Vice-President for Clinical and Scientific Operations for Quintiles Oncology Therapeutics Division. In his twenty-six-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Kurman has been involved in the regulatory review or commercial launch of four new oncology products. Dr. Kurman received his bachelors degree summa cum laude in biology from Syracuse University and his M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College. He received his training in internal medicine at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center, and his oncology training at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Kurman has served on the scientific advisory boards and boards of directors of several companies. He is also a member of the Syracuse University Biology Alumni Advisory Board, is a past President of the Upper Saddle River Board of Health and is a member of several professional societies
Chief Clinical Advisor
Michael R. Kurman, MD, has spent over thirty years in the oncology drug development field. He is a board certified medical oncologist who practiced community oncology in New Jersey where he participated as an investigator in oncology clinical trials sponsored by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and the Memorial Adjunct Staff Oncology Group (MASOG). During his career in the pharmaceutical industry, he has held positions of progressive responsibility at Janssen Pharmaceutica as Director of Oncology, at Cyotgen Corporation as Senior Director of Research and at U.S. Bioscience as Vice-President for Research. Prior to establishing his consultancy, Dr. Kurman served as Vice-President for Clinical and Scientific Operations for Quintiles Oncology Therapeutics Division. In his twenty-six-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Kurman has been involved in the regulatory review or commercial launch of four new oncology products. Dr. Kurman received his bachelors degree summa cum laude in biology from Syracuse University and his M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College. He received his training in internal medicine at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center, and his oncology training at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Kurman has served on the scientific advisory boards and boards of directors of several companies. He is also a member of the Syracuse University Biology Alumni Advisory Board, is a past President of the Upper Saddle River Board of Health and is a member of several professional societies
