AM Biotechnologies, LLC is an independent company that resulted from a cross-industry collaboration facilitated by the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) of a biotechnology firm (AptaMed, Inc.: www.aptamed.com) and an engineering services firm (MEI Technologies, Inc.:  www.meitechinc.com).  Through a SATOP technical project, MEI engineers assisted AptaMed research scientists in automating a laborious step in the thioaptamer discovery process -- bead-based library production.  Having solved a significant commercialization hurdle for thioaptamers, the two companies worked together to create an independent company, AM Biotechnologies, which is exclusively commercializing phosphorodithioate oligonucleotides, also known as thioatamers.  AM has an exclusive worldwide license for thioaptamer and thiophosphoramidite technology and intellectual property from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and offers numerous products and services based upon this technology platform. 

AM Biotechnologies has significant resources at its disposal including nucleic acid chemists, renowned biotech research sceintists as well as access to engineering skills of all disciplines. This combination of skills provides a rich environment for innovation and problem solving. 

Key Personnel Profiles

President:  Mark Shumbera

Mr. Shumbera is the President of AM as well as AptaMed, Inc.  He formerly led MEI Technologies Commercial Development Division where he built/managed MEI IP assets and was responsible for establishing and assisting three start-ups.  Mr. Shumbera managed over 200 employees at MEI and has Board of Managers/Directors experience for two start-ups.  He received a BSEE from Texas A&M and an MBA from The University of Houston Clear Lake.

Director, Research and Development:  Xianbin Yang, PhD

Dr. Yang is the Director of Research and Development for AM Biotechnologies.  He specializes in nucleic acid chemistry and was the lead scientist in Dr. David Gorenstein’s laboratory at UTMB and has unsurpassed technical knowledge of thioaptamers and their applications.  Dr. Yang received his PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry from Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland in 1998 and has over 44 publications in the field as well as 5 patents/patents pending.

Director, Product Development: Ross Durland, PhD

Dr. Durland is the Director of Product Development. He has extensive industry product development experience encompassing nine different human therapeutic products from pre-IND stage to Phase IIb clinical testing. Dr. Durland received his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1988 and has 26 publications and three patents/patents pending.

Manager, Business Development:  Tim McGrath

Mr. McGrath is the Manager, Business Development for AM.  As the former CEO of Xeotron he raised over $4M from corporate investors and managed the sale of Xeotron to Invitrogen.  While President of Sigma-Genosys, sales grew from $2M to over $40M and he negotiated numerous licenses and marketing agreements.  He managed the sale of Genosys to Sigma-Aldrich.  Mr. McGrath has a B.S. in Zoology and an M.S. in Biochemistry from Texas A&M.

Board of Managers Profiles

Dr. David Gorenstein

Dr. Gorenstein is Associate Dean for Research, School of Medicine, UTMB and the Charles Marc Pomerat Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Neurosciences & Cell Biology.  Dr. Gorenstein holds over 35 patents (awarded and pending) on the synthesis of dithiophosphate oligonucleotide analogues and thiophosphate aptamer (“thioaptamers”) combinatorial selection technologies.  He is the founder of AptaMed, Inc.

Dr. Bruce Luxon

Dr. Luxon is Director of the UTMB Bioinformatics Program and Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  With 30 years experience in structural biology and systems biology he has authored or coauthored over 140 publications and patents.  Dr. Luxon is the co-founder of AptaMed, Inc. and has held senior management positions in start-up companies.

Ms. Stephanie Murphy

Ms. Murphy is the Vice President of Business Operations for MEI Technologies, Inc.  Prior to that position, she was Director of Contracts and managed a staff that administered over $75M of government contracts.  She is experienced in most areas of business management (Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Payroll, Internal Auditing, Financial Reporting, Pricing, and Contract Administration).

Mr. Mark Shumbera, President is also a member of the AM Biotechnologies Board of Managers.