Michael Goldblatt
President and CEO
Michael Goldblatt joined Functional Genetics, Inc. in 2003 bringing over 20 years of experience in the areas of biotechnology, product development, and regulatory affairs. From 1999 to 2003, he served as Director of Defense Sciences at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where he laid the foundation to make biological research an integral part of the Department of Defense. This includes programs to defend against biological threats and leverage biology to enhance both defense systems and human performance. Prior to his work with the Department of Defense, Dr. Goldblatt spent 12 years with McDonald's Corporation as the Science and Technology Officer where he had broad responsibilities in the areas of nutrition, product development, food safety, and corporate venture capital. In his capacity with General Foods, he led research efforts in the use of nutrients for pharmaceutical effects and oversaw a variety of regulatory and legal issues. Dr. Goldblatt received his B.A. from Reed College and his Ph.D. and J.D. from the University of California, Davis.
Michael Kinch
Vice President, Research and Development
Michael Kinch joined Functional Genetics with over 20 years of experience in target discovery and biotechnology. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Kinch was a post-doctoral fellow at the Lineberger Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Michael joined Purdue University in 1996, where he served as a tenured Associate Professor of Cellular Pharmacology until 2001. Dr. Kinch then joined MedImmune, Inc., where he formed and led the Departments of Cancer Biology and In Vivo Biology until his departure in 2006. He has more than 70 manuscripts and 50 granted or published patents. Dr. Kinch has been appointed to the Scientific Advisory Boards for two biotechnology companies and to the Editorial Boards of multiple scientific journals.
Fran Murphy
Vice President, Finance and Administration
Fran Murphy joined Functional Genetics in 2007 with over 15 years of experience in accounting, finance and government contracting. Immediately before joining FGI, she was a Financial Systems Consultant at Deltek Systems, Inc. and Accounting Manager at Aspen Systems, Inc. She received her BS in Business Administration-Accounting from the University of Maryland, University College and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1997.
Wu-Bo Li
Director of Research
Dr. Li joined Functional Genetics, Inc. in 2002 with over 20 years experience in the fields of molecular biology and enzymology in both academic and industry settings. From 1990 to 2001, Dr. Li served as Principal Scientist and Group Leader for Life Technologies, Inc. where he developed and patented novel technologies for the construction of full-length and normalized cDNA libraries. In addition, he invented and patented the GeneTrapper cDNA Positive Selection System for rapid isolation of specific genes and gene families from cDNA libraries. Dr. Li received his B.S. in biochemistry from Peking University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Catholic University of America.
Ailsa Mendez-Fitzwilliam
Director of Project Governance
Ailsa Mendez joined Functional Genetics in 2007 with over 10 years of experience with biomedical research, project governance and corporate alliance management. Prior to joining Functional Genetics, she had served as a Senior Project Manager in the Department of Corporate Project Management at MedImmune, Inc. and as a Project Planner at Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals. She received her MBA in Finance from Loyola College in Maryland and her BS in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.