About Us

Stephen Van Deventer

Founder

Stephen is the Chairman and CEO of BioGene Therapeutics Inc. and PreveCeutical Medical Inc., with over 30 years of experience in capital markets with a focus on life sciences. Stephen has started and raised millions in the capital markets space and launched companies into the public markets in Canada, the United States and Europe

Harry Parekh, PhD

Scientific Founder

Harry is welcomed to the BioGene team as Chief Research Officer (CRO) & Scientific Founder of BioGene. Harry is currently a Director of Research and Research Group Leader at School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPPS), The University of Queensland, Australia. He also serves as the inaugural CRO & Scientific Founder for PreveCeutical Medical Inc. Dr. Parekh heads the Drug/Gene Delivery Group at SPPS with his team developing highly innovative and translational medicine delivery platform systems & devices in-conjunction with physicians whose expertise span cancer, obesity-&-diabetes, macular disease, and infectious disease.

Stephen Van Deventer

Chairman

Stephen is the Chairman and CEO of BioGene Therapeutics Inc. and PreveCeutical Medical Inc., with over 30 years of experience in capital markets with a focus on life sciences. Stephen has started and raised millions in the capital markets space and launched companies into the public markets in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Deepak Sampath ,PhD

Deepak will serve as an Independent Director for BioGene. He is the Senior VP, Head of Research at Ultragenyx, with previous experience at Pfizer and Genetech, along with several patents in the treatment of cancers. He has extensive experience in small molecules, protein biologics, nucleic acids, and gene therapies. His leadership has driven numerous programs from early research and drug discovery into clinical trials and through regulatory approval for commercialization.

Steve Glover

Steve joins BioGene as a Board Member, bringing multifaceted experience in Fortune 100 and start-up environments with previous experience at GSK, Roche and Amgen. He sits as Chairman and CEO of Nasdaq-listed ZyVersa Therapeutics PDS Biotechnology and was former Chairman of Ambrx, which was acquired for $2B by Johnson & Johnson. Stephen's operational expertise spans commercialization, integrated product development, and governance, having overseen the development and launch of over 25 products in multiple therapeutic areas.

Linnéa Olofsson, PhD

Linnéa is the Chief Scientific Officer at BioGene Therapeutics Inc. and sits on the board at  PreveCeutical Medical Inc.. Linnéa is an accomplished biophysicist with expertise in pharmacology, oncology, cell biology, molecular biology, and gene editing.  She is also successfully advancing science by providing counsel and training to the scientific community, contributing to executing strategic marketing plans by working in conjunction with the sales team members to identify and qualify sales leads through technical discussions. Dr. Olofsson closely collaborates with corporate strategic decision-making processes to penetrate new market applications to increase return on investment.

Patroski J. Lawson, MSP

Patroski is the founder and CEO of KPM Group DC, a strategic public affairs firm. With over 20 years of experience in government affairs, he has worked across local, state, federal, and global levels, including roles at Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Abbott, and Lundbeck. Patroski holds a B.S. in Political Science with a concentration in Urban Geography and an M.S.P. in Urban and Regional Planning, both from The Florida State University.

Stephen Van Deventer

Chief Executive Officer & President

Stephen is the Chairman and CEO of BioGene Therapeutics and PreveCeutical Medical, with over 30 years of experience in capital markets with a focus on life sciences. Stephen has started and raised millions in the capital markets space and launched companies into the public markets in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Alex McAuly, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Serves as the CFO for BioGene. Alex is a Chartered Professional Accountant of Canada with vast experience in running publicly traded companies through his astute knowledge of accounting principles in North America and Europe.

Harry Parekh, PhD

Chief Science Officer

Harry is welcomed to the BioGene team as Chief Research Officer & Scientific Founder of BioGene. Harry is currently a Director of Research and Research Group Leader at the University of Queensland, Australia. He also serves as CRO & Scientific Founder for PreveCeutical Medical.

Dr. Parekh heads the Drug/Gene Delivery Group at PACE-UQ with his team developing highly innovative and translational medicine delivery systems in-conjunction with physicians whose expertise span cancer, obesity-&-diabetes, macular disease, infectious disease and traditional (Chinese) medicine.

Louis Lapointe

Head of Business Development

Louis will be heading Business Development for BioGene bringing decades of experience and execution. He will lead the team in discovering revenue-generating business channels and key strategic partnerships. He is French – English bilingual, in both the spoken and written word. Mr. Lapointe has board experience in private and publicly listed companies with extensive management and strategic planning experience. Oriented toward concrete results, Mr. Lapointe has a well-rounded knowledge of sales and marketing and national and international product placement.

Kimberly Van Deventer

Executive Assistant

Ms. Van Deventer is an entrepreneur with a successful track record of accomplishment that she brings to Biogene. Motivated and determined, she was ranked the third highest-grossing female business owner in BC, Canada in 2009 and a founding member of Preveceutical Medical Inc.. Kim is a driving force behind the business and is unwavering in her commitment to bring awareness of health and disease prevention to people everywhere.

Sydney Cole

Administration Manager

Sydney Cole is a founding member of Biogene Therapeutics and PreveCeutical Medical Inc.. With a decade of experience in corporate administration, bookkeeping and capital raises Ms. Cole’s organization and fortitude keep operations running smoothly.

Prof Mirela Delibegovic

As a member of BioGene’s Scientific Advisory Board, Mirela brings a wealth of knowledge in metabolic physiology with a focus on diabetes, obesity and CVD. Prof Mirela holds the prestigious Regius Chair of Physiology at The University of Aberdeen, UK.

Barry Ticho, MD, PhD

Barry will serve on BioGene’s Scientific Advisory Board. Barry holds several prestigious roles as Founder and Board Member at Verve Therapeutics, Cardior Pharmaceuticals, Sania Therapeutics and Stoke Therapeutics. He has expertise in advancing groundbreaking treatments across neurology, ophthalmology, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, as well as extensive leadership in drug development and biopharma.

Mariya Georgieva, PhD

Mariya will serve on BioGene’s Scientific Advisory Board. Over the past 5 years, Mariya has worked with AstraZeneca, Mariya has worked with AstraZeneca initially as a Director of Diagnostic Alliances and later Director of Precision Medicine. She has expertise in molecular biology, digital pathology and strategic partnering

Brian Gallagher, Jr

Brian will sit on the Corporate Advisory Board, bringing nearly 30 years of critical investment, strategic, and corporate development experience within the Pharma, biotech and life sciences sectors, including raising capital through various channels while at SR One, Abingworth, the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund, Trekk Venture Partners, and Slate Bio amongst others. He has extensive leadership in venture capital, strategic investments, and corporate development within the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors bringing a wealth of expertise to BioGene.  In addition to his investment experience, Brian spent the first dozen years of his career in operational roles within pharmaceutical and biotech startup companies.  He holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Michigan.

Kathy Rokita

Kathy is joining the Corporate Advisory Board and currently is a Managing Director at CBIZ and has provided consulting services for physician groups and healthcare organizations for over 30 years. She has had successful exits, most notably as a Principal at Somerset CPAs. With a background in treasury management, budgeting and mergers and acquisitions she will provide valuable insight to the company.