Dr. David B. Masters, Ph.D. – Chairman

Dr. Masters is the Chief Technology Officer and President of Gel-Del and is the inventor of Gel-Del's technology. Dr. Masters is internationally recognized as an expert in biomaterials and local drug delivery. Over the past 16 years he has developed several medical products, including implantable medical devices for drug delivery, neurologic, vascular and dermal applications.

Dr. Masters received his B.A. in Biochemistry and Biopsychology from Rutgers University at New Brunswick, N.J., with Scholar Distinction in 1989, a Master's Degree in Chemistry, and a Ph.D. in 1992 in Behavioral and Neural Sciences at Rutgers University, including two awards for excellence in research. After Rutgers, he went to Harvard Medical School as a Research Fellow at the Department of Anesthesiology to study solid implantable dosage forms in collaboration with Dr. Robert Langer of M.I.T. This led to patented work on biodegradable polymers for local delivery of analgesic agents, a startup company, and many published reports. Dr. Masters became an Instructor in Anesthesiology at Harvard before leaving for The Mayo Clinic in 1993, where he was an Assistant Professor and Associate Consultant.

Dr. Masters has over 60 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and abstracts, and over 18 patents issued or pending. In 2000, Dr. Masters left The Mayo Clinic and founded Gel-Del Technologies, Inc., which began operation in 2000.

Mr. Philip A. Messina – COO

Mr. Messina, Chief Operating Officer, brings a strong background in negotiating licensing agreements and strategic Sales and Marketing and has a successful history of developing early stage biomedical companies. Mr. Messina has over 20 years of healthcare-related managerial experience. He is a co-founder of UroMetrics Inc. and became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1996. UroMetrics Inc. is a privately held company with approximately 145 shareholders. He successfully guided the company to profitability.

Mr. Messina helped to develop the first and only FDA-cleared-for-market treatment for female sexual dysfunction and was involved in the launch of the company's three other products. He completed multiple financings for the company, raising over $10 million. Prior to UroMetrics, Mr. Messina was CEO of Life Signs Corporation, an integrated manufacturer of vascular Doppler Systems. While there, he completed a $2 million private placement equity financing. Previously, he was President/CEO of PulseTrend Inc., a maker of ambulatory blood pressure devices. PulseTrend was sold to a South American company for $3.9 million. That position was preceded by his role as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Amserv Medical, a profitable public company where he increased sales over plan by 110 percent his first year and 160 percent his second year. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Science and Marketing from Northeastern University in Chicago, IL in 1974.

Dr. Robert Elde, Ph.D.

Dean, College of
Biological Sciences
University of Minnesota

J.B. Johnston Land Grant Professor of Neuroscience

During Dr. Elde's tenure as dean, he has worked to improve the quality of education and research at the College, and to apply research to enhance human health, the environment, and agriculture in Minnesota and beyond. Among his accomplishments, Dean Elde has led the reorganization of the University's biological sciences programs to strengthen and refocus education and research.

In addition, he also created Biodale, a "shopping mall" of advanced research services available to local companies as well as faculty and students and created several programs to improve the undergraduate experience, including Nature of Life, a summer orientation program for freshmen. In general, he has increased the caliber of students at the College of Biological Sciences. Dr. Elde led efforts to create University Enterprise Laboratories, a privately funded incubator for start-up companies, led efforts to create the University's Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment and now serves as Chair of the Executive Committee. In the broader community, Dr. Elde created a program to recruit and retain K-12 science teachers for underserved schools in greater Minnesota.

Mr. John F. Dolan

Attorney – Intellectual Property Group
Fredrickson & Byron, P.A.

John F. Dolan is a Shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron's Intellectual Property service area. He concentrates his practice in the areas of intellectual property asset management, chemical, biotech and mechanical patent prosecution, trademark prosecution, trade secret protection, intellectual property litigation, and intellectual property agreements.

In the course of his legal career, John has been a litigation attorney in public and private practice and has served as a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In this role as a patent examiner he examined patent applications related to organic chemistry and biotechnology. This opportunity, coupled with his legal experience, has given him a unique perspective of legal issues relevant to technology based companies.