Management Team

Joe Hernandez, Chairman

Mr. Hernandez was awarded graduate degrees in Molecular Genetics and Business Administration from the University of Florida, where he also received his B.S. in Neuroscience. He has published many articles in scientific journals and presented at numerous scientific meetings. He has held senior level marketing, sales, and business development positions at Digene, Affymetrix, and Merck. Mr. Hernandez has launched products in the pharmaceutical, research, and diagnostic markets. He has broad experience in sales, marketing, finance and business development. He most recently founded and ran IBI, an MIT spin-out focusing on rapid diagnostic, for 5 years; raising close to $20M in venture capital and signing numerous key strategic deals. Mr. Hernandez is also the Chairman of Prolias, a proteomics spin-out from the American Red Cross. He also serves on the Boards of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and The MdBio Division of the Maryland High Tech Council.

Miguel Carrion, Senior Director of Research

Miguel Carrion serves as Senior Director at Principio Inc. He has extensive background in all aspects of research and development of viral vector-based vaccines and therapeutic proteins. His expertise include, developing analytical assays including quantification, purity, potency, aggregation, and immunoassays. He has demonstrated success in the development of scalable production and purification methods for viral vectors and therapeutic proteins. He has extensive experience with DNA cloning and other nucleic acid manipulation techniques as well as management experience in leading multi disciplinary teams. Lastly, he has been involved with the regulatory process for IND applications. He was most recently Associate Director of Biochemistry at GenVec, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic drugs and vaccines.

Glen Farmer, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Farmer has over 19 years of senior financial and operations experience. Mr. Farmer oversees financial reporting and administration and assists with strategic planning, business models, acquisitions and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Mr. Farmer recently served as Controller and Principal Accounting Officer of Avalon Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded therapeutics company. Previously, Mr. Farmer held similar roles with other emerging technology and software companies. Mr. Farmer holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance from Mount Saint Mary's College and an undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland.

George Q. Mills, M.D., Regulatory Consultant

Dr. Mills formerly served as Division Director of Medical Imaging and Hematology Products in the Office of Oncology Drug Products, part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). In his recent position as Division Director at the FDA, Dr. Mills was responsible for the review and approval of diagnostic and radiolabeled therapeutic drugs and biologics. He managed a staff involved in the review of the Radioactive Drug Research Committee (RDRC) program, therapeutic and imaging Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs), Biologic License Applications (BLAs) and New Drug Applications (NDAs).
 
Dr. Mills was also actively involved with the FDA’s Critical Path Initiative since its inception in 2004. Previously, Dr. Mills held several senior roles at the FDA, including Branch Chief and designated Acting Deputy Division Director of the Biologics Oncology Division at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) and CDER. In these roles, he served as Medical Chief, providing expertise in medical diagnostic imaging and therapeutic radiopharmaceutical oncologic biologics and drugs. He also served as the CBER/CDER expert in conjunction with the review of radiographic imaging submissions in support of licensure submissions.
 
Dr. Mills is certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine and the American Board of Pathology, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Dr. Mills holds a Medical Degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, a Masters in Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska.

Principio
15601 Crabbs Branch Way
Rockville, MD 20855
USA

301.526.5197 (phone)
301.738.0779 (fax)
info@principioinc.com