Acousys

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND CO-FOUNDER

Dr. Sanders has over 30 years of experience in basic biological research, biopharmaceutical product discovery, biopharmaceutical product development, venture capital, and early-stage life sciences company formation. He has been involved in many companies as co-founder, director, officer, scientist, private investor and venture capitalist. He is also currently serving as Chairman and CEO of Io Therapeutics, a company focused on novel treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. Dr. Sanders completed fellowships in clinical immunology & allergy research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; in basic cancer immunology research at the National Cancer Institute; and in clinical rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins Medical School. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and holds dual sub-specialty board certifications in allergy/clinical immunology, and in rheumatology. He received his M.D. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

DIRECTOR, SCIENTIFIC FOUNDER, AND CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER

Dr. John A. Viator, Ph.D., currently is the Professor and Chair of the Department of Engineering at Duquesne University. He conducts research in biomedical optics, the area of science and engineering that covers the use of lasers and light to improve human health. He is particularly interested in using photoacoustics, or laser-induced ultrasound, to diagnose medical problems. He is using photoacoustics to detect the early spread of cancer in human blood to improve the management of cancer therapy. He also uses optics to study skin cancer, burn injury, and other diseases and injuries in the fields of dermatology, surgery, and oncology.

Dr. Viator has a B.S. in physics from the University of Washington in Seattle, an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Oregon in Eugene, an M.S. in applied physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Oregon Health & Science University. He retired as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 2007, having been commissioned from the Naval R.O.T.C. unit at the University of Washington. He served on a guided-missile destroyer, with the Military Sealift Command in Operation Desert Shield, and with the Office of Naval Research, among other positions. Dr. Viator conducted research in a nuclear physics laboratory at the University of Oregon, at the Oregon Medical Laser Center, the Beckman Laser Institute, the Department of Dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University, at the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri, and in his current laboratory at Duquesne University.

Dr. Viator has over one hundred technical publications in the areas of optics, acoustics, and human health. He is Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Acousys Biodevices Inc, a company formed to commercialize his photoacoustic technology. He has been issued over thirty patents and has several others pending.

Dr. Viator’s research has been supported by awards totaling over $4 million from the National Institutes of Health, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, the Missouri Life Sciences Research Board, the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, and other agencies.

DIRECTOR

Richard Maisto, Co-Founder, is a Founding Partner of Morpheus Capital Advisors. Formerly he was a Managing Director, at BT Alex Brown, and Smith Barney, and Vice President, of Drexel Burnham’s restructuring group. He is a veteran investment banker focused on advising and raising capital for middle-market companies. Prior to founding Morpheus Capital Advisors, he was managing director at major investment banks focusing on private equity firms and corporate restructuring. He has been involved in numerous life sciences start-ups including Proliferon, which was purchased by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. He is a member of the Bay Area Life Science Angels, based in Menlo Park, CA; He has served on numerous corporate boards and was a mentor to the Southern California Biomedical Council. He received his MBA from Columbia Business School, and a B.S. from Boston College.

DIRECTOR

Peter Tchoryk is the CEO of Michigan Aerospace Corporation and the Springmatter family of organizations. He has created value for all stakeholders by growing a spin-off from the University of Michigan to a sustainable, impactful, community-driven company. Mr. Tchoryk joined the Board of Directors for Acousys Biodevices in 2015 and assists the company in product development and operations. He also leads Springmatter and is Advisor to the Springmatter Fund, a 501 (c)(3) through the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. Springmatter assists start-up companies in bringing their ideas to life through engineering, operations, and fundraising support. The Springmatter Fund promotes the value of diversity in business, education, and community and provides meaningful employment opportunities for marginalized communities. He has over 25 years’ experience in developing and leading the development of advanced technology and actively supports non-profit and entrepreneurial ecosystems. He has a Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree from Kettering University, both in Electrical Engineering.