Engagement Model

Advisory Board

Dr. Raveendran Pottathil - Chairman Advisory Board

  • Ravi Pottathil is a recognized authority in the field of in-vitro diagnostics. Ravi has co-founded a number of companies including: Specialty Biosystems, Inc. a venture of Specialty Labs, one of the largest independent reference laboratories in California. He has also been on the advisory board of several private and public organizations, including the World Health Organization and Global Biopharma, New York and Aethlon Medical of California, Green Ocean Innovation and Spectral Diagnostics. As a virologist and molecular biologist, Ravi has over 50 refereed publications to his credit. Currently he is CEO of AccuDx Corporation
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  • Ravi Pottathil is a recognized authority in the field of in-vitro diagnostics. In this regard, from 1985 to 1992, he was the Section Manager for retroviruses, tumor markers and PCR diagnostics at Hoffman La Roche. Ravi has co-founded a number of companies including: Specialty Biosystems, Inc. a venture of Specialty Labs, one of the largest independent reference laboratories in California, AccuDx Inc. in California, OnQuest in California, Specialty Ranbaxy, India and Specialty International in Singapore. He served as Vice President of XLTechGroup and 2003 -2008 and Chief Process Scientist at PetroAlgae [2008-2011]. He has also been on the advisory board of several private and public organizations, including the World Health Organization and Global Biopharma, New York and Aethlon Medical of California, Green Ocean Innovation and Spectral Diagnostics. Currently he is CEO of AccuDx Corporation.
  • In the academic world, Ravi has been Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Associate Professor at the City of Hope Medical Center in California, and Adjunct Professor in Virology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. As a virologist and molecular biologist, Ravi has over 50 refereed publications to his credit. Currently he has several academic appointments including as Distinguished Professors at Marathwada Institute of Technology, Aurangabad, India and North Western A&F University, Yangling, China
  • Ravi received his undergraduate training in Biological Sciences from the University of Kerala, India and completed his MSc and Ph.D in Applied Biology [Cancer Research] from Bombay University. He did his postdoctoral training in Genetics at The Jackson Laboratories Bar Harbor, Maine, and in Medical Virology at Duke University in the USA.

Dr. Madhavan P.N Nair - Scientific Advisor

  • Professor and Founding Chair, Immunology Director, Institute of Neuro-Immune Pharmacology Associate Dean, BioMedical Research, FIU. His recent research mainly involves the role of different drugs of abuses such as alcohol, morphine, cocaine and methamphetamine on neuro-AIDS and therapeutic approach to control Neuro-AIDS by specific drug targeting to brain using nanotechnology. Nair is the first FIU researcher to earn a prestigious MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health recognizing outstanding competence and productivity in research (2008-2018). Nair is also the recipient of University of Michigan Distinguished Research Scientist Award (1990), Exceptional Research Scholar Award from State University of New York (2005), Excellence in Faculty Scholarship Award from FIU (2008), Presidential Leadership Operational Excellence Award from FIU in 2009 and FIU’s Top Research Scholar Award in 2010.
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  • Professor and Founding Chair, Immunology Director, Institute of Neuro-Immune Pharmacology Associate Dean, BioMedical Research, FIU
  • Nair and his collogues discovered the suppressor factor in cancer serum (1978) and first reported that intravenous drug users manifest low natural killer cell activity (1986) and morphine induces apoptosis of normal lymphocytes (1997). in 1988 Dr Nair in collaboration with Dr Ravi Pottathil reported for the first time (PNAS) that HIV recombinant purified gene product possess significant biological activities. His original reports that cocaine increases the sensitivity to HIV infection by increasing the HIV co-receptors and methamphetamine exacerbates the HIV replication in dendritic cells had a profound effect on the role of these drugs on HIV disease progression. His recent research mainly involves the role of different drugs of abuses such as alcohol, morphine, cocaine and methamphetamine on neuro-AIDS and therapeutic approach to control Neuro-AIDS by specific drug targeting to brain using nanotechnology.
  • Nair is the first FIU researcher to earn a prestigious MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health recognizing outstanding competence and productivity in research (2008-2018). Nair is also the recipient of University of Michigan Distinguished Research Scientist Award (1990), Exceptional Research Scholar Award from State University of New York (2005), Excellence in Faculty Scholarship Award from FIU (2008) , Presidential Leadership Operational Excellence Award from FIU in 2009 and FIU’s Top Research Scholar Award in 2010.
  • Nair has published more than 100 papers as first and/or senior author, mentored more than 50 undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral fellows, high school and minority students, served in various committees, organized various national and international conferences, chaired number of scientific sessions and served in various NIH study sections committees as chair/ member since 1980.

Dr. Sakhrat Khizroev - Scientific Advisor

  • Sakhrat Khizroev a tenured Professor at FIU, is an engineer and an educator with a research focus on nanotechnology applications. At FIU he cofounded CNM with a main mission to use nanotechnology to bridge advances in fundamental research with the current need in medicine. He holds over 28 granted patents and 130 provisional patents with IBM, Seagate, CMU, FIU, and UCR
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  • Sakhrat Khizroev is an engineer and an educator with a research focus on nanotechnology applications. In 2011, he re-joined FIU as a tenured Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and one of the two founding Co-Directors (together with Professor Madhavan Nair at the College of Medicine (COM)) of the new Center for NanoMedicine (CNM) based at the FIU College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and the College of Medicine and the School or Arts and Sciences (SAS). The main mission of the Center is to use nanotechnology to bridge advances in fundamental research with the current need in medicine. The focus on practical research which could impact everyday clinical applications is the signature strategy of the Center. From 2006 to 2010, Khizroev was a tenured Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Riverside (UCR), where his group conducted several groundbreaking demonstrations in the area of nanoelectronics and nanodiagnostics. During his prior appointment at FIU, between 2003 and 2006, Dr. Khizroev contributed to the development of the Focused Ion Beam (FIB) laboratory within the Motorola Nanotechnology Facility, making FIU the first university across the globe where the popular tool was used from an unconventional angle as a nanodevice prototyping machine. Three-dimensional (3-D) magnetic memory and Nanolasers for 5-nm diagnostics are some of the pioneering and patented technologies which came from the Khizroev group at FIU and were later advanced at UCR.
  • Prior to his academic career, Khizroev spent almost four years as a Research Staff Member with Seagate Research (1999-2003) and one year as a pre-doctoral intern with IBM Almaden Research Center (1997-1998). He holds over 28 granted patents and 130 provisional patents with IBM, Seagate, CMU, FIU, and UCR. He has authored/co-authored over 100 refereed papers, 5 books and book chapters in the broad area of nanotechnology devices. He presented over 100 talks including many invited seminars and colloquia at international conferences and meetings. He acted as a guest science and technology commentator on television and radio programs across the globe. He served as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology, a guest editor for Nanotechnology and IEEE Transactions on Magnetics and serves on editorial boards of several Science and Technology journals. Together with his former graduate students, he co-founded several high-technology start-ups funded through SBIR grants by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Khizroev received a BS in Quantum Electronics and Applied Physics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, a MS in Physics from the University of Miami, and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1992, 1994, and 1999, respectively.

Dr Nandu Karajgikar - Scientific Advisor

  • Dr Nandu completed M. Chem. Engg., and Ph. D., from Bombay University,
  • Currently he is working as an independent consultant for developing and implementing Unisim/Hysys based operations management solutions for the hydrocarbon processing industry. The solutions range from process modeling & simulation to performance monitoring of the various units & key process equipments (KPI management)
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  • Areas of Expertise
  • Reactor Modeling & Design, Reaction Kinetics, Distillation, FCC, Catalytic Reforming and Hydroprocessing (Including H-Oil and LCFining) technologies.
  • Steady State & Dynamic Modeling using UNISIM and HYSYS. Successfully executed several steady state and dynamic simulation projects – almost all refinery units, petrochemicals (gas cracker, EB/Styrene, LAO, etc.), offshore/onshore oil & gas facilities, LNG Terminals, etc.
  • Technology Development. Designed and operated state of the art pilot plants for FCC, Hydroprocessing and Catalytic reforming Unit. Developed technologies for bio-diesel production from low grade feedstocks, lube oil re-refining, reactive distillation for ethyl acetate
  • Advance Process Control, Operations Monitoring and KPI Management , Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
  • PROCESS/TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE
  • Designed and Built dynamic simulation (virtual plants) models for the following process units using HYSYS/Unisim:
  • Crude & Vacuum Units (3) FCC Units (3) Hydroprocessing Units (7)
  • Delayed Coker HF Alkylation Hydrogen Plants (2)
  • Catalytic Reforming Unit Hydrogen Plants (2) Ethylene Crackers (2)
  • LNG Export Terminal Linear Alfa Olefins Offshore Platforms (4)
  • Bio-Diesel (FAME) Fatty Acid Lube Oil Re-Refining
  • These simulation models are being used for operator training (start-ups, shutdowns, emergency response, and production maximization), DCS checkouts, plant debottlenecking, engineering analyses etc. The DCS systems used in building these models include Honeywell (TPS & Experion), Foxboro, Yokogawa, and Emerson Delta V.

Dr. Gautam Thor - Scientific Advisor

  • Dr. Gautam Thor has developed an expertise in optics and imaging, which has resulted in the invention of the Code Imaging technology.
  • He earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and a Master of Science in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology. He completed his postdoctoral work at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
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  • From 1987 to 1993, Dr. Thor was at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), as a post-doctoral fellow and later as a non-faculty staff member. There he performed basic research in the Departments of Chemistry and Biology, and at the UCSD Cancer Center, and with interdepartmental projects that were funded by several federal agencies. In 2007, partially funded by a National Science Foundation grant, and later through the private sector, he continues to develop his inventions in diverse areas of interest.

Dr. Greg Maguire - Scientific Advisor

  • Dr. Maguire is currently the Founder, CEO of BioRegenerative Sciences, Inc. San Diego, CA. He also serves as President of La Jolla Research Institute, a non-profit institute for medical neuroscience research and education, and President of San Diego Neuroscience Group, Group a non-profit educational society for the teaching and promotion of neuroscience, affiliated with Scripps Research Institute. His research interests include stem cells, systems biology-based therapeutics, regeneration, neuroscience, cancer, cellular therapy, metabolomics, neuroprotection, and neurodegenerative disorders.
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  • Dr. Maguire is currently the Founder, CEO of BioRegenerative Sciences, Inc. San Diego, CA. He also serves as President of La Jolla Research Institute, a non-profit institute for medical neuroscience research and education, and President of San Diego Neuroscience Group, Group a non-profit educational society for the teaching and promotion of neuroscience, affiliated with Scripps Research Institute.
  • His research interests include stem cells, systems biology-based therapeutics, regeneration, neuroscience, cancer, cellular therapy, metabolomics, neuroprotection, and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Maguire has had extensive experience in both the business and academic arenas. He received his PhD from University of Houston College of Optometry, in Physiological Optics and conducted postdoctoral work at both University of Miami School of Medicine, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and University of California, Berkeley, Neurobiology Group, Depts. of Electrical Engineering and Molecular and Cell Biology,

Simon Taylor – Investment, IP and Legal Advisor

  • President, Managing Director ACN Securities Inc. USA
  • Simon serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of ACN Securities. In addition, he practices law for selected clients and is a principal in a consulting group that focuses on technology commercialization and venture opportunities involving US national laboratories, research institutions and strategic partners and investors in the US and Japan. His areas of expertise include corporate and securities law, broker-dealer regulation, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and the financing, development and commercial exploitation of technology and intellectual property in fields including computing and information technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, medical devices, media, entertainment and telecommunications. From 1988 to 2004, Simon was a partner and then of counsel with the New York law firm Snow Becker Krauss P.C. Simon graduated from Columbia College (Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude and John Jay Scholar) and Harvard Law School.

Michael Otworth, Business Development Advisor

  • For the past thirteen years, he has been involved in novel med-tech and biotech business operations. Starting in 1996, Mike served as Vice President of New Ventures and as a “Founding CEO” for XL Tech Group (XLTG), a publicly traded firm specializing in creating new technology companies and managing them to a successful exit. During his tenure at XLTG, Mike was involved in ten separate start-up companies that collectively created over $1 Billion in market value, and included four successful initial public offerings. Mike has hands-on business development experience dealing with Fortune 100 companies that include Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Microsoft, Unilever, Kraft, Becton Dickinson, Coca-Cola, Nestle-Purina, Aetna, CVS, Genentech and Eli Lilly. He has also managed projects with top medical centers including Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic. Mike is particularly adept at developing go-to-market strategies that are ideally suited to innovative new technology enabled medical products.


Dr. Mithu Pottathil - IP Advisor

  • Mithu is on advisory board of NE guiding its IP creation initiatives. She advises on best practices for protecting IP rights of NE’s customers and developing systems and process for the same. She is a Registered Patent Agent in the US and a registered investment banking representative with ACN Securities in the US.
  • She manages IP portfolio for core and subsidiary companies in the area of Medical, Biological, and Ecological Technologies, Research and analyze IP landscape for technologies under due diligence evaluation, Present Competitive IP landscape, Patentability and Freedom to Operate evaluations, Formulate Strategic planning of IP prosecution and portfolio expansion to meet business development goals, Coordinate internal activity with external IP counsel.
  • As an IP Manager at PteroAlgae [http://www.petroalgae.com/] she manages IP Portfolio, coordinates activities between R&D, Business Development, and External Counsel solidify and expand IP portfolio for this green technology company. As a Director of AccuDx Corporation she handles IP Management & Strategy consulting, IP search and analysis service, IP due diligence, business and technology development.
  • Her earlier assignments included IP Manager at XL Tech Group [http://www.xltg.com/], Patent Agent at Baker Donelson [http://www.bakerdonelson.com] , Assistant Patent Agent at Mankind [www.mannkindcorp.com]. Mithu completed PhD , Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics from University of California, Los Angeles; BSc , Animal Physiology/Neuroscience from University of California, San Diego