Innovation with integrity

James Brown is a founder of Agathos Biologics and currently serves as CEO.  He has over 25 years of biotechnology industry experience and has spent the last half of his career in gene and cell therapy. Prior to Agathos he held multiple leadership roles at Aldevron, most recently he was President, Research Grade Nucleic Acids, where he oversaw the sales, marketing, and client support functions for the business unit and participated in the management of the manufacturing activities. Prior to joining Aldevron, James helped establish REGENXBIO as the second employee in 2008 and served as  Vice President, Technical Operations until 2015. Before REGENXBIO he served in roles of increasing responsibility in operations and quality assurance at MedImmune (now AstraZeneca), Meso Scale Discovery and IGEN International, Inc. As CEO leading The Good Science Company, James is dedicated to creating ethical biotechnology products and services and knows that success must be based on a strong moral and ethical foundation.  He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford University and a B.S. in chemistry from Butler University.

Michael’s vision and leadership of Aldevron has resulted in several milestones including the 2004 acquisition of Genovac Antibody Technology of Freiburg, Germany; the 2009 expansion of protein production in Madison, Wisconsin; private equity transactions by TA Associates in 2017 and EQT in 2020; and the purchase of Aldevron by Danaher for $9.6 billion in 2021. Michael is committed to ethical pharmaceutical development and his leadership will enable Agathos to create new paradigms in biotechnology to achieve these goals. Michael received Bachelor of Science degrees in biotechnology, chemistry, and microbiology from North Dakota State University.

John Ballantyne is a founder of Agathos Biologics. He co-founded Aldevron with Michael Chambers in 1998 and has been the Chief Scientific Officer since its establishment. His innovative work at Aldevron includes creation of the GMP Source product line and collaborative research with military scientists in the development of vaccine and passive-based countermeasures to lethal and potentially weaponized viral hemorrhagic threats such as Ebola, Marburg and some hantavirus family members. He leads the research and development team at Aldevron which develops new methods and products through internal programs, collaborations, and technology licensing. John sees the advances in biotechnology providing opportunities for Agathos to enable ethical pharmaceutical development that will benefit patients, employees, and society. Ballantyne received undergraduate degrees in Pharmacy from the Central Institute of Technology and the University of Otago in New Zealand. After beginning graduate school in New Zealand he transferred to the United States in 1994 and completed his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at North Dakota State University.

Douglas VanderMeulen was ordained to the ministry in 1986 and has pastored two churches. He was pastor at San Lorenzo Valley Baptist Church in Santa Cruz, California, and since 2003, is the preaching pastor at Community Baptist Church in Fargo, North Dakota. Douglas has preached in Belarus, Canada, throughout Cuba, Haiti, and Mexico. He hosted a weekly radio talk show discussing current events and theology on Radio Liberty. Douglas believes that God has revealed Himself in both the natural revelation of creation and in the Bible; therefore, good science and sound theology are not at odds with one another. Both contribute to all people’s welfare in this life and for life to come. Douglas received a Bachelor of Arts in pre-seminary studies from Cedarville University and a Master of Divinity from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.