Agathos was pleased to welcome Mark in January 2022 as the fifth member of its growing team. Joining a small company with ambitious goals required him to come up to speed quickly. “I am excited to be a part of Agathos and create ethically-developed products and services for genetic medicine and biotechnology,” said Voigt. “It has been an intense first few months during which I have immersed myself in the science and strategy of the company. I’m committed to working with the talented founders and team members to create innovative solutions that will positively impact patients, researchers, and healthcare providers.”
Voigt was Director, General and Vascular Surgery at St. Cloud Hospital – CentraCare where he was responsible for physician recruitment and contracting as well as developing new service lines for the health system. Prior to that, he was Key Account Manager at R&D Systems where he worked with scientists, lab managers, and directors to identify products and services to meet their experimental needs for drug discovery, biomarker screening, and translational research.
“Each team member at Agathos must work across functions in a fast-paced environment. Mark has already made significant contributions in a variety of areas, from lab management and procurement to evaluating technology and market opportunities,” said James Brown, CEO of Agathos. “His diverse background in biotechnology sales, product development, and healthcare management brings a set of skills that are important for our success. Mark’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious and has a positive impact on everyone.”
The addition of Mark’s role, the recent addition of laboratory and office space, and the recruiting of new scientist and research associate positions are part of the company’s plan for continued growth in 2022. “The founders of Agathos are dedicated to developing new, ethically-developed tools and therapies for genetic medicine and look forward to growing the company to achieve these goals,” added Brown.
Company Will Pursue Innovation in Biotechnology Manufacturing and Therapeutics Through Ethical Research and Development
April 21, 2021 (FARGO, N.D.) – Agathos Biologics, a biotechnology company developing transformational science in biomanufacturing, biologic payload delivery, and cell and gene therapy within a strong ethical and moral framework, today announced the launch of its research and development operations. The company has established its laboratories and offices in the growing biotechnology corridor of Fargo, North Dakota.
The company was founded by biotechnology entrepreneurs James Brown, Michael Chambers and John Ballatnyne to pursue innovations in biotechnology that create value by positively impacting the health and welfare of society. Advances in biotechnology are transforming medicine, agriculture, and energy. Many of these advances are being developed or manufactured using materials whose origin raises significant ethical concerns for millions of people of diverse backgrounds. Agathos’ goal is to create biotechnology products and services free of ethical or moral compromises that prevent anyone from participating in their development or using them.
“We are excited to officially launch Agathos operations and follow our vision of ethically developed biotechnology products and services,” said Brown, who will serve as the CEO of Agathos. “The rapid pace of innovation and continued growth of investment in the field provide the opportunities that will allow us to be successful. We are confident this is the right time to challenge the status quo, which often forces a choice between doing high-quality (good) science and ethical (good) science and establish Agathos as “the good science company”. Brown added that Agathos is building its workforce with leadership announcements coming soon.
Chambers and Brown, along with John Ballantyne, who became an investor in Agathos this year, are funding the company. Chambers and Ballantyne co-founded Aldevron in 1998 and are currently Executive Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, respectively, at Aldevron. Prior to leaving Aldevron to work full time as at Agathos in January 2021, Brown served in roles of increasing responsibility since joining the company in 2015, most recently as President of the Research Grade Nucleic Acids Business Unit. Prior to Aldevron Brown helped found Regenxbio in 2008, serving as Vice President of Technical Operations until 2015. Douglas VanderMeulen, pastor of Community Baptist Church in Fargo, will serve as the company’s senior ethical advisor.
“We believe it is important to communicate to all our stakeholders our goals, strategy, and perspective that drives how we are going to conduct business,” continued Brown. “Agathos Biologics – Good Science for a Better World” describes the company and our approach and is publicly available on our web site.”
About Agathos Biologics
Agathos Biologics is a biotechnology company pursuing transformational science in biomanufacturing, biologic payload delivery, and cell and gene therapy. Discoveries in bioprocessing and genetic characterization and control have created an abundance of scientific possibilities that can help us all lead better lives. Our mission as the good science company is to create breakthrough products and services within a strong ethical and moral framework that benefits everyone. We believe in science that serves and have a relentless focus on serving our clients, employees, and society.