Company

 

Biopharmaceutical pioneers of the melitherapy approach

About us

Disruptive drug design for unmet medical needs

We are a pioneering biopharmaceutical company, focused on the discovery, rational design and initial clinical development of drugs. These compounds are all based on a novel therapeutic approach: Membrane Lipid Therapy (MLT), or melitherapy for short, which targets membrane lipids, instead of acting directly on proteins or DNA as most medicines do.

 

We created the company in 2006 as a spin-off from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) in Mallorca, Spain. Our goal is for melitherapy drugs to become reference treatments worldwide for serious diseases with unmet medical needs, such as glioblastoma and other aggressive cancers, as well as neurodegenerative, metabolic and inflammatory diseases. This will improve the clinical outcome and quality of life of many patients worldwide.

Our values

Delivering treatment for orphan diseases

We carry out translational research with the goal of delivering treatments for serious illnesses which lack effective therapies. This includes rare conditions and those which are currently incurable, or which have poor prognoses with few treatment options, such as pediatric brain cancer (glioma), APBD, Down syndrome or spastic paraplegia.

Innovating in a region dedicated to tourism

We set up Laminar Pharma in 2006 to develop breakthrough inventions patented with the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). We are proud to bring an entrepreneurial spirit to the Innovation and Technology Park (ParcBIT) in our home island of Mallorca, Spain, where the main economic activity is tourism.

Training the researchers of the future

Every year we supervise and work alongside PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers who carry out their research projects at Laminar Pharma. Through this mutually beneficial mentoring scheme, we aim to provide opportunities for young scientists to develop their career in the industrial sector.

Shaping the society we want to live in

We believe that companies must be useful to the public, so we apply ourselves to improve the quality of life of all citizens. Our commitment is to our employees, to our stakeholders and to the patients who receive our drugs – but also to the community at large, as we push for a prosperous, well cared-for society.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors holds non-transferable powers which are legally reserved for its members’ knowledge, as well as competencies required for responsible supervision of the company. Members approve the strategic and business plans, as well as the management goals and annual budgets. The Board determines the general policies and strategies of the Company, such as the determination of the corporate governance policy of Laminar Pharma or the responsible management policy. It also supervises the operation of any committees which have been set up and the performance of the delegate bodies.

 

In their decision-making, Members of the Board are guided by the Group’s corporate interest. The Board of Directors will ensure that the Company faithfully complies with current legislation, follows the uses and good practices of the sectors or countries where it operates and observes any principles of social responsibility that it has voluntarily accepted.

President

José Antonio Sánchez

President of the Laminar Pharma Council

He is one of the company’s first  investors (since 2008). His presence on Laminar’s Board strengthens the position of small and medium-sized private investors and the coordination with large investors of the company. His investment career spans two decades including assets, listed and non-listed companies in national and international markets.

Members

Pablo V. Escribá

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Main promoter of Laminar Pharma. Professor of Cell Biology at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). He has more than 20 years of successful experience as a scientist and researcher and has held senior research positions in the United States (New York, Kansas City and Charleston), Switzerland (Geneva) and Hungary (Szeged).

Manuel Matutes

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He is a private investor focused on the development of entrepreneurial projects with high growth potential in their early stages. He has a master’s in business administration from IESE Business School. He is the director of the Palladium Hotel Group and the Founding Partner of the company Aguaduna.com as well as Kei Cities. His interests include innovation, biotechnology, smart cities, tourism, sustainability and blockchain.

Francisco (Xisco) Fiol

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Law graduate and practising lawyer since 1986, he has held public administration posts as Councillor and Deputy Mayor of Palma City Council (1987-1996), Councillor for Health (1996-99) and Councillor for Education and Culture (2003-2007), Member of the Island Council and the Balearic Parliament (1999-2003), Member and Speaker of the Balearic Parliament (2007-2009) and member of the National Education Council and the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System. He is an advisor to various educational and health institutions, including the Medical Association of the Balearic Islands.

Bartolomé Planas Marí

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He holds a degree in Biological Sciences (UIB, 1985) and ornithology. His professional activities since 1987 focused on aquaculture and environmental conservation. He holds a master´s degree (with honours) in evaluation and correction of environmental impacts by the UCM and the UPM (1993-1995) and won the Ángel Ramos Award for the best project. In 1995 he founded the company Duna Baleares SL, the first environmental consultancy in the Pitiusas Islands.

Juana Alemany

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She has worked in the financial department of Coflusa and Viajes Iberia S.A. for 15 years. She is a key investor in Laminar Pharma, of which she was also a director before becoming a consultant in 2006.

Bernat Soria Escoms

Independent Consultant

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He was the Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs of Spain from July 2007 to April 2009.He has a PhD in Medicine from the University of Valencia and is a current Professor of Physiology at the University Miguel Hernández of Elche.  He was the coordinator of the Physiology area of the National Agency of Evaluation and Prospective (ANEP) between 1991 and 1994. He is the former coordinator of the European Embryonic Stem Cell Network and a former Professor of Physiology at the Pablo de Olavide University.

He also was the director of the Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine (CABIMER) and the executive director of the Progreso y Salud Foundation until 2019.

David Roberto

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CFO since 2020, previously with Chief Financial Officer functions in international groups related to tourism enterprises, such as Thomas Cook Airlines, TUI/Hotelbeds Group or Riu Hotels. He has also worked as an auditor at KPMG. He holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration and is a Chartered Accountant awarded by the Official Register of Statutory Auditors. In 2021 he completed the Advanced General Management Program at Instituto de Empresa.

Felix Torres

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He has a degree in Economic, Political and Commercial Sciences, Business Economics section, Diploma in Operational Research and is a Chartered Accountant awarded by the Official Register of Statutory Auditors with more than 30 years of experience in account auditing, financial consulting, as well as a professor at the UNED.

Manfred Horst

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Manfred Horst, MD, PhD, MBA is an experienced Business Developer who draws from more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Manfred studied medicine in Munich, Montpellier and London and is a board-certified specialist in Allergic Diseases and Immunology ; he also holds an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau.  Before setting up his own healthcare consultancy in 2017, Manfred was a Business Development Executive for Merck Research Laboratories (Merck & Co.’s/ MSD’s Research & Development Division) and had been instrumental in a number of important deals between Merck and European/israeli biotech companies.

María Victoria González de Buitrago

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Degree in Economics and Business Sciences from the Comillas Pontifical University (ICADE) and in Political Sciences from UNED. She graduated in Pharmacy from the CEU Cardenal Herrera University. Master in Political CC from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium).
She has worked in the General Secretariat of the European Commission, and later in different institutional functions in Valencia. She is currently a community pharmacist, member of Deontology at the MICOF of Valencia and territorial delegate of COFARES in the region of Valencia and the Balearic Islands.

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Antoni Vaello

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Ph.D. in Quantitative Finance from the University of the Basque Country and a degree in Economics from the University of Alicante. He is currently a professor at the Universitat de les Illes Balears and director of the Master’s Degree in Big Data Analysis for Economics and Business. His research focuses on financial econometrics, computational finance, and financial derivatives such as employee stock options. He has completed a postdoctoral stay at UCLA-Anderson School of Management (visiting scholar). He has participated as a teacher in master’s programs at the University of Navarra, Carlos III University of Madrid or the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

María José Miralles

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Degree in Environmental Sciences with Extraordinary Award and 5-star University Award. Master in administration and management of SMEs. Director of cableworld since 2007. Founding partner of Micre activities.

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Enric Rello

Board Advisor

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Dr. Rello holds a degree in Economics, Law, Business Administration and Management, and a PhD in Economics and Business Sciences and a PLD – Program for Leadership Development from Harvard Business School (Boston / USA).. He has more than 20 years of professional experience as CFO in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, in listed companies such as Oryzon Genomics and subsidiaries of multinational groups such as Sandoz IP (Novartis). Professor of the Department of Economics and Business of the Universitat Abat Oliba and of the Master’s in Management of Biotech Companies of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Universidad San Pablo. Among other positions, he holds the positions of Member of Consultative Working Group (CWG) – Corporate Finance Standing Committee (CFSC) ESMA – European Securities and Markets Authority and Member of the Board of Directors of Spanish Issuers.

Our Team

Prof. Pablo V. Escribá, PhD.

CEO & Founder

He is Professor of Cell Biology at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB, Mallorca, Spain) and the main promoter of Laminar Pharma. He has more than twenty years of successful experience as a scientist and researcher, and he has held senior research stages in USA (New York, Kansas City and Charleston), Switzerland (Geneve) and Hungary (Szeged).

``My professional interest is to discover and develop therapies for various types of patients. Although historically my career has focused on drugs for highly prevalent diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease or neuropathic pain, for some years I have been committed to rare and pediatric diseases. They are groups which have received less attention from our society to attend to their clinical needs because the profits in these areas are lower. However, it is possible to reconcile social needs with the profit that a company in the pharmaceutical sector should obtain, by taking advantage of the benefits offered by different countries. My goal is to develop innovative products based on leading-edge science for highly effective and safe medicines. My principles are: If someone has done it before, I can do it too – if no one has done it, I can be the first.``

Victoria Llado, PhD.

USA CSO & Strategy

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Degree in Biology and Biochemistry and PhD in Cell Biology by the UIB. Dr. Lladó has completed postdoctoral stays at prestigious international institutions such as the Gastrointestinal Unit of MGH Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, USA) and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (San Diego, CA, USA) and has enjoyed postdoctoral fellowships for the development of the Melitherapy from the Spanish Association Against Cancer, the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Torres Quevedo program) and the Marathon Foundation. She is the author of more than 20 scientific publications. Dr. Lladó joined Laminar Pharma in 2018 as Chief Scientific Officer and relocated to Boston (USA) in February 2021 for the direction of the company’s business, commercial and scientific strategy in the USA.

Paula Fernandez, PhD.

CSO

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Dr. Fernández holds a degree in Biochemistry (University of Oviedo) and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (University of Oviedo). After a brief period at the UIB, she joined Laminar Pharma in November 2013. During her time as a researcher, she focused mainly in the fields of proteomics and molecular biology participating in the elucidation of the mechanism of antitumor action of LAM561 and in the identification and development of biomarkers to support its clinical development. She currently leads both basic and applied research for the company.

Antonio J. Gonzalez

COO

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Antonio González joined Laminar in 2010 and participated in the design and development of the project’s business model. He holds a diploma in Economic and Business Sciences and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management, and he is also a qualified technician in Foreign Trade. He has 25 years of previous experience in auditing and consulting, transportation and import-export.

David Roberto

CFO

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CFO since 2020, previously with Chief Financial Officer functions in international groups related to tourism enterprises, such as Thomas Cook Airlines, TUI/Hotelbeds Group or Riu Hotels. He has also worked as an auditor at KPMG. He holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration and is a Chartered Accountant awarded by the Official Register of Statutory Auditors. In 2021 he completed the Advanced General Management Program at Instituto de Empresa.

Catalina Ana Rossello, PhD.

Head of CMC

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Head of Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls at Laminar since 2020, where she joined as senior scientist in 2016. She holds a degree in Biology and a degree in Biochemistry from the University of the Balearic Islands, and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid. With a background in developmental biology and cell division, she occupied research positions at Lund University (Sweden) and at the UIB (with a European FP7 Marie Curie grant). In 2019, she became head of the clinical R&D scientific area at Laminar and, the year after, Head of CMC. CMC department is responsible for all drug substance (API) and drug product (DP) activities from preclinical development through clinical supplies for Phase 3 registration studies (cGMP manufacture and supply chain of API and DP in support of ongoing clinical programs) together with identification, selection and management of Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) and collaboration in the writing and reviewing of documents for regulatory submissions.

Adrian G. McNicholl, PhD.

CCO

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Dr. McNicholl holds a PhD. in Medicine and Surgery; formerly a post-doctoral researcher at CIBERehd, he has participated in over 60 traslational research projects including the design and coordination of several clinical trials, producing over 40 indexed publications (H-index= 21). He founded in 2013 and has been the Scientific Director (until 2019) of the non-profit Spanish Platform for Collaborative Research in Gastroenterology (AEG‐REDCap) with more than 70 projects, and 1,600 researchers in 45 countries. He has coordinated several courses and books on evidence based clinical practice and traslational research, and received over 10 international awards and grants for his oral and poster presentations.

Key External Consultants

Prof. Manuel Illescas, PhD.

Intellectual property

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He is a specialist in patent prosecution in Spain, as qualified European Patent Attorney EPA) before the European Patent Office (EPO) and via Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), with more than 30 years of experience, especially in the following technical sectors: pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental, biomedical and, above all, in the biotechnological sector. He has held senior executive positions in several patent managing companies, including MIAPatents, González-Bueno & Illescas, and ELZABURU, along with Venture Capital companies (Cross Road Biotech). He is also authorized to act as representative for trademarks matters before European Union Office for Intellectual Property (EUIPO), Spanish Patent Office (SPO) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

José Javier Muruzabal

Product development

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José Javier Muruzabal, external manager of Product Development and production processes in Laminar’s Research and Development area. He is in charge of planning protocols, monitoring and evaluating results in formulation of active principles, drug production and analytical methods . He is an expert in GMP and GLP guides, and in the preparation of the IMPD dossier. As a Qualified Person for external quality consulting, he also works at Medalchemy since 2014. He has taught Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Navarra and at several postgraduate Masters courses, and he is promoter of the contract manufacturing organization Idifarma Desarrollo Farmacéutico. He has extensive experience in evaluating with inspection agencies and in audits of production processes for various biopharmaceutical companies.

Quique Cervera

External Manager of Communications

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Enrique Cervera – External Communications Manager at Laminar Pharma since December 2022. He is Account Director at Eureka PR, where he has been working since March 2022. Before starting his career at this agency, he worked in the Communication and Marketing Department Post Office for more than two years. He also has experience in the media, as is the case, among others, with Onda Cero. As for his studies, he graduated in Journalism and Audiovisual Communication at the CEU San Pablo University.

Joe Dillon, Ph.D., MBA

Head of Business Development

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Joseph S. Dillon, Ph.D., MBA, is President & CEO of SynerPhysics, Inc. and President of Dillon Capital Strategies, the strategy and business analytics advisory arm of SynerPhysics. Dr. Dillon is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience. He has extensive experience in global pharmaceutical business development, planning and analysis, corporate finance, M&A, licensing, and technology valuations. Dr. Dillon has screened thousands of opportunities, valued over 400 deals and has been involved in over 45 closed transactions over the course of his career. Since forming Dillon Capital Strategies, Dr. Dillon has consulted dozens of companies and held interim senior positions, including CEO and CFO at select clients. Dr. Dillon also provides specialized, strategic and transaction focused training for biopharma professionals. Prior to this, Dr. Dillon held senior positions in pharmaceutical management consulting firms, most significantly as Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Development Services and Valuations for The Mattson Jack Group/KantarHealth. Other previous positions include CEO, President, and Director of The Pharmaceutical Development Center (sold to AAI), a pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer; Executive Vice President and CFO of Vail Banks Inc., a multi-bank holding company (IPO, then sold to US Bancorp); CFO and Treasurer of Oread Inc., a contract pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer; and corporate positions with predecessor companies of Sanofi. Dr. Dillon is Past-Chairperson of the Licensing Executive Society Life Sciences Sector. He is a veteran speaker at BIO, LES, WBR, EBD, and other prominent industry organization events. Dr. Dillon holds a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences, an M.B.A. in International Finance and a bachelor’s degree in Finance.

Richard J. Taylor, PhD.

Head of Regulatory and Medical Affairs

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Dr. Taylor has extensive large pharmaceutical company experience. Formerly Head of International Clinical and Regulatory Affairs with Zeneca Pharmaceuticals (now AstraZeneca), Dr. Taylor has held management positions with Fisons Pharmaceuticals (now part of Aventis) and The Wellcome Research Laboratories (now part of Glaxo SmithKline). Since 2001 he is Managing Consultant & Projects Director at The Medical & Regulatory Partnership Ltd (TMRP), a drug development consultancy specializing in global regulatory services.

Fellow Funders

The Finance Symphony

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Fellow Funders is an independent Spanish firm whose mission is to support SMEs and startups in their expansion and consolidation plans by finding their optimal financing models. Its value proposition The Finance Symphony is a harmony of movements at the service of entrepreneurs, managers and their companies, as well as investors. They offer company valuation through Fair Value, financing rounds or equity crowdfunding using their Crowd Investment platform, financial and strategic counsel via Alternative Assets, and finally guiding clients into the stock markets (BME Growth, Euronext and OTC) with their Capital Markets division.

QualitecFarma

Regulatory, Business and Clinical strategies

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QUALITECFARMA is a CRO that for 20 years has been dedicated to the business of managing highly qualified projects in the areas of clinical research, Monitoring, Data Management, Biostatistics, Pharmacovigilance, Scientific Drafting Regulatory Affairs, Market Access and Corporate Operations for the pharmaceutical industry.

Financial information

In order to advance our innovative R&D pipeline we are continuously seeking new collaborations. We welcome licensing, partnering and alliances with leading players in the industry who can effectively contribute to bring novel melitherapy-based products to the market and make them available to patients globally.

 

We have recently joined the Growth segment of the Pre-Market Environment, in a step towards joining the stock market. The Pre-Market Environment (EpM) training program started in 2017 for growing SMEs. This ecosystem connects investors, companies and professionals from official and alternative markets of equities and bonds. We are looking forward to working with private investors and institutions by joining the MAB stock market before the end of 2022.

Work with us!

Laminar Pharma does not currently have any open positions in Spain or the United States, either directly or through external recruiters.
Still, we are convinced that bringing together passionate and talented people, valuing their work as individuals and teams and giving them freedom to pursue clear, shared goals, breeds success. We believe in “doing well by doing good”.

Our future needs would require expertise in the following areas:

  • Medical and Regulatory affairs
  • Clinical Project management
  • Clinical development
  • Preclinical development
  • Quality Assurance (GxP)
  • Commercial and Marketing management

Although we might not currently have staff vacancies available for your profile, feel free to send your CV* at any time and we will consider you for future job openings.

*Please send your resume in English to hrm@laminarpharma.com

Contact

Our premises

Laminar Pharma’s head offices and Lab facilities are located at the Balearic Islands Innovation and Technology Park (ParcBIT), just by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), in Mallorca, Spain. Our US subsidiary in located in the State of Massachusetts (Boston Area).

 

info@laminarpharma.com

+34 971 43 98 86

Edificio Naorte, Bloque  A,

1ª planta. Puerta 3,

07121 Palma de Mallorca, Baleares (Spain)