Boro Dropulic is a rarity in the biotech world. The founder and CEO of the Baltimore-based gene therapy company, Lentigen, is a scientist at heart — but his credentials also include an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
“It’s important to really, truly integrate the business vision with the science,” said Dropulic, who moved to Maryland from Australia in 1988 for a job at the National Institutes of Health.
“If you’ve got good science, but you haven’t got a clear business model, you fail.”
The Australian-born Dropulic (whose non-Aussie name reflects his Croatian descent) finished his master’s in 2004 while simultaneously launching Lentigen — his second start-up — specializes in the production of lentiviral vectors — an efficient system to deliver genes into human and mammalian cells.
The company is currently focused upon developing a flu vaccine. Scientists can isolate the genes of the flu virus then use the Lentiviral vectors to rapidly manufacture the vaccine in cells lines instead of slowly growing the virus in chicken eggs as is done now.
If successful, the technology will reduce production costs and make it possible to manufacture vaccines quickly — obviating the need to stock-pile large amounts of vaccine.
However, like many research-focused biotech companies in the region, Lentigen’s vaccine is still in the pre-clinical phase and may be years away from commercialization. But unlike many area biotech start-ups, Lentigen has managed to pull in a steady stream of revenue from the beginning — due, in part, to Dropulic’s business savvy.
In addition to in-house research and development, the company sells its lentiviral vectors. Lentigen will customize a gene delivery platform for researchers in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
While there are a number of companies selling viral vectors able to deliver genes to targeted ofcells, Lentigen offers specifically customized vectors.
Lentigen’s solid business plan helped it pull in Series A venture funding from both Greenwich Biotech Partners and the Maryland Department of Economic Development.
The company also recently presented at the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Bio, a local conference that connects start up firms with investors.
The highly competitive conference selects the most fundable companies, which venture capitalists generally define as a company with solid science and a strong management team.
“Once I left the academic world, once I was in the business realm, I wanted to understand all the parameters around business,” said Dropulic. “I didn’t ever want to be in a business where there was a disconnect between the business model and the scientific realities.”
BUSINESS
» Current job: Founder and chief executive officer, Lentigen Corp.
» Last job: Founder and chief scientific officer, VIRxSYS Corp.
» Number of e-mails a day: more than 50
» Number of voice mails a day: more than 5
» Essential Web site: www.lentigen.com
» Education/credentials: Ph.D. (University of Western Australia) MBA (Johns Hopkins University)
» Career objective: To make at least one tangible contribution to the field of biomedicine
PERSONAL
» Date of Birth: June 25, 1963
» Hometown: Sydney, Australia
» Sports/hobbies: Playing hide-and-seek with my kids
» Favorite clothier: Wal-Mart or Rugged Warehouse
» Vacation spot: The Dalmatian Coast, Croatia, Europe
