ABOUT US

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to provide best-in-class instrumentation to the industrial and academic research communities. Founded by membrane biologists and experienced instrument developers, the user experience is at the core of our design.

THE MANAGEMENT TEAM

Photoswitch Biosciences has assembled an experienced team of scientists, executives, and advisors with drug discovery and development expertise and a proven history of bringing new high-value cell-based assays and instrumentation to market.

Co-founder. Experienced pharmaceutical research, and life science instrument development, executive. VP Discovery Research & Technology at Cytokinetics; VP/CEO at SEQ/Praelux (through acquisition by Amersham); Scientist at AT&T Bell Labs.

Chief Executive Officer

Jay Trautman, PhD

Co-founder. Internationally recognized expert in ion channel physiology, drug discovery and life sciences instrument development. VP at Axon Instruments, Inc.

Chief Scientific Officer

Andy Blatz, PhD

Co-founder. Seasoned finance professional with more than twenty years experience in entrepreneurial business management, investment underwriting, venture capital, corporate finance and business development at Convexus Advisors, Babcock & Brown, GATX Capital, Cargill Financial Services and Piper Jaffray

Chief Financial Officer

Jonathan Ross, MBA

Experienced assay development scientist formerly with Arete Therapeutics, Cytokinetics and Microcide.

Senior Scientist

Tom Lila, PhD

Former ion channel screener at Lexicon Pharmaceutical and Director of Client Services at ChanTest. Extensive experience deploying new platforms to market at Axon Instruments, Molecular Devices, Fluxion Biosciences and Essen Bioscience

Business Development Manager

Stephen S Smith, PhD

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS

Professor and Head of Division of Neurobiology, UC Berkeley; Member, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Director of UC Berkeley-LBNL Nanomedicine Development Center. Internationally recognized expert in ion channels and synaptic function. Co-inventor of photoswitched ion channels.

visit website →

Ehud Isacoff, PhD

Co-founder

Professor of Neurobiology; Member, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Associate Director, UC Berkeley Nanomedicine Center. Internationally recognized expert in ion channels and retinal physiology. Co-inventor of photoswitched ion channels.

visit website →

Richard Kramer, PhD

Co-founder

Janice Cutler Professor of Chemistry at NYU. Member, Center for Integrated Protein Science, Munich (CIPSM). Internationally recognized expert in chemical biology of ion channels and natural products. Co-inventor of photoswitched ion channels.

visit website→

Dirk Trauner, PhD

Co-founder