Charles L. Bisgaier

Biography

 Charles L. Bisgaier, Ph.D., is currently the Co-founder and Chief Executive Manager of Michigan Life Ventures, LLC (MLV), a private company that funds and assists early stage companies primarily in Michigan. MLV is the lead investor in Hygieia, Inc, a company developing a novel medical device guiding diabetic patients to appropriate dosage when self-administering insulin to maintain glycemic control. The device, “d-NAV” has obtained its CE-registration, and is being test marketed in Northern Ireland, generating revenues, and plans expansion into other countries throughout the world. Dr. Bisgaier also served as interim President, CEO, and Director of ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc., (2010-2012), a gene-silencing platform technology company. Under his leadership, ProNAi was able to raise funds that allowed the company to complete its first Phase I Safety and Tolerability Study with its BCL-2 targeting product candidate. This data enabled further clinical investigation of the agent for efficacy in refractory lymphoma. Once data was generated from this efficacy trial ProNAi hired a President and CEO to lead the further development of the program, while Dr. Bisgaier continued to serve on the Board. The company completed its efficacy trial and the data generated enabled the company to raise an additional $59.5 million to continue the further development of the agent. This was the largest private venture capital raise ever in the State of Michigan. In addition, Dr. Bisgaier is the Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Gemphire Therapeutics Inc. Gemphire has in-licensed a late stage lipid-regulating clinical candidate, gemcabene, which was developed and co-invented by Dr. Bisgaier while at Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert and further developed by Pfizer Inc.. The team at Gemphire recently completed a $5 million Series A round to enable the commencement of a pivotal Phase II/III registration study for the treatment of Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia, an orphan disease. Dr. Bisgaier was the Senior Director of Pharmacology (2004-2006) at the Esperion Division of Pfizer Global Research and Development. Dr. Bisgaier Co-founded the first Esperion Therapeutics (1998-2004) where he was a Company Director and the Vice-President of Pharmacology. He was a major influence on the discovery, research and development of ETC-1002 (currently being developed at the new Esperion Therapeutics) and many other small molecules with utility for metabolic syndrome, as well as HDL-therapy product candidates such as ApoA-IMilano (ETC-216) (currently being developed at The Medicines Company). Dr. Bisgaier was formerly an Associate Research Fellow in the Department of Vascular and Cardiac Disease at Parke-Davis, where he played a role in discovery and development of pharmaceuticals that modulate lipoprotein and cholesterol metabolism (1990-1998). There he participated in the discovery and development of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors, gemfibrozil (LOPID®), atorvastatin (LIPITOR®), and CI-1027 (GEMCABENE). Dr. Bisgaier received a B.A. (1974) in Biology from the State University College at Oneonta, NY, and a M.S. (1977) and Ph.D. (1981) in biochemistry from George Washington University, Wash., D.C. Following receiving his doctorate, he studied lipoprotein metabolism within a Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) for atherosclerosis at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY prior to joining Parke-Davis in 1990. Dr. Bisgaier currently is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan. He serves on the board of both non-profit organizations and private companies. He is a named inventor on many patents and patent applications, and has published over 80 peer reviewed manuscripts and reviews.

Research Interest

Medical deviceVascular and Cardiac Disease,clinical