from left to right, profiles listed below:

dedicated to the research and development of Nitric oxide 

Joseph A. Bauer, Ph.D.

President
​Dr. Bauer became one of the youngest Staff Scientists in translational medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Institute, where he was responsible for drug design and the development of novel drugs with an emphasis on targeted drug delivery. His fields of specialization include signal transduction pathways, apoptosis, cobalamin chemistry, molecular biology and the biochemistry of nitric oxide. Dr. Bauer earned his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Akron and was fellowship trained in cancer immunology at the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. Dr. Bauer has more than 29 years of experience in the chemistry (synthetic and analytical) and biochemistry of nitric oxide, and 20 years of experience in cancer medicine. Dr. Bauer has received over $5M in grant support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and various other foundations for research pertaining to the synthesis and testing of nitric oxide-donor compounds. His work has resulted in three United States Patents and over twenty-five foreign patents. He is the author of more than 100 abstracts and manuscripts. He currently serves as an academic editor for the scientific journal PLoS ONE, and is an invited editorial reviewer for several scientific publications that include the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, and the journals of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Bauer has served as a grant reviewer for the American Cancer Society Research Project Council, and is an invited grant reviewer for NIH/NCI. Dr. Bauer also holds a degree in Business Administration. 

Annette M. Sysel, DVM, MS

Vice President, Director of Research & Development

​Dr. Sysel has over 30 years of experience in both private and academic veterinary medicine. She is the author of more than 15 abstracts, manuscripts and book chapters. Her past research established the method of epidural catheterization for the long-term treatment of hind limb pain in horses, a method which was used in the pain management protocol for 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro following his catastrophic hind limb fracture in the 2006 Preakness Stakes. In 2012 alone, Dr. Sysel procured grant funding from the American Kennel Club, Winn Feline Foundation and Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research for NO-Cbl-related research. A provisional patent was filed as a direct result of this research. Dr. Sysel has established a solid working relationship with the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. Additionally, Dr Sysel was instrumental in the submission of the pre-IND package to the FDA for the human-use of NO-Cbl. Dr. Sysel was named the 2015 American HERO Veterinarian by the American Humane Association for her efforts in cancer research.

Weisun Rao, J.D., Ph.D.

Director of Innovation & Technology Transfer
Dr. Weisun Rao is the Managing Partner at Venture Partner, LLC, which specializes in technology and business law. He was formerly a partner at the law firm of GreenbergTraurig, LLP. Dr. Rao focuses his practice on intellectual property law and business law. He is experienced in developing IP strategies and building and managing IP portfolios for legal and business opportunities in the United States, China and elsewhere in the world. Dr. Rao has experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nutraceutical, medical device, advanced material and mechanical industries. Dr. Rao is also experienced with due diligence and counter-diligence investigation, negotiating and drafting technology transfer agreements and licensing agreements, and providing patentability, validity, infringement, and freedom-to-operate opinions. Dr. Rao is involved in such business transactions as cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He is particularly experienced in advising non-Chinese clients on legal regulations and business practices in China and advising Chinese businesses interested in entering or expanding in the U.S. market. Dr. Rao’s clients include individuals, large corporations, small or medium enterprises and non-for-profit organizations, from the United States, Asia and the Europe Union.