What We Do

Sir Michael Houghton

Nobel Laureate & Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Michael Houghton was the Canadian Excellence Research Chair in Virology from 2010-2018 and is the Li Ka Shing Professor of Virology at the University of Alberta where he is also the Director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute. He was jointly named the 2020 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine along with Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice in recognition of the discovery of the hepatitis C (HCV) virus. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 for services to medicine. His research in the field of viral hepatitis has led to protection of the world’s blood supplies, and hepatitis C treatment to the point where the viral infection can now be cured in virtually all patients.

Launa Aspeslet

Chief Translational Officer

Launa Aspeslet is an accomplished life science executive and board member with over 20 years of leadership experience in scaling early-stage organizations to sustainable growth and maturity. She excels in multi-stakeholder environments, new product development, and guiding entrepreneurs through organizational transformation.

Currently, Launa also serves as Senior Clinical & Regulatory Advisor to Model Medicines and a Board member of Edmonton Unlimited. She recently acted as interim CEO at Edmonton Unlimited and has held roles as COO at Hepion Pharmaceuticals, CEO of TRIO, and COO at Isotechnika Pharma. She has also provided strategic consulting for various early-stage drug and medical device companies. During this time, Launa has led teams to conduct over 50 clinical trials, enrolling more than 10,000 patients across 20 countries.

She holds a BSc in chemistry from the University of Lethbridge and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Alberta, along with a Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC).

Allan Aginski

Senior VP, Special Projects & Manufacturing

Allan is a life sciences supply chain and manufacturing specialist with nearly 40 years of experience. He has established and run commercial life sciences company production facilities around the world, including for companies such as Abbott, Merck, and Genpharm. He has been responsible for the establishment of dozens of products in over 24 countries. 

Hans Bauer

VP, Technical Operations

Hans brings over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality, having worked with leading pharmaceutical companies in Europe, including Lonza, Sandoz (Novartis), Acino, and Akorn. He has a proven track record in managing large teams, complex projects, and overseeing comprehensive operations.  

Hans has strong expertise in developing and implementing robust quality systems that meet stringent regulatory standards across several countries, including the US, EU, and Switzerland. His production expertise includes API-small molecule manufacturing, peptide chemical and biotechnology manufacturing, as well as the production of solid and semi-solid forms and sterile manufacturing.