Title

Mr. Sapirstein has served for over thirty-nine years in the pharmaceutical industry. After spending seventeen years in large Pharma companies, Mr. Sapirstein started his career in smaller biotech companies when he later joined Gilead Sciences, Inc. to lead the Global Marketing team in its launch of Viread (tenofovir). In 2002, he accepted the position of Executive Vice President, Metabolic and Endocrinology, for Serono Laboratories. Later, in 2006, he became the founding Chief Executive Officer of Tobira Therapeutics, then a private company. Tobira Therapeutics was acquired by Allergan in 2016. In 2012, Mr. Sapirstein became the Chief Executive Officer of Alliqua, Inc. Thereafter, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Contravir Pharmaceuticals from March 2014 until October 2018. Mr. Sapirstein has raised over $400 Million dollars in venture capital and public capital markets financing in his various engagements as Chief Executive Officer. He was named as a Finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2015 as well as in 2016. Mr. Sapirstein currently holds board positions on ZyVersa Therapeutics and Onconetix Inc. He was Chairman of the Board for BioNJ, an association of biopharma industries in New Jersey from February 2017 to February 2019. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Directors for BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization), the leading biotechnology trade organization promoting public policy and networking in the healthcare space, where he sits on the Emerging Companies Section Governing Board and Health Section Board. Mr. Sapirstein received a BS (Pharmacy) from Rutgers University and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Sarah Romano, CPA, was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Entero Therapeutics (formerly First Wave BioPharma) in March 2022. She previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KPRX) (formerly EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company developing products for treating ophthalmic diseases, from February 2017 through February 2022 and as its Corporate Controller from August 2016 to January 2017. Prior to joining Kiora, Ms. Romano served as Assistant Controller at TechTarget from June 2015 through August 2016 and Corporate Controller at Bowdoin Group, a healthcare-focused executive recruiting firm, from September 2013 through May 2015. Previously, she held financial reporting positions of increasing responsibility at SoundBite Communications from 2008 until its acquisition by Genesys in 2013, and at Cognex Corporation from 2004 through 2008.

Ms. Romano began her career as an Auditor in the Boston office of PricewaterhouseCoopers. A licensed CPA in Massachusetts, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from College of the Holy Cross and a Master of Accounting from Boston College

Mr. Borkowski joined our board of directors in May 2015. He previously served as the Executive Vice President at TherapeuticsMD and Chief Financial Officer of ConvaTec Healthcare, CareFusion Corporation and Mylan, Inc. and in a variety of finance positions at Pharmacia, American Home Products, Cyanamid and at Arthur Andersen. Mr. Borkowski holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science from Allegheny College and a Master in Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from Rutgers University.

Eric Corbett joined our board of directors in February 2025. Mr. Corbett is the Managing Director of Oakridge Securities Inc. which operates as a capital markets and corporate finance advisory business, where he has been employed since the firms founding in December 2024. Prior to Oakridge Securities Inc., Mr. Corbett was employed at a real estate investment corporation and was part of the corporate client group at one of Canada's largest financial institutions, where he oversaw the execution of high-profile transactions, including providing debt capital to private and public businesses to support M&A transactions, shareholder buyouts, working capital support and sponsor backed equity investments. Mr. Corbett holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University and is also a CFA charterholder. He has also cleared FINRA’s Securities Industry Essentials Exam.

Richard Paolone is a Toronto-based securities lawyer with extensive experience in corporate finance, securities law, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Paolone plays a key role in advising on a range of strategic business initiatives and has represented numerous companies in both private and public offerings of debt and equity securities, showcasing his comprehensive understanding of capital markets and regulatory environments. His advisory work has been pivotal to several successful M&A and go-public transactions, spanning diverse industries including mining, cannabis, carbon credits, oil and gas, technology, and plant-based food sectors. In addition to his transactional work, Mr. Paolone has built a reputation as a trusted advisor to management teams and boards, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance in Canada while facilitating business growth. His broad experience also includes serving as a director or officer for several private and publicly traded companies, where he continues to provide strategic insights and governance expertise to help guide their success in competitive markets. Mr. Paolone is currently an independent board member of ISpecimen Inc, (NASDAQ: ISPC) which offers an online marketplace for human biospecimens, connecting scientists in commercial and non-profit organizations with healthcare providers that have access to patients and specimens needed for medical discovery. 

Mike Uppal joined our board of directors in February 2025. Mr. Uppal is a seasoned professional with over 10 years of experience in capital markets and over 15 years of experience in real estate as a licensed realtor. Mr. Uppal received his service license in 2009 and has been with the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board as a licensed real estate agent since 2009. Mr. Uppal graduated from the UBC Sauder School of Business with a major in Real Estate Trading in 2009. 

Dr. Syage has over 30 years of experience in creating and leading the development of innovative technologies in medical and analytical instrumentation. He is regarded as a leading expert in mass spectrometry and trace chemical detection.

Dr. Syage served as CEO and Co-Founder of ImmunogenX, a global leader in the development of treatments for celiac disease, which developed latiglutenase before its combination with Entero Therapeutics (formerly First Wave BioPharma). Previously he founded Syagen Technology, Inc. and as CEO led its growth culminating in its successful acquisition by French multinational Safran S.A. in 2011. Dr. Syage is an investor and co-founder of several other companies and currently sits on the Board of Directors of Advanced Telesensors, PhageTech, Analytical Detection (Chairman), and Appellation Ventures (Chairman). He has published over 140 papers, delivered about 100 invited talks, has over 30 U.S. patents issued or pending, and appears on the list of the Most Highly Cited Chemists.

His honorary positions include Fellow of the American Physical Society, Visiting Professor at UC Irvine, Visiting Professor at the Université de Paris-Sud, Editorial Board member of the Journal of Physical Chemistry, and invitee to the Nobel Symposium in Chemistry. He has received a Tibbets Award (SBIR) and was recently inducted into the Orange County OC 500 Directory of Influence. He received BA and PhD degrees from Hamilton College and Brown University, respectively, where he won several academic awards including Best Thesis. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech under Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail.