OVERVIEW
Company Overview
Welcome to AscentX Medical. We are a medical device company based in San Diego, CA, dedicated to advancing the field of regenerative bio-repair. Our mission is to transform healthcare by leveraging the body’s natural ability to heal and regenerate, providing innovative biological solutions that enhance the quality of life for patients worldwide.
Our vision is to be a global leader in regenerative bio-repair, delivering groundbreaking therapies that address the underlying causes of various medical conditions. By focusing on the body’s innate healing processes, we are developing treatments that not only alleviate symptoms but also promote long-term health and well-being.
In addition to our regenerative therapies, AscentX Medical offers specialized aseptic fill and finish contract manufacturing services. Our aseptic fill finish facilities and expertise in sterile processing enable us to provide high-quality manufacturing solutions for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. This niche service is in high demand; our team has extensive contact and our experience ensures that we meet the stringent requirements of clients.
As we continue to grow and expand our offerings, we remain steadfast in our dedication to innovation, quality, and patient care. Thank you for visiting AscentX Medical. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our mission, services, and commitment to transforming the future of healthcare. Whether you are a patient, healthcare professional, or potential partner, we look forward to connecting with you and sharing our journey towards a healthier world.
Our Team
Management
Larry Braga
Acting Chief Executive Officer and President
In 2009, Mr. Larry J. Braga founded Biowerks, Inc. and acted as a principal operations consultant for multinational life science companies, including (Pfizer), ICC Engineering, Defender Pharmaceuticals, Nektar, Turning Point Therapeutics (Bristol Myers Squibb), and Johnson and Johnson. As a co-founder of Ascentx Medical, Mr. Braga began working with founder Dr. Stefan Lemperle to focus on the regulatory strategy and developing its F40 dermal filler. Mr. Braga currently serves as interim chief executive officer of AscentX Medical. As interim CEO, Mr. Braga supports the company’s mission to finalize FDA approval of F40 and deliver new regenerative pipeline therapeutics.
With over 30 years in pharmaceutical manufacturing at several Fortune 500 companies, made countless contributions to the healthcare industry, including four US patents. Mr. Braga holds numerous patents for Baxter’s CoSeal® Surgical Sealant and remains a standard of care in the hemostatic/surgical sealant marketplace. Prior to 2009, Mr. Braga served as the Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations for Artes Medical Inc., a publicly held medical technology company that developed ArteFill®, the first and only FDA-approved permanent injectable wrinkle filler. From 2000 to 2004, he served as the Senior Director of Global Manufacturing Operations for Anosys, Inc. (Rhone-Poulenc Rorer), a French-founded vaccine company focused on the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma and Melanoma, utilizing autologous cell therapies and targeted tumor peptides. Prior to Anosys, Mr. Braga served in various clinical and commercial operations roles at Cohesion Technologies and Collagen Corporation. Mr. Braga began his life science career at Genentech in 1986, engaging in one of the first commercial recombinant products, Human Growth Hormone (Protopin®). Mr. Braga earned his Bachelor of Science in Biological Science from California State University, Hayward, with a Medical Technology Focus.
Sara Adams
Vice President, Finance
Ms. Adams brings an extensive track record in financial management and strategic planning in the life sciences industry. From 2000 to 2007, Ms. Adams served as Senior Director of Business Affairs at Artes Medical, Inc., responsible for both finance and legal aspects of the medical device startup. She managed six rounds of private financing and culminated her tenure at Artes with the Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2006. Following Artes, her 14-year consulting career allowed her to deliver expertise to notable clients such as Mast Biosurgery, Transdel Pharmaceuticals, Prima Pharm, Hisamitsu, Pharmatek, and Catalent, enhancing her financial and business skill set while gaining a broad international perspective through extensive world travel. With an Economics degree from the University of California, San Diego, and an active pursuit of her Certified Management Accountant certification, Ms. Adams’s expertise is underpinned by a solid academic foundation and a commitment to ongoing professional development.
Sarah Dziabo
Director of Quality
Ms. Dziabo serves as the Director of Quality at AscentX Medical, where she brings more than 25 years of experience in Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) within the life science and pharmaceutical industries. Her career began in 1998 at Medtronic in a QA Document Control role, laying the foundation for her hands-on expertise in the field. Sarah expanded her knowledge at Alsius, further developing her skills in QA Document Control and delving into QC Analytical Chemistry during her time at MicroQuality Labs.
Moving into a leadership position at PrimaPharma, Inc., a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), Ms. Dziabo oversaw the management of Quality Assurance for an array of pharmaceutical and medical device clients, including notable names such as Alcon, Inc., Breckenridge Pharmaceuticals, Allegro Ophthalmics, QOL Medical, and Implandent, Ltd. During her two decades with PrimaPharma, Ms. Dziabo was instrumental in the development and quality management of over 45 FDA-regulated products, including commercial, R&D, and clinical products. As the head of Quality Assurance, she was pivotal in successfully conducting nine FDA audits on behalf of clients of PrimaPharma.
Following the acquisition of PrimaPharma by Defender Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2020, Ms. Dziabo led the transition of the Quality Systems, ensuring seamless integration with the new parent company. Since 2018, she has lent her skills to AscentX Medical as a consultant, and her role transitioned into a full-time position after the completion of the Defender acquisition. Ms. Dziabo’s depth of experience fortifies AscentX Medical’s dedication to quality and compliance, crucial to the company’s mission of providing safe and innovative solutions for patients.
Our Experts
Expert Consultants
Adelbert (Del) Stagg, PhD
Regulatory Affairs
Dr. Stagg has over 47 years professional experience in the medical product industry developing and obtaining US and International regulatory approvals to market medical products for biologics, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. He has worked for both large companies (Becton Dickinson and Allergan), start-up companies (AiViva BioPharma, Evolus and others) as well as providing scientific and regulatory consulting to multiple domestic and international companies. He is a member of the Board of Directors for NOTOGEN, a company developing biologic products.
In addition to working with medical product companies, Dr. Stagg has been a leader in providing professional development programs in regulatory affairs as a cofounder chairman/president of the North Carolina Regulatory Affairs Forum, Orange County Regulatory Affairs Discussion Group, President of the Southern California pharmaceutical Discussion Group. From 2008 to 2021, he lectured on Pharmaceutical Regulations, in the UCI Continuing Education Program, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA
Dr. Stagg also was the Industry Representative, FDA/Industry Regulatory Grassroots Partnership and in 1998 he received the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation “For outstanding leadership and commitment in furthering FDA’s efforts to provide the consumer and the regulated industry with a more responsive Agency.” He was a Co-Chairman, US-Sub Technical Advisory Group (AAMI), and an US Representative to the International Standards Organization developing ISO 10-993, Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices. He is also involved in local community programs and has served on the Board of Directors, Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, CA, since 2003.
Anthony J. Dziabo Jr
GMP Manufacturing and Quality
Mr. Dziabo has over forty years’ experience in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device industry working for Allergan, Medtronic, Natural Disinfection Technologies (NDT), and PrimaPharma, Inc. and as a Regulatory/CMC consultant for “start-ups” including Allegro Ophthalmics, Eterna Tear and Aeon. Mr. Dziabo has a degree in Chemistry from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. His work experience runs the gamut from bench chemist, Quality Control chemist, research chemist, Manager, Director and VP of Product Development groups. He is the author or co-author on 23 US and International Patents and has acted as an expert witness for eye care formulations in industry legal proceedings. As VP of Regulatory Affairs, Quality and Product Development at PrimaPharma, Inc, a San Diego CDMO, he had led projects for Big Pharma (Allergan, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb) and many small to medium sized companies as well as start-ups in many different applications including, peptides, enzymes, ant-inflammatory, anti-infective, glaucoma, sterile pre-filled syringes, aerosols, lyophilization and sterile/aseptic fill.
Mr. Dziabo has written, submitted and obtained FDA approval for drugs (CDRH), devices (CDRH) as well as 510k device applications. Mr. Dziabo has hosted FDA PAI and GMP inspections and made presentations to CDRH staff in support of NDA’s and other submissions.
Mr. Dziabo will participate in the development, writing and submission of the AscentX Medical Collagen/PMMA filler products to the various regulatory agencies around the world as well assisting in the AscentX CMO business efforts.
Our Leadership
Board of Directors
John Stiska, JD
Chairman of the Board
John Stiska has over thirty years of experience in corporate law, securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and senior management of both publicly and privately held companies. Recently he served as CEO of PepperBall Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:PBal), and prior to that was the interim CEO of JNI Corp. (NASDAQ:JNIC) and then Chairman until it was merged into Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (NASDAQ:AMCC). From 2000 to 2009, John was an active partner in Commercial Bridge Capital, LLC, a venture lending fund based in San Diego.
From February 1996 to February 1998, he served as Corporate Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Technology Applications Division of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), a leading developer and manufacturer of telecommunications technology.
Prior to Qualcomm, John was CEO of Triton Group, Ltd (ASE:TGL) a public holding company which he took through a successful Ch 11 reorganization of the former Intermark, Inc. (ASE:IMI). Companies owned or controlled by IMI and TGL included Pier 1 Imports, Simplicity Pattern Co., Continental Graphics, National Arimotive Corp, Western Sizzlin, Liquor Barn, Sunbelt Nursery Group and a number of other companies.
Before joining Intermark, Inc. and Triton Group, Ltd. in 1990, he was a practicing lawyer for 20 years: Partner in the San Diego office of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison from 1987 to 1990; partner and founder of the corporate department of Aylward, Kintz, Stiska, Wassenaar and Shannahan from 1981 to 1987; and, associate and partner at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps from 1970 to 1981.
Mr. Stiska has served on numerous public and privately held company Boards of Directors.
He has served on the Boards of Directors of Triton Group, Ltd. (NYSE:TGL [1987]); (ASE:TGL [1993]) and Intermark, Inc. (ASE:IMI), BioSafety Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:BSSI), IVHS Technologies, Inc., Eaton Vorad, Inc., Jaycor, Inc., PepperBall Technologies, Inc, Laser Power Corp. (NASDAQ:LPWR), Mission West Properties (ASE:MWP), Rehabilitation Technologies, Inc., Ridgewood Properties, Inc. (OTC:RWPI), Sciteq Electronics, Inc., Simplicity Holdings, Inc., Computer Economics, Inc., Stellar Access, Inc., Principia Lightworks, Inc., Midpoint Productions, the Advisory Board of Barney & Barney, LLC and AVAAK, Inc,, the San Diego Corporate Directors Forum, the San Diego County YMCA, Verado Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRDO), Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBSN), Romer, Inc., JNI Corporation(NASDAQ:JNIC), Cobalt Medical, Inc., AP Labs, Inc., MicroVision Optical, Inc., DR Technologies, Inc., Verras Medical, Inc., Optics Masters, Corp., Venture Holdings and several of its European subsidiaries and Surge Global Energy, Inc. (OTCBB:SRGG), and Armor Designs, Inc.
He is also active in the San Diego Corporate Directors Forum and the San Diego County YMCA.
Mr. Stiska received the Award of Director of the Year for Companies in Transition from the Corporate Directors Forum of San Diego.
He received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin, and after serving as an officer in the Army returned to get his JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He is licensed to practice law in California.
Gottfried Lemperle, MD, PhD
Prof. Lemperle has been a Voluntary Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery since 1998. In April, 1999, Professor Lemperle co-founded Artes Medical Inc., a publicly held medical technology company based on his invention of the PMMA microsphere platform technology leading to the first and only FDA-approved permanent injectable wrinkle filler (ArteFill®) in 2006. He served as Chief Scientific Officer of Artes Medical Inc. from August 1999 to May 2006. Prior to Artes Medical, Professor Lemperle introduced his injectable microspheres technology to Brazil and China, after having spent over 30 years as professor & Head of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and professor at the University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany for 25 years.
Professor Lemperle was awarded MD and PhD degrees in Immunology and General and Plastic Surgery from Frankfurt University. He has authored more than 270 original publications in the fields of Plastic Surgery, GERD and SUI.
In 1997 Prof. Lemperle received the Cross of Merit 1st Class (Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse) from the President of the Republic of Germany for his achievements as founder of INTERPLAST-Germany, a non-profit organization providing reconstructive surgery services in (third world) developing countries around the world. In 2010, Prof. Lemperle received the Dieffenbach-Medal as a German Lifetime Award for his contributions to the field of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.
William Yibo Wang
Yibo Wang has been a healthcare- and energy sector-focused early-stage investor since 2008. From 2008-2009, he served as the investor relations representative of China Industrial Waste Management Inc. (OTCBB: CIWT), a company for which he and his team successfully raised U.S. venture capital. In 2009, Yibo left CIWT and co-founded Nord Energy Saving Co., a contract energy management company based in China. From 2010 to 2014, Yibo served as the president of NORD before it was acquired by a publicly-listed Chinese company. In 2015, he co-founded China-based YIDU Investment Inc. and has since been actively searching for unique, early-stage investment opportunities exclusively in the U.S. and Canada. Having worked on both ends of the corporate financing spectrum, Yibo brings broad business experience to AscentX. He graduated with a bachelor degree in Commerce from the University of Toronto, Canada, and joined the AscentX team in 2015.
Juergen Siemonsmeier, MD
After attending dental and medical schools at Bonn (Germany), Basel (Switzerland), University of California, San Diego (USA), and Harvard Medical School, Boston (USA), Juergen received his dental medical degree in 1983 (DDS), and his medical degree in 1986 (MD).
One year of Anesthesiology and ICU at the Central Military Hospital in Koblenz, Germany, was followed by two years in their Maxillofacial Surgery Department. From 1990 until the end of 1993, Juergen spent his internship in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Ulm, Germany, where he was board-certified in ‘Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery’ in 1991 and in ‘Plastic Operations’ in 1993. Juergen received two doctorate degrees-one in dentistry in 1983 and one in Medicine in 1987.
In 1993, Juergen moved back to Bonn, Germany, to join the new startup model ‘Zahnklinik Medeco’- a private dental clinic model, which is now copied all over Europe and where he has served as Medical Director since.
Over several years, Juergen did intensive research with dental stem-cells, including the development of various patents in partnership with ‘CAESAR’, a research institution in connection with the Max-Planck-Society.
Juergen Siemonsmeier is an avid private investor in early-stage companies and has been a member of different boards of directors and advisors.
John Lynch
John Royce Lynch, an accomplished professional in the finance sector, has been at the helm of the Royce Lynch Companies since 1993, bringing a wealth of experience to his role as a board member at AscentX Medical, Inc. His expertise in creating strategic financial solutions is evident in his latest endeavor as CEO and Founder of Royce Lynch Wealth Advisory, launched in 2023 to serve the exclusive needs of high-net-worth individuals through innovative investment management.
Leading Royce Goldman, Inc. since 2016, John has redefined the real estate fintech space, leveraging data analytics to enhance the home buying and selling process for affluent clients. Prior to this, as the Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of Secured Funding Corporation from 2003 to 2007, John’s innovative direct marketing strategies propelled the company to significant growth, culminating in a successful acquisition by Capital One.
John’s foresight and strategic direction have been instrumental at PCMA Holdings, Inc., where since 2012, he has developed private client lending solutions. His tenure as Managing Partner at BBM Enterprise Strategy, starting in 2007, showcased his ability to apply data-driven insights to financial marketing challenges. Additionally, John co-founded ONTITLE National Settlement Services in 2012, steering it towards a prosperous sale in 2018.
His track record reflects a consistent ability to identify and capitalize on market opportunities, leading to successful outcomes. John’s broad experience across financial services, combined with his dynamic approach to business strategy, renders him a seasoned advisor in the evolving landscape of private capital markets.
David Friscia, MD, MBA
Dr. David Friscia, serving on the board of AscentX Medical, Inc., combines an extensive medical background with substantial business acumen. After earning his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco in 1984, he completed a fellowship in Foot and Ankle Surgery under the guidance of Kenneth A. Johnson, M.D. Recognizing the importance of blending clinical expertise with business leadership in healthcare, Dr. Friscia pursued an MBA at the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, which he completed in 2018.
In practice since 1990, Dr. Friscia has dedicated his career to orthopedic surgery, specializing in foot and ankle conditions. His commitment to healthcare extends beyond patient care into medical executive roles, including his position as Medical Director at Eisenhower Desert Orthopedic Surgery Center. His business experience, bolstered by his MBA, has been pivotal in navigating the complexities of healthcare management and strategy.
Dr. Friscia’s contributions to the medical field are complemented by his engagement in medical education as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCR School of Medicine, where he has been teaching since 2016. Furthermore, his leadership roles within the California Medical Association, particularly from 2019 to 2021, and his active involvement in clinical research underscore his multifaceted approach to advancing medical practice and management.
His professional journey reflects a seamless integration of medical knowledge and business strategy, positioning him as a valuable asset to AscentX Medical’s board. Dr. Friscia’s expertise underscores the significance of interdisciplinary skills in enhancing healthcare delivery and innovation.
Services
Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO)
Aseptic Fill and Finish Services For the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industries
Literature