Leadership & Partners

Sébastien Plouffe, CEO and Director. 

Experienced finance professional and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in both capital markets and project development. Worked for more than 10 years as a successful VP Senior Investment Advisor with Canadian brokerages firms BMO Nesbitt Burns and Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management, from which he has accumulated considerable expertise in most aspects of raising and managing capital. Over the last 15 years, Mr. Plouffe was instrumental in the success of various Canadian and International private and public companies in sectors such as biotech, mining and technology. 

Dr. Moutih Rafei, VP Research & Development and Director is an immuno-oncologist and has accumulated profound knowledge and insight in the fields of T-cell development, stem cell biology, cancer immunotherapy and autoimmune diseases. With a PhD in Experimental Medicine at McGill University in the laboratory of Jacques Galipeau, Dr. Rafei is a leader in the development of immune-related therapies for catastrophic illnesses and his research has uncovered many seminal discoveries. Dr Rafei received over 20 awards and recognitions over the last 15 years. His research has resulted in over 20 high impact peer-reviewed publications, 5 reviews, 2 book chapters, 1 monograph, and 5 patents.

Joseph Meagher, CFO & Director (CPA, CA, C.Dir.) 

Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) since 2008, obtaining the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from The Directors College (a joint venture between McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada) in 2017. Joseph currently serves as the CFO for several publicly listed companies namely Gatling Exploration Inc., Pacton Gold Inc., Bessor Minerals Inc., Kanadario Gold Inc., and Huntsman Exploration Inc. Previous experience includes Staff Accountant and  Manager.

Dr. Simon Beaudoin, CTSO & Accum Co-Founder, has a MSc and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Sherbrooke. As co-found of Defence Technologies, Simons’ expertise in biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology greatly contributed to the conceptualization, realization and valorization of the Accum™ technology platform. With strong expertise in the area of immuno-conjugation and, more particularly, in the development and optimization of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) for anti-cancer applications, and radio-immuno-conjugates for therapeutic and/or TEP imaging applications, his impressive work has been covered in many highly respected journals. Simon is also the recipient of 15 peer-reviewed awards and scholarships. 

Dr. Raimar Löbenberg, Director and Chairman, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Pharmacy from the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany and a PhD in Pharmaceutics from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany. He joined the University of Alberta in 2000 where he is the Founder and Director of the Drug Development and Innovation Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Löbenberg’s research interests are in biopharmaceutics to predict the oral performance of drugs and botanicals and inhalable nanoparticles to treat lung diseases such as lung cancer, tuberculosis or leishmaniasis. He is a cofounder of RS Therapeutics Inc., a foam-based topical drug delivery company. Dr. Löbenberg’s recent notable positions include: President of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences; Vice Chair and current member of the United States Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplement Expert Committee; current Vice Chair of the Specialty Committee of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pharmaceutics of the World Foundation of Chinese Medicine Science; and current member of the Health Canada Scientific Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacology and the Scientific Advisory Panel on Opioid Analgesic Abuse.