Primary Job Title CEO Primary Organization 
Santalis Pharmaceuticals
Location San Antonio, Texas, United States Regions Southern US Gender Male
Website herabiotech.com/ LinkedIn View on LinkedIn
Paul Castella, PhD, MBA, BiO2 Medical’s Chief Financial Officer, earned his PhD in cell biology and genetics from Cornell University Medical College in NYC and his MBA from the University of Texas in San Antonio. Dr. Castella specializes in financing and licensing strategies for technology start-ups and has significant experience in the evaluation,
financing, licensing, formation and operation of biotechnology and medical technology companies.
Dr. Castella began his career as a biotechnology consultant in Palo Alto, CA, focusing on opportunity forecasts for new oncology therapies and strategic planning for new markets for clients such as Amgen, Aventis, and Genentech. Dr. Castella co-founded his first company, Xenotope Diagnostics, in 2001 to develop the first FDA approved rapid diagnostic test for Trichomonas, the world’s most prevalent non-viral STD. The rapid test technology was licensed to Genzyme Diagnostics in 2003 for manufacture and worldwide sales.
In 2005, Dr. Castella and Mr. Banas co-founded CardioSpectra, a cardiovascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging company, which was sold to Volcano Corporation in 2007. Dr. Castella and Mr. Banas subsequently co-founded a number of life-science businesses: Aeon BioScience to develop recombinant elastin-based polymer coatings for medical devices; BiO2 Medical to develop a catheter-based IVC filter for PE prophylaxis; and the life-science venture capital firm Incyte Venture Partners. Dr. Castella also co-founded Viroxis Corporation, a botanical drug company in late-stage development of a topical antiviral.
Dr. Castella, is a member of the review committee for the South Texas Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization, helping to evaluate and recommend technology business proposals for the State of Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). Paul is an advisory board member for the Chromosome 18 Registry, Chairman of the advisory board for UTSA’s Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE) and a board member of StarTech (formerly known as the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative, SATAI) and BioMed SA.
