Management Team

Thomas J. Meade, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, is the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Physiology and Radiology at Northwestern University.  He has founded three successful start-up companies based on his research at the California Institute of Technology and Northwestern University:  Clinical Micro Sensors (CMS) which is developing electrochemical sensors for the detection of nucleic acids, Metaprobe which has focused on in vivo biochemically-activated magnetic resonance contrast agents, and PreDx, a company also focused on imaging technologies.  CMS was acquired by Motorola in 2000 for $300 million.  Dr. Meade is currently the inventor on more than 70 patents and patent applications, including those that Ohmx has licensed from CMS and Northwestern University.

Gary F. Blackburn, Ph.D., President and CEO, joined Ohmx from Clinical Micro Sensors, a subsidiary of Motorola, Inc. where he served as Director of Research and Technology.  He has been instrumental in the development of electrochemical biosensor devices to detect nucleic acids and mutations in DNA.  Previously, he served as Director of Research at IGEN International from 1987 to 1996 and Director of Technology Management at Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics and Roche Diagnostics from 1996 to 1998.  Dr. Blackburn has authored many publications in the field of diagnostic applications of chemical sensors and is the inventor on over 30 U.S. and European patents. 

Jodi Flax Soriano, Director of Business Development, joined Ohmx from MIICRO, a start-up neuroimaging company focused on central nervous system therapeutics, where she was Director of Business Development. Previously she was a founding member of Motorola Life Sciences, a nanotechnology-based strategic business unit within Motorola focusing on DNA, RNA and protein biosensors. While at Motorola, she helped launch a biosensor platform and managed and implemented market research projects, the results of which aided in a $9M ATP/NIST government grant and a multi-million dollar acquisition. 

Dimitra Georganopoulou, Ph.D., Manager of Research, joined Ohmx from Northwestern University, where she was a research associate in the Department of Chemistry & Institute for Nanotechnology from 2003 to 2005, focusing on DNA-based protein biosensors for Alzheimer’s disease, HIV and prostate cancer. Dr. Georganopoulou is an expert in the field of analytical electrochemistry with relevant post-doctoral experience at the University of North Carolina. She is an author of numerous peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Georganopoulou holds a B.Sc. in analytical, physical and environmental chemistry from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, an M.S. in chemical research in biosensors (Honors) from King’s College, London and a Ph.D. in electrochemistry and physical chemistry from the University College, London.

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