The mission of this Oklahoma-based company is to prevent cancer recurrence through the use of novel laboratory models to identify drugs which selectively and safely kill suppressed cancer cells before they re-activate and harm the patient. In addition to drug discovery (i.e., finding new drugs for our pipeline), we are actively taking our lead compounds through the pre-clinical process toward FDA approval and seeking to finding biomarkers of tumor dormancy which will define candidates for our therapies as well as monitor their progress after treatment.

Management Team

Robert Hurst, Ph.D.
President, Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Robert Hurst Dr. Hurst's main interests are: the emergence of the malignant and invasive/metastatic phenotypes of bladder and prostate cancer; the role of cell-cell and epithelial- stromal interactions in expression of the malignant phenotype; biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of malignancy and the carcinogenic process, and the molecular basis for bladder defenses against urine and infection...read more

Michael Ihnat, Ph.D.
Director of Drug Development

Dr. Michael Ihnat Founder and Director of Drug Development of DormaTarg, and Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Pharmacology at the OUHSC. As pharmacologist and toxicologist, his research has focused on anticancer drug development with a particular focus on angiogenesis. His 12 years of research in cell biology and pharmacology specializing in drug control of angiogenesis in cancer models...read more

Kris Vermelis
Director of Business Development

Kris Vermelis As Director of Business Development, Mr. Vermelis has worked for the University of Oklahoma’s Center for the Creation of Economic (CCEW) for almost a year consulting start-up biotechnology companies. Mr. Vermelis has a BBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, as well as two and a half years experience with brand management for a large marketing firm...read more

Nick Stefanko
Director of Finance

Dr. Robert Hurst As Director of Finance, Mr. Stefanko has 2 years of experience working with Unified Services of Texas in Southlake, Texas. He also worked with a start-up CryoBlast as Chief Development Officer and has 4 years of management experience. Mr. Stefanko has a BBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship, as well a one year of start-up consulting with environmental and biotech companies...read more

Management Team

Milestones

2011:

  • Nov. 1, 2011 - DormaTarg awarded SBIR Phase II Grant for $2MM

2010:

  • Intern Partnerships Grant awarded for $47,000

  • OARS Grant awarded for $91,570

  • Awarded Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) Credit for $173,044

2009:

  • OARS Grant awarded for $45,000

  • SBIR Phase I Grant awarded for $259,133

2008:

  • License agreement with University of Oklahoma

  • SBIR Phase I Grant awarded for $122,450

2006:

  • DormaTarg, Inc. founded