Don Verlee

Don is a research biochemical engineer, an inventor, and R&D executive, who has built his success story with both large companies, including Abbott Laboratories, as well as small start-ups. Managing strategy for existing and yet to exist technologies, he is an expert in multiple medical device engineering disciplines, a skilled team builder, a multidisciplinary program leader, and has achieved success with each and every R&D organization he has led in the highly regulated fields of diagnostic assay biochemistry, medical diagnostics instrument systems, drug delivery packaging, as well as implantable drug delivery endovascular devices.

Don is deeply experienced medical device professional who has nearly 40 years’ experience. He began his career with Abbott Laboratories where he spend over 26 years conceiving, researching, developing and bringing products to market for both their Diagnostics Division, and the Hospital Products Division that eventually became Hospira. There he held management positions in various research and development organizations and was also an elected member of their Volweiler Society dedicated to excellence in medical science. Retiring from Abbott, he then established a medical device research and engineering consulting start-up that focused on assisting DARPA, NIH, UIC, Northwestern and over 20 different medical device companies conceive, screen, develop and bring to market new products, or solve difficult quality assurance issues with existing products. He has shepherded multiple medical devices from conception through development and FDA approval and into the market.

Don has over 30+ patents, many of them covering products that are currently on the market, including FactPlusTM lateral flow immunoassay pregnancy tests, Aluer Vial needleless access drug vials, and XIENCE® the world's leading drug-eluting stent (DES). Don has been a senior executive for two different medical device start-up companies before joining Lumoptik and has served on several scientific advisory boards.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in BioChemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his Masters of Science degree from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.