Annual Dinner & Showcase

Adele co-founded 1315 Capital in 2014 with the vision of supporting the growth of commercial stage healthcare companies that can positively impact patients, physicians, and the broader healthcare system. Adele and her colleagues at 1315 Capital have raised $1+ billion and invested in over 30 companies ranging from medical technologies, pharma/medtech outsourcing, healthcare services, and health & wellness.  Based in Philadelphia, 1315 Capital has established itself as a leading national healthcare private equity firm, providing a flexible source of capital through minority growth investments and growth buyout transactions. Prior to founding 1315 Capital, Adele was co-head of US Healthcare at Apax Partners and a partner at Quaker Partners. Prior to becoming a healthcare investor, Adele was at Baxter Healthcare in marketing and business development and started her career at Philadelphia National Bank.

Jeffrey O’Donnell, Sr., brings more than 25 years of Board and Chief Executive experience running emerging medical device firms. Businesses under his direct leadership have achieved over $1.5 billion in value creation from initial public offerings of stock or mergers and acquisitions. Jeff is currently the Managing General Partner of Runway Healthcare LP, a MedTech Accelerator.

O’Donnell retired in 2020 as CEO and founder of Trice Medical, an emerging growth medical device company, to start Runway Healthcare. Additionally, he founded and ran Embrella Cardiovascular, a medical device startup company, which was sold in 2011 to Edwards Life Sciences. Previously, Jeff has held the role of President & CEO at PhotoMedex, Cardiovascular Dynamics, and Kensey Nash Corporation.

Paul was Executive Vice President of Arrow International in Reading, Pennsylvania (now Teleflex Medical), where he completed a 42-year career. He is a graduate of Penn State University, Temple University, The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and Harvard Business School. 

At the time of Mr. Frankhouser’s retirement from Arrow International, the company was the leading supplier of central vascular access catheterization products and other critical care products worldwide. During his time at Arrow, Mr. Frankhouser was responsible for identifying, inventing and spearheading the development of a significant number of the major new product opportunities undertaken by the company to both improve patient outcomes and to save lives, especially in the area of combating nosocomial blood stream infections resulting in thousands of critically ill patients’ lives being saved yearly.

Ben Doranz, CEO of Integral Molecular and Cell Surface Bio, has demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in the biotechnology field. Under his guidance, Integral Molecular has achieved significant milestones, including securing an important $8 million contract from NIAID in October 2024 to combat emerging viruses, as well as a $2.7 million award to advance the Membrane Proteome Array™ for FDA qualification as a drug development tool.

Doranz’s vision also led to the launch of Cell Surface Bio, a transformative antibody startup that has positioned itself as a key player in the $10 billion antibody reagent market. His contributions are reshaping drug development and making significant impacts on public health, placing Integral Molecular and its affiliated companies at the forefront of biotechnological innovation.

His leadership has fostered a culture of excellence, resulting in groundbreaking advancements with the potential to revolutionize medicine and drug discovery.

Under Ben’s leadership, Integral Molecular actively collaborates with local universities, community colleges, and workforce development programs to recruit and nurture local talent. The company is proud to partner with organizations such as the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, the Community College of Philadelphia, and the Wistar Institute’s Biomedical Technician Training Program. Ben is also dedicated to the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative, a regional partnership that unites life science leaders and community partners from Southeastern Pennsylvania to address common business priorities and enhance regional competitiveness.

Additionally, Integral Molecular is committed to inspiring future scientists through its outreach initiatives. The company has partnered with programs like FirstHand and the eCLOSE STEM education initiatives to support Philadelphia public school students.

Every Cure is revolutionizing AI in the life sciences. In 2024, Every Cure received a five-year, $60 Million commitment through TED’s Audacious Project to repurpose medications for global impact, as well as $48.3M from ARPA-H to develop an AI-driven platform to revolutionize the future of drug development and repurposing.

Adaptimmune receives FDA Approval for Tecelra, the first drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that works by modifying a patient’s own immune cells to attack a solid tumor.

B. Braun takes steps to secure the supply of critical I.V. fluids amid devastation to facilities amid Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Iovance Biotherapeutics receives FDA approval Amtagvi, which is the first marketed treatment that uses tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals announces $600 million public offering. Click Here to Read More!

Joe Tacynec is the Founder and Creative Director of Filmgarden, a full-service agency specializing in video production, photography, graphic design, and marketing strategy. Prior to that, Joe worked at Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board, starting as an intern in 2010 and rising to the position of Creative Director. During his tenure as director, his team won more than 70 awards. In 2017, Joe was recognized as a 30 under 30 by Destinations International for his work in tourism marketing.

Life Sciences PA has worked closely with Joe for many years to create eye-catching video content, memorable event photography, an informative digital Annual Report, and more. Joe constantly goes above and beyond for the team at LSPA, jumping in to add creative ideas, problem-solve during events, and bringing our organization’s brand to a new level, attributes that reflect the agility and innovative spirit of our life sciences community. His dedication to the Association’s mission shows his commitment to deliver value to the Membership.

As a registered nurse, and now as a legislator, Senator Ward has been a strong advocate for increasing patient access to innovative therapies with a strong focus on the rare disease community. As a Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Rare Disease Caucus, the primary sponsor of a bill to restrict the usage of copay accumulator programs, and as one of the sponsors of the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform legislation, Senator Ward has been a leader in incentivizing access to life-saving medicines and technologies.

In the 118th Congress, Dr. Joyce introduced and championed the bipartisan and bicameral ORPHAN Cures Act, which addresses a specific provision within the Inflation Reduction Act that impedes rare disease innovation and investment. The ORPHAN Cures Act would expand the Orphan Drug Exclusion to allow for the research and development of existing products that could help find treatments for the more than 95% of rare diseases without approved therapies.