Company
Our Mission
To advance the field of stem cell medicine, and bring its life‑changing treatments to pets everywhere.
The Gallant team is a collective of respected veterinarians, scientists, and some unbelievably dedicated entrepreneurs. Our work is the result of over 100 years of regenerative medicine experience, and a commitment to invest millions into the future of stem cell therapies.
The Gallant Team
Aaron Hirschhorn
Founder & CEOAs the founder of Gallant, Aaron Hirschhorn brings 20 years of experience operating, advising, and investing in technology companies. Inspired by the impact of regenerative medicine on his own life, Aaron founded Gallant in mid-2018. Previously, Aaron was the Founder and CEO of DogVacay, a consumer marketplace app for dog sitting and dog walking. DogVacay raised $47m from investors including Benchmark Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. The business merged with Rover (Rover.com) in April 2017 to create what is now a $1B pet services company. Outside of Gallant, Aaron is a Venture Partner at Bold Capital and has served as a venture investor with Upfront Ventures. Prior to this, he worked at Monitor Group and Kayne Anderson Capital. He is on several private company boards, a member of YPO, an active angel investor, and was a 2016 finalist for E&Y entrepreneur of the year.Dr. Linda Black, DVM, PhD
President & Chief Scientific Officer, Board MemberDr. Black brings over 15 years of cross-functional experience leading strategic and operational initiatives in the biotechnology industry. She has led corporate development, finance, operations, and R&D along with a track record in regenerative medicine – with extensive experience in the development and commercialization of stem cell therapies for pets. From 2016 to 2019, she served as President and Chief Scientific Officer at Medicus Biosciences, a preclinical biotech firm focused on using polymer technologies for localized drug and stem cell delivery. Prior to Medicus, she served as the VP of Product Development for VetStem Biopharma, the first and largest veterinary stem cell company to provide regenerative therapies to horses, dogs and cats. She authored the first peer reviewed publications describing the safety and efficacy of primary adipose-derived stem cells in osteoarthritis and muscle injury in working dogs. This culminated with leading a product development team to develop the first “off-the-shelf “stem cell therapies for dogs with osteoarthritis, which was later licensed to Aratana. She was the founder and CEO of SciStem Therapeutics, a company focused on delivering off-the-shelf genetically modified stem cells for bone healing in pets and people. Prior to those roles, Dr. Black consulted exclusively for Merial, Ltd, now Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, supporting R&D, marketing, and sales divisions. She is a member of the scientific advisory boards of Medicus Biosciences and Zander Therapeutics, and a member of the board of Directors for Gallant. Dr. Black holds a DVM from University of Wisconsin-Madison, a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at GlaxoSmithKline.Dr. Shelly Zacharias, DVM, MS, VPM, BCMAS
Vice President of Medical AffairsDr. Zacharias brings ten years of multifunctional and clinical leadership experience in the field of stem cell therapy research and development plus 14 years as a clinical small animal veterinarian. She has extensive experience in the scientific development and business operations of a start-up biotech, led corporate efforts, R&D, clinical trials, and has considerable experience in regulatory compliance. In 2010, she co-founded a veterinary biotech company, Renovocyte, that made strides in stem cell therapy development in metabolic diseases in dogs and cats. In 2013, she was involved in the sale of the company to a global human medical company, Cook Group, Inc, where she remained an integral member of the executive leadership team as the Director of Veterinary Operations. At this time, she led the company into a partnership with a global animal health company where positive data was generated in continued stem cell studies in dogs and cats. In 2019, she was again involved in the acquisition of the veterinary stem cell R&D company by Gallant. Dr. Zacharias manages external professional relationships, interacts with medical doctors and veterinarians in a translational medicine aspect, and has experience conducting clinical trials. She was instrumental in the development of a new “off-the-shelf” cell therapy drug for metabolic disease which she has been working toward FDA approval. Shelly holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Cameron University as well as a Master of Arts in Secondary Science Education and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Oklahoma State College of Veterinary Medicine. She holds a certification in veterinary practice management (VPM) from Purdue University and has completed graduate-level studies in endocrinology prior to veterinary school. In 2020, she will complete the board certification for a medial affairs specialist (ACMA).Theodore T. Sand, Ph.D.
Vice President of Research & DevelopmentDr. Sand has held scientific leadership roles in a number of regenerative medicine companies for 17 years. He was the lead scientist to create, optimize, and validate the autologous adipose derived cell therapy platform for VetStem Biopharma, the first veterinary regenerative medicine company. He then initiated the commercialization of the service for horses, cats and dogs. Dr. Sand explored a variety of processing strategies and investigated the cellularity of the SVF preparations, while also establishing a cGMP culturing service. He secured a grant from the Office of Naval Research to study the stem cell profile found in the fat of dolphins. In 2010, he became the VP of Cellular Therapies & Regulatory Affairs at Celling Biosciences (Austin, TX). His focus at Celling was to study the clinical utility of bone marrow concentrate and PRP, while also working on strategies to produce an FDA-compliant fat-derived cell therapy. He joined Greyledge Technologies, LLC in September 2016, where he was responsible for expanding the network of in-clinic processing laboratories operated by Greyledge. Dr. Sand also handled implementation of Greyledge’s Quality Management System, managed its clinical studies and the company’s research program. Dr. Sand has been the inventor or co-inventor on 19 patents, has coauthored 15 scientific publications, and authored one published book chapter with another pending. He received both his B.S. (Microbiology, 1975) and Ph.D. (Biochemistry, 1982) degrees from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) and was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Immunology at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation (La Jolla, CA) from 1982 to 1983.Dr. Mark Hughes, DVM, MS
Vice President of Clinical Development & RegulatoryDr. Hughes brings over twelve years of experiance in product development, preclinincal/clinical studies and regulatory affairs for companion animal therpeutics. He has managed or contributed to clinical studies and regulatory submissions on the safety and effectiveness of veterinary drugs for therapeutic treatments related to dermatolgy, cardiolgy, endocrinology, oncology, osteoarthritis, and infectious disease. From 2008 to 2016, Dr. Hughes served as a product development manager at Virbac, a major animal health company, leading international project teams in developing new drug products and obtaining regulatory approval for the products in the USA and Canada. From 2016 to 2018, he managed clinical studies and prepared regulatory submissions for VetStem Biopharma in support of the company's regenerative medicine product development program for companion animals. In early 2019, Dr. Hughes started Hughes Veterinary Consulting, providing consulting services for US and foreign companies seeking FDA approvals for new animal drugs. He presents two-dat seminars on the Veterinary Drug Approval Process at locations across the US and Europe. Dr. Hughes holds BS, MS, and DVM degrees from University of California Davis and has gained extensive academic research experiance in a three-year post-doctoral fellowship in Comparative Pathology at UC Davis.Darryl Rawlings
Board MemberDarryl Rawlings has established himself as a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs. As founder and chief executive officer of Trupanion and founder and member of NAPHIA, Rawlings is setting high standards for a growing industry, expanding public awareness of medical insurance for cats and dogs, and expanding the market across North America. His passion for pet health runs deep. When he was 14, his family dog needed surgery that could have lengthened her life for another 12 years. The cost was beyond his parents’ means and they left the veterinary hospital without her. He vowed that someday pets would have even better medical insurance than people do. And Trupanion has fulfilled that promise with medical insurance for cats and dogs that is remarkably better than most human health insurance. Trupanion covered its first pet in Canada in 2000 and expanded to the United States in 2008. Since expanding to the U.S., Trupanion has established itself as a market leader and now provides medical insurance for cats and dogs in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. In July 2014, Darryl took this a step further, and lead the company through an IPO. Trupanion is publicly traded on NASDAQ. Under his leadership, the company continues to experience consistent growth, with revenue growth in excess of 25% in each of the past 39 quarters. Trupanion now covers more than 500,000 pets. Rawlings is a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology. His family includes his wife Caroline, two sons Sam and Bennett, bulldogs Tristen and Priscilla, cat Halle and bird Q.Richard D. Jennings
Board MemberRichard Jennings is the CEO of California Cryobank Life Sciences and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the biomedical and healthcare fields. He joined the company in 2008 and served as the President of the Stem Cell division before being named as CEO. Prior to joining California Cryobank, Richard served as CEO of Mediscan, Administrator of CFHS Holdings (Hospitals), and held leadership positions in R&D and Marketing at Kimberly Clark Corporation. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. Richard is additionally a Board Member of Palisades Country Estates and Village School. He supports various fund raising efforts including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.Art Antin
AdvisorArthur J. Antin is the co-founder of VCA, Inc., the largest family of animal care providers nationwide. Since its establishment in 1986, VCA has expanded its operations to include 923 hospitals in 46 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces. It also provides diagnostic services to more than 17,000 independent hospitals, supplies high-tech imaging, and now offers doggy day care and boarding at over 168 locations. Antin has served as VCA’s Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President, Secretary and Director. While the company was sold to Mars, Inc. in 2017, Antin continues with VCA as a Senior Advisor working on the company’s expansion into emerging markets in Brazil and Japan. Prior to VCA, Mr. Antin worked as an educator for eight years in Yonkers, NY. He then served as Director of Marketing/Investor Relations of AlternaCare Corporation, where he developed and implemented marketing strategies for a network of publicly traded outpatient surgical centers. Antin received his AA from Bronx Community College in 1967, BA from City College in 1969, MA in Community Health from New York University in 1973 and Certificate in Computer Programming from Columbia University in 1982. Today, Antin serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica and Western University in Pomona, CA. He lives with his wife, Pat, in Santa Monica, CA, where he enjoys playing golf and cycling.Dr. David Haworth DVM, PhD
AdvisorDavid Haworth is former President of PetSmart Charities in the US and Canada. An independent non-profit, strategic grant-making organization, PetSmart Charities seeks to end pet homelessness by supporting partner organizations and programs that help find loving homes for all pets and celebrates the bond between people and animals. Dr. Haworth was formerly President & CEO at Morris Animal Foundation, Director of Global Alliances within the Business Development group at Pfizer Animal Health (now Zoetis, Inc.), and before that a Director in Pfizer Animal Health's Research & Development division. Prior to joining Pfizer Animal Health, he was an associate veterinarian at a small animal and emergency clinic in Washington State. Dr. Haworth received his bachelor of science in biology from the College of William & Mary and his doctor of veterinary medicine and doctorate of philosophy from Colorado State University. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Colorado State University's Flint Animal Cancer Center.
PRESS
'Shark Tank' recap: Sharks growl over cost of cutting-edge science for man's best friend
USA TodayAnimal biotech company opens first dog stem cell bank it claims can help man's best friend live healthier for longer
Daily MailStem Cell Banking For Dogs Means Fighting Illness in the Future
Pet Guide
Partner Vets
Clairemont Village Pet Clinic
Garden City Park Animal Hospital
Goleta Airport Pet Hospital
Governor Animal Clinic
Island Trees Veterinary Hospital
Jamacha Pet Vets
Lake Forest Animal Clinic
Mohnacky Animal Hospitals of Carlsbad
Mohnacky Animal Hospital of Escondido
Mohnacky Animal Hospital of Vista
Montecito Pet Hospital
Otay Pet Vets
Palomar Animal Hospital
San Roque Pet Hospital
Stewart Veterinary Group
Syosset Animal Hospital
Turquoise Animal Hospital
Ready to learn more?
Chat with one of our pet-loving experts to learn more about how stem cell therapy can give your dog a better life.