Attila Csikász-Nagy
CEO
Cytocast
Attila is a visionary leader with a strong background in computational and systems biology. As a professor and researcher, he has made significant contributions to the field, with an impressive publication record and expertise in bioinformatics. With experience at renowned institutions like Microsoft Research and King's College London, Attila brings a unique blend of scientific knowledge and business management skills to his role as CEO. In addition to his professional pursuits, Attila enjoys playing basketball competitively with his old high school friends.
From seed funding and grants through to growth equity and strategic investment, animal health companies rely on multiple forms of capital over their lifetime. Panellists explore how and when different investors engage, and the criteria they use to assess commercial readiness, including regulatory planning, routes to market, manufacturing decisions, and long-term strategic alignment.
Moderator
Karthik Ramachandran
Senior Advisor
Elanco
Panellists
Spencer Swayze
Managing Director
Osiris Growth Capital
Cindy Cole
Partner
Digitalis Ventures
Dr. Cindy Cole is a Technical Partner at Digitalis Ventures and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Florida. Prior to joining Digitalis she was in the animal health industry for many years holding senior leadership and R&D roles at Mars Petcare, Novartis Animal Health, IDEXX, and Piedmont Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Cole completed her DVM and PhD at the University of Florida and was on the faculty of the University of California, Davis and UF.
Rob Readnour
Managing Director
Mountain Group Capital Partners
Dr. Readnour currently serves on or has visitation rights to the following companies: AgTech Accelerator, a unique startup accelerator focused on discovering and developing emerging agricultural technology companies, Skyline Vet Pharma, a company that is developing veterinary pharmaceuticals using proven delivery technologies to reformulate drugs with established animal health markets, and Boragen, a company that is developing small molecule approaches focused on leveraging the unique chemical properties of boron chemistry, both in crop protection and animal health.
Prior to joining MGP, Dr. Readnour worked at Elanco Animal Health for 27 years. During his Elanco tenure, he held several senior management positions in which he was responsible for developing and executing Elanco’s Research and Development strategies for entering several new business areas (companion animal pharmaceuticals, vaccines and enzymes). In 2017, these new business areas accounted for nearly 50% of Elanco’s $3.0 billion in sales. Dr. Readnour played an important role in Elanco’s acquisition and integration of Novartis Animal Health, Lohmann Animal Health, ChemGen and Janssen Animal Health. Within Elanco, Dr. Readnour led several initiatives to transform Research and Development through the piloting of new approaches to developing animal health products. He developed and led Elanco’s new technology scouting, acquisition and due diligence efforts. He pioneered a lean product development model which allowed Elanco to enter new areas of business without significant capital investment. He led initial efforts for Elanco to invest in early stage companies and partner with external funding sources to develop products with minimal initial investment from Elanco. Dr. Readnour served as a member of the Food and Agriculture Section of Bio International Board and as an External Advisory Board member for University of Illinois Animal Science Department.
Prior to entering management in Elanco, Dr. Readnour was an internationally recognized expert on animal health product development, analytical chemistry, human food safety and drug residues with 11 publications and 14 external presentations. Throughout his career, Dr. Readnour was responsible for the development and commercialization of 10 animal health products. Dr. Readnour received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from University of Illinois in 1990.
Progress in animal health depends on the ability for Innovation and Regulation to work in parallel. This fireside chat explores how regulatory frameworks can enable responsible innovation, support timely market access, and maintain public trust.
The discussion will examine how regulators and industry can engage earlier and more effectively across the innovation lifecycle, from development through commercialisation, to better serve veterinarians, producers, and pet owners. Panellists will share perspectives on current priorities, emerging technologies, and the practical realities of aligning scientific progress with regulatory expectations.
Panellists
Kristin Peck
Chief Executive Officer
Zoetis
Dr. Timothy Schell
Director for the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
FDA