Meet The Team

Ryan received his PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston in 2005. His PhD thesis was focused on improving the donor pool for solid organ transplants, specifically liver and kidney.

He later received his MBA from the Citadel in 2007 and a Masters of Hospital Administration (MHA) from MUSC in 2008.

After receiving his PhD, Ryan managed the tech transfer office (patent office) for MUSC  (~$250MM research expenditures per year), consisting of approximately 100+ Invention Disclosures and 30+ domestic and international patent filings per year. At MUSC, Ryan analyzed all technologies, filed patent applications, assisted faculty start-up companies off the ground, and out-licensed technologies to a number of corporate partners.

In 2010, Ryan founded Immunologix, Inc., a company built on a specialized platform that transformed naïve B-cells to produce 100% human monoclonal antibodies against multiple target antigens. From the company’s commencement in September 2009 through its acquisition by Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON) in October 2011, he served as the Founder and Chief Operating Officer. After the acquisition by Intrexon, he served as the Vice President of Antibody Development until transitioning into the role of Vice President of Therapeutics Business Development, working directly for Intrexon CEO and biotech billionaire, Randal J. (R.J.) Kirk during the 18 months leading up to IPO. Having met his goals with Immunologix and Intrexon, Ryan left Intrexon in April 2013 to spend more time looking for “the next” start-up opportunity, building his biotech consulting company and spending time with his growing family (wife Jennifer, nine-year-old Nick, and six-year-old Zach).

In 2014, Ryan found “the next” technology he had been looking for and started Perle Bioscience, Inc. as the President and CEO. Along with the inventor of the technology, Perle licensed a novel combination therapy into the company with the expectation it could reverse type 1 diabetes. Just as in the last companies he started, Ryan raised money from investors ($3M Series A and $3M Series B), hired employees and consultants, and was able to get regulatory approval in three countries to conduct a Phase 2b/3 human clinical trial in only nine months from conception to approval. In February 2016, Ryan stepped down from the role as CEO and appointed the former Director of the Human Genome Project to take his place. The goals he wanted to achieve with Perle had been met, and he again wanted to continue with his passion of starting companies and taking them to the point of sale and/or IPO and liquidity.

In June 2017, Ryan and his long-time business partner, Doug Carnes, started Blinktbi, Inc. in their hometown of Charleston, SC.  Ryan currently serves as Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, focusing on production of the FDA cleared Gen3 EyeStat device and working with engineers to design the new Gen4 EyeStat (due out in Q4 2021).

Ryan has held adjunct faculty positions at both Trident Technical College and the College of Charleston Department of Biology. He previously served as the Vice President of the Palmetto Biotechnology Alliance Board of Directors from 2007–2009 and was designated by the Charleston Business Journal as one of the “Forty Under Forty” in 2010 in recognition of professional success and community involvement. In August 2014, Ryan was accepted into the Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF). He served on the Board of Directors for SIBF and the Executive Leadership Board of Directors for the American Heart Association in South Carolina. Currently, Since 2014, Ryan has mentored 30+ companies with the Harbor Entrepreneur Center in Charleston, SC. The entities range from service-based to retail product-based items in food, high-tech, medical devices, and software. In the summer of 2016, he was chosen to present at Pecha Kucha Charleston, which is a group of presenters on a specific topic (similar to TED Talks).  In 2018, Ryan was chosen to give a TEDx Talk on the technology behind identifying brain injuries through a blink reflex (Click to watch TEDx Talk)

For fun, Ryan has a private pilot and instrument license and flies an airplane for the love of just going up and enjoying the quiet air. Additionally, Ryan has played ice hockey all his life and is now getting ready for his children to begin playing. With two boys under 9 years old, the rest of his “free time” is spent chasing them around.

Doug received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Medicine at The Citadel, Charleston, SC; his Masters in Science Education at the University of Georgia; and his Doctorate in Microbiology and Biochemistry at the University of Georgia.

Doug began his medical education career working in the pharmaceutical industry for SmithKline and French (SK&F) Laboratories in 1973. He began his tenure with SK&F as Regional Medical Liaison for the Southwest region of the country. During that time, he worked directly with 20 major medical teaching centers, as well as federal, state, and local hospital systems (public and private) in an effort to help improve patient care and infection control.

Doug became a District Sales Manager in 1976 for the Southeast Sales Region and was based in Raleigh, NC. In January of 1976, he was brought into the home office to develop, coordinate, and oversee the introduction of Tagamet, the world’s first H2 antagonist blocker. Doug headed the company’s training departments, where he was responsible for all sales representative and manager training. While at SK&F, Doug ran the quality control, printing, and distribution operations for the corporation.

Doug left the large corporate environment in the mid-1980s to become an entrepreneur in the field of medical education, marketing, and communications, forming Carnes Communications, Inc. Doug’s company grew from a modest seven-person, half-million corporation to a large 125-person, $20 million company when it was sold in January of 1998. The corporation serviced the pharmaceutical industry, developing and delivering educational programs to sales representatives and health care professionals. The company worked in video, film, print, live, and Internet media. Doug has been recognized by several medical professional societies for the quality and timeliness of his company’s medical educational programming.

When the company was sold to HealthAnswers, Inc. in 1998, Doug became Corporate Executive Vice President of marketing and strategic business development. Prior to his retirement, Doug developed and implemented the company’s strategic entry into the Internet healthcare market arena. Since his retirement, Doug has continued to serve as a consultant to the medical communications industry.

From 2002–2014, Doug served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Business Administration, teaching Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship. In 2012, Doug became CEO of ImmunoLogix, Inc., a Charleston-based biopharmaceutical company. ImmunoLogix, Inc. held exclusive patent and proprietary rights to the only technology making 100% human antibodies from human tonsils. In 2013, Doug negotiated the sale of ImmunoLogix, Inc. to Intrexon Corporation located in Reston, VA.

In 2014, after the sale of ImmunoLogix, Inc., Doug became CEO of Kerdea Technologies, Inc., which is headquartered in Greenville, NC. Kerdea Technologies developed a new and revolutionary technology for the control of the oxygen/fuel mixture in fuel-injected engine configurations. Under Doug’s leadership, Kerdea has obtained multiple national and international patents. Kerdea Technologies now has a License Agreement with a major India-based company, Pricol Limited. Pricol is Kerdea’s commercialization partner. They manufacture, sell, and distribute Kerdea’s O2 sensor technology on a global market.

Gary is a results oriented leader with a strong track record including multiple successful startup exits and responsibility for organizations delivering annual revenues in excess of $500MM. Success in growing and leading teams, both in Fortune 50 companies and small startups, has shaped Gary’s leadership style. This can be summarized as “relentlessly finishing great products and delivering them at scale to satisfy customer’s needs”.

During his career, Gary has launched several new products and has achieved significant revenue growth and improved profitability of existing products. Several of these products have market defining patent awarded intellectual property (IP) that changed core aspects of networking, communications, and healthcare.

Gary has led teams at Cisco, Cerent, Raytheon, Xenter, Zipit Wireless, and ECI Telecom / Telematics. Products and services from these companies span markets including internet, healthcare, and consumer applications in critical uses such as core internet infrastructure, first responder products, and military applications.

Gary is currently the Head of Product at blinkcns helping develop a data cloud and eye movement collection devices that support early, accurate and ongoing diagnosis of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders.

Gary has a MS EE and a BS ChE from George Washington and Clemson respectively. He is active in the Red Cross, serving as a regional board member. He is a past member of Clemson University President’s Advisory board and the George Washington University School of Engineering Advisory Board.

Andy is currently an ATC Spotter for the NFL whose primary role is to observe play on the field and monitor the broadcast feed of that game to identify players who may potentially be injured on a play, with an emphasis on concussions and other head and neck injuries.

Andy earned a BA in History and Master of Arts in Teaching with a minor emphasis in Biology at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. Andy taught Earth Science and was an Athletic Trainer for North Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem, NC, in 1985 before becoming Head Athletic Trainer at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, in 1986. He held this position until 1990 when he became the Head Athletic Trainer for Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Andy continued his career at Appalachian State University for 16 years as a lecturer in the Department of Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science (HLES) and took on various essential positions. In 2001 he was appointed Clinical Coordinator of the Department of HLES. He then served as the Interim Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Welfare from 2004–2005. From October 2005 to February 2006 he was Administrative Assistant to the Chair of Department of HLES where he was Coordinator of Special Projects, including research on satellite athletic training education programs and reestablishment of the HLES Advancement Board. In March 2006, Andy became the Injury Rehabilitation Coordinator at the university’s Student Health Services Center. Here he was responsible for the assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of students with orthopedic injuries with a student population of 14,500.

Andy moved on to Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, in July 2006 where he served as the university’s Director of Athletic Training until June 2017. Andy now lives on James Island in Charleston, SC. In addition to being an ATC Spotter for the NFL, he is also a Consultant in Sports Medicine for Walters Inc.

Bo earned a BS in Business Management at the University of South Carolina in 1995. Upon graduating he began pursuing a career in the insurance industry before ultimately tapping into his entrepreneurial spirit. Bo started a landscape design and installation business in 2002 and to this day still taps into his creative side by assisting customers to bring their visions to life. In 2008 Bo was recruited to the Medical University of South Carolina specifically to use his organizational skills and attention to detail in managing the National Lung Screening Study (NLST). Over 550 patients were enrolled at MUSC. In 2010 Bo was the recipient of the Jo-Ann D’Amato National Award of Excellence by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network for his effectiveness in managing the NLST. While managing the NLST, Bo also began coordinating neuro-oncology clinical trials at the Hollings Cancer Center. In 2015, Bo remained at MUSC to continue his passion for research working directly for the Department of Neurosciences, continuing to coordinate neuro-oncology and neurology studies. 

Dr. Dena Garner is a full professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, the Director of Undergraduate Research, and the Assistant Provost for Research and Policy at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. She started working at The Citadel in 2004 while completing her post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina, also located in Charleston. Before her move to Charleston, she worked at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, where she also received her doctoral degree in exercise physiology. She received her Master’s degree from the University of South Carolina in exercise physiology and an undergraduate degree from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.

She has been working in the area of mouthpiece use and its effect on human performance since 2005, with studies that have focused on reaction time, lactate, and cortisol and the effect of mouthpiece use on these parameters. In addition, her research has focused on mouthpiece use during steady-state exercise and effects on oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange as well as the proposed mechanisms for positive effects on airway dynamics in a healthy population. 

In addition to research in the area of mouthpiece use and its effect on human performance, Dr. Garner is involved in a research study that encompasses testing and evaluating physiologic neuro-assessment devices in healthy versus traumatic brain injury populations. Related to this research, she was awarded a multi-year grant from the Henry Jackson Foundation to assess neurologic assessment devices in healthy populations.

In her roles as Director of Undergraduate Research and Assistant Provost for Research and Policy, she works with The Citadel campus to promote research and scholarly activity in all departments.  In addition, she promotes external grants to support faculty research, specifically to improve the faculty/student mentoring within these research grants.  During the first year of directing undergraduate research, she worked closely with the Provost and the departments to implement the inaugural Citadel SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) program.  

Logan is blinkcns’ senior engineer. His role at present is to work with the company's vast stores of data, developing artificial intelligence that enhances the functionality of EyeStat. Additionally, he serves as a technical liaison to engineering teams involved with company operations. He started as an intern, performing repairs, upgrades, and tests on EyeStat hardware. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University in 2023 and is excited to apply and grow his knowledge with EyeStat as part of the blinkcns team. In his spare time, Logan enjoys playing and recording music.

Dr. Haider has been a volunteer intern, graduate assistant, post-doctoral research fellow, research coordinator and research assistant professor at the Concussion Management Clinic and Research Center at The University of Buffalo. His clinical research focuses on standardizing clinical assessment of concussions, methods of exercise tolerance/heart rate threshold assessment post-concussion, identifying clinical biomarkers of delayed recovery, cervicogenic headaches and treating concussions with sub-symptomatic aerobic exercise. His pre-clinical research focuses on identifying autonomic nervous system impairments and cerebral blood flow regulation after concussion, with an interest in cerebrovasoreactivity. His research also includes salivary and serum biomarkers of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, traumatic encephalopathy syndrome and sub-clinical oculomotor dysfunction.

Education:

• 2020: PhD in Neuroscience, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, SUNY
• 2020: Advanced Graduate Certification in Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, SUNY
• 2017: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship, Concussion Management Clinic and Research Center, University at Buffalo, SUNY
• 2015: MD Equivalence, Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
• 2014: MBBS, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan

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