founders
Lipogen was founded in 1991 as a biotechnology start-up by ambitious entrepreneurs and prominent scientists.
- David Rutenberg Co-CEO and VP of Research & Development
- Ilan Perry Co-CEO, COO and VP of Product Development
- Doron Amir Late Co-Founder and VP of Finance
David has been developing nutritional supplements for the past 25 years, but he looks, acts and thinks like a much younger version of himself. In fact, after taking Lipogen products since they were launched, his memory is excellent.
David directs the company’s clinical trial, licensing and product patent activities, responsible for numerous publications in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. He holds multiple patents for novel phospholipids in products used throughout the world. He has advised leadership in the highest echelon of the Israeli government on science and technology.
As a philanthropist, David chairs the Rutenberg House non-profit, which provides education in leadership and technology as well as youth enrichment programs in Israel and around the world. David received his BS in engineering. He began his career in the Israeli Navy’s submarine division, reaching the position of commander.
Ilan is responsible for making the Lipogen organization hum. He has a keen eye for simplifying complexity, which is perfect for his role in directing product manufacturing so that it reaches maximum efficiency, quality and safety.
An industrial designer at heart, Ilan finds ways to bring added value to business and community initiatives. His passion for helping others succeed has been key to the company’s success over the past 25+ years. He is has introduced a program to integrate workers with special needs into operations for win-win outcomes.
When he’s not working, Ilan is volunteering in the community or pursuing one of his many diverse interests, such as introducing aviation-related programs in local high schools. One of his hobbies is ancient maritime history, about which he has published several articles. Ilan served as an officer in the Israeli Naval Forces, commanding in a submarine squadron. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Haifa.
Doron was responsible for forging new business relationships and expanding globally. His career-long expertise in economics and finance helped propel Lipogen on a successful trajectory and meet profitability targets.
Doron's leadership skills set the stage for Lipogen's dynamic, team-oriented culture. An exceptional man and role model, Doron dedicated much of his time to contributing to society and helping others, activities that were an inseparable part of his life. He instilled these values of community support in his colleagues, friends and family alike.
Doron received his BA in economics. Early in his career, Doron was a captain in the Israeli Navy, commanding a submarine squadron, which may explain his later love of the fresh outdoors.
advisory board
Lipogen co-founders and research partners
- Professor Meir Shinitzky
- Dr. Avner Sheinfeld
The true sign of gifted scientists is that they always have more questions than answers. Professor Meir Shinitzky, the world-renowned brain researcher who had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, was this kind of visionary biophysicist. Among his prolific research in neurology, psychology, cancer, immune systems and heredity, Shinitzky worked to crack the code on the connection between the structure of our cells and the function of these microscopic units that number in the trillions in our bodies.
Shinitzky had burning questions about our cell's gatekeepers, the membranes surrounding our cells. He, among others, observed that there were direct links between the health of our membranes and our memory, problems-sovling abilities, emotions and other core life skills.
Shinitzky's journey of a lifetime delved into our cells' building blocks. He discovered how to fuel brain and nerve cells so we can be better at what we do. Lipogen is the brainchild of Shinitzky's fact-finding mission. He wrote over 200 scientific journal articles, published over a half-dozen books and registered dozens of scientific patents. He shared his award-winning insights with others as a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science and as a visiting professor at Duke University. He lectured for decades at industry forums, too many to count.
Shinitzky's protégés continue to solve his unanswered mysteries, and are posing new questions that deliver the latest insights on improving our brain health so we can each reach optimal performance.
Having had a hand in founding Lipogen as well as other start-ups, Dr. Avner Sheinfeld is a serial entrepreneur specializing in scientific and medical technologies. He is intrigued by the cell membrane’s role in human function, including memory, cognition, addiction and weight loss.
Dr. Sheinfeld founded Modus, which developed a product for smoking cessation, and Linx, a pioneering solution for weight loss. The underlying technologies of these products were based on cell membrane discoveries.
More recently, Dr. Sheinfeld founded Pharma Vision Design for slow release of medications to treat eye conditions. Sheinfeld is a graduate of the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he completed his doctorate in the field of cell biophysics. He holds several patents related to cell membrane innovations.
Scientists
Team of expert consultants
- Dr. Juliane Hellhammer PhD, Principal Investigator
- Hagit Lichtig Koren Food Engineer
- Dr. David Mualem Strategic Advisor
- Prof. Jacob Gindin Medicine Advisor
Dr. Juliane Hellhammer is the CEO of daacro GmbH & Co. KG, a leading, full-service contract research organization, which conducts research for pharmaceutical and dietary supplement companies from throughout the world.
Dr. Hellhammer takes special interest in health, cognitive function, disease prevention, aging, mental health, sports and women's health issues. She is intrigued by stress – measuring it, minimizing it and protecting against it with nutritional supplements and treatments.
Dr. Hellhammer directs the daacro Saliva Lab and daacro Study Site, which perform research, clinical trials and studies. She also serves as a consultant in her areas of expertise. Prior to founding daacro, Dr. Hellhammer was a research assistant at the University of Trier and the Executive Director of the Research Center for Psychobiology and Psychosomatics, a major scientific research facility operated by the University of Trier.
Dr. Hellhammer has published dozens of research studies in peer-reviewed journals. She earned her PhD in psychobiology.
As a passionate food engineer, Hagit Lichtig Koren wears two hats. In one role, she’s like your favorite chemistry teacher, meticulously tinkering until she reaches product nutritional perfection, and conducting experiments – all in pursuit of the ideal supplement. On the other hand, she’s like that strict teacher who never let you get away with anything – in Lipogen’s case, obsessively auditing processes, checking ingredients and testing final products before they leave the plant, making sure that safety and quality always come first.
Hagit keeps the Lipogen plants in top compliance, setting guidelines and directing auditing for ISO, GMP (good manufacturing practices) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) for food safety.
She has a well-rounded portfolio of experience, having worked for Israel’s largest food manufacturer, a major juice producer, a biotech start-up, an engineering firm and a nutritional supplement company.
Hagit earned her MSc in quality assurance and reliability and her BSc in food engineering and biotechnology. Her work keeps her on the go, as does her favorite hobby – long-distance running.
Dr. Mualem is an invaluable member of the Lipogen team, consulting on chemistry, product development processes, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. He provides due diligence, legal opinions and patent portfolio management, assisting will just about every stage of product development and roll-out.
Dr. Mualem is an expert in American regulations and has extensive knowledge of the European Patent Convention (EPC) and the range of laws and practices among European national systems.
When he is not advising Lipogen, he supports leading biotech and pharma companies in Europe and the United States.
Dr. Mualem earned his PhD in physics from the University of New York at Stony Brook, his LLB law degree from the University of Strasbourg – Center for Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) and his master’s degree in technology management from Polytechnic University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Mualem’s flawless reputation precedes him.
Prof. Jacob Gindin is a world-renowned specialist in geriatric medicine, sharing his time as a clinician, lecturer and researcher among several medical institutions.
He is the Head of Geriatric Services of the Assuta Medical Centers of Israel and the Director of the Center for Standards in Health and Disability in the Research Authority of the University of Haifa.
For two decades, Prof. Gindin was the Director of the Geriatric Institute for Education and Research at Kaplan Medical Center and of the Geriatrics Department in the Hartzfeld Geriatric Hospital. Prof. Gindin teaches in the master’s program in gerontology for medical doctors at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at the University of Haifa.
Gindin was awarded grants from the Camp David Institute of International Health in 1978 and 1987, and has been a visiting assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City since 1989. He is a fellow with InterRAI, which develops methods for treating the disabled and individuals with complex medical conditions, and is currently serving as the Chair of its International Development Committee. He has published over 30 articles on geriatric medicine and other medical topics.
