Mr. Tanico founded CastleRock Management, an investment firm that managed long/short long-biased U.S. equity funds. Mr. Tanico served as President and Chief Investment Officer at CastleRock. At its peak, CastleRock had over $1 billion AUM and over a 20-year period CastleRock Partners, L.P., the flagship fund, generated compounded cumulative net returns of almost double that of the S&P 500. In 2013, CastleRock liquidated its main fund and has since used its research capabilities to make both active and passive investments in several industries including financial, information technology, healthcare, energy, and a multi-country consumer restaurant franchise in Africa.

Prior to CastleRock, Mr. Tanico’s was a portfolio manager (PM) and original partner at Omega Advisors and also served as an analyst – PM at Atalanta Sosnoff, Neuberger Berman and David J. Greene.

Mr. Tanico received a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from New York University in 1977 and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1980 and is a member of the New York State Bar. He is a member of or has served on the following boards: Board of Trustees of the New York Academy of Medicine, NYU Stern Board of Overseers, NYU Stern Executive Board, Dean’s Planning Council of Fordham University School of Law, Board of Trustees of Public Broadcast Station WNET, Trinity School in New York City, and Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, New York.

Dr. Alkon received his undergraduate degree in chemistry in 1965 at the University of Pennsylvania. After earning his M.D. at Cornell University and finishing an internship in medicine at the Mt Sinai Hospital in New York, he joined the staff of the National Institutes of Health where during his 30-year career he became a Medical Director in the U.S. Public Health Service at the NINDS and Chief of the Laboratory of Adaptive Systems. In 1999, Dr. Alkon then became the founding Scientific Director of the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute and occupies the Toyota Chair in Neuroscience at the Institute. In this position, he and his team conducted multidisciplinary research on the molecular and biophysical mechanisms of memory and memory dysfunction in psychiatric and neurological disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. He was also a Professor of Neurology at West Virginia University until September 2016.

As an internationally recognized pioneer in research on brain-based neural networks and the molecular basis of memory, he has authored hundreds of scientific articles as well as several books including Memory Traces in the Brain by Cambridge University Press, and the popular book Memory’s Voice by Harper Collins.

Mike has spent his career investing in and operating innovative businesses. Prior to joining Synaps Dx, he ran a consulting firm called MV Advisory. While there, he led investments in numerous private companies, and advised dozens of businesses across key financial and strategic capabilities. 

Previously, Mike worked as an equity research analyst at Stifel Nicolaus and Cowen and Company. In that role, he met with management teams, built financial models, and wrote investment research reports on publicly traded companies.

Mike is a CFA charterholder. He received his MBA from Columbia Business School, and his Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 

Michael Tunkelrott is the VP of Marketing for SYNAPS Dx. Michael has extensive experience in the pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, providing commercial leadership during clinical development and market preparation, successfully launching products both in the US and globally. During his 25 years in sales and marketing, Michael has worked across several specialty areas and disease states, including hepatology, neurology, virology, infectious diseases.

Independent position (PI) as a senior research scientist (Associate Professor) and Lead Research Scientist (14 years). Accomplished scientist in the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics of neurodegenerative diseases, Program manager in academic and non-profit research organization. Outstanding record as a translational scientist, International expert as health research and development grant reviewer. Experience in developing diagnostic lab accredited by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) compliance, IRB protocol submission, and FDA submission for in-vitro diagnostic test, Serves as a member of the Joint Management Committee, Serves as the scientific and technical leader and as the primary source for the scientific expertise of in vitro diagnostics/therapeutics.

Tom Alexander has over 45 years of experience in Immunology, with 40 years of that devoted to directing clinical immunology and molecular laboratories. His major focus areas have been infectious disease serology and molecular testing, autoimmune diagnostics and flow cytometry.   He is Board Certified by the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology (ABMLI) and is a Professor of Pathology at Northeast Ohio Medical University.  Tom has served as President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists (AMLI), Chair of the ABMLI, Chair of the Diagnostic Immunology Division of the American Society for Microbiology and is currently on the Board of Governors for the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification.  Tom has over 75 publications and national/international meeting presentations.  He has spoken worldwide on autoimmunity and HIV testing, including conducting flow cytometry training in Lesotho as part of the federal PEPFAR program.  Tom presented the prestigious Neter Award Lecture at the 2020 annual AMLI meeting.  He is the Editor in Chief of the ASCP publication LabQ, was an editor of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, and is currently on the editorial board of Infectious Disease in Clinical Practice.