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ABOUT ZHITTYA GENESIS MEDICINE INC.

Who We Are

Zhittya (meaning Life in Ukrainian) is a biotechnology company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. We are seeking to commercialize human FGF-1, a potent, naturally occurring growth factor. Since its discovery in the 1970s, FGF-1 has been extensively studied. Since 1998, Daniel Montano, Viktoriya Tamlenova-Montano, and Dr. Jack Jacobs have been working to bring this drug to market. Zhittya's management believes that FGF-1 has the potential to be a revolutionary new biological drug for the treatment of numerous diseases characterized by a lack of blood flow to an organ or tissue. In fact, there are over 75 human diseases resulting from a lack of blood flow or perfusion to tissues, and Zhittya has now targeted 19 of those disorders for treatment with FGF-1.

Locations

Office

1120 N Town Center Dr., Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Zhittya Genesis Medicine Office Space

Laboratory

1664 North Virginia St., Reno, Nevada

University of Nevada, Reno

University of Nevada, Reno where Zhittya's Lab space is located.

Meet The Team

Daniel C. Montano

Daniel C. Montano

CEO

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Dan Montano started on the floor of the Los Angeles Stock Exchange in 1968, as a floor broker. Over the next 30 years, he managed thousands of stockbrokers as CEO of several securities firms. As an investment banker, Mr. Montano handled the IPO's of over 100 companies from 1968 until 1998. During that time, he also assisted in starting almost 100 new companies to advance new technologies. In 1998, Mr. Montano left investment banking and dedicated himself to advance biotechnology breakthroughs.

Daniel Montano secured his MBA from University of Southern California in 1974.

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Dr. Jack Jacobs

President / Chief Science Officer

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Dr. Jack Jacobs has been involved in the healthcare industry for over 25 years and has extensive expertise in supervising drug manufacturing operations and the design and implementation of preclinical animal trials and US FDA-authorized clinical trials. He started a new department of biological chemistry at Merck and for over 20 years worked with Mr. Montano as a chief scientific officer where Dr. Jacobs oversaw FDA-authorized clinical trials in which FGF-1 was tested in a number of medical indications, including coronary artery disease, diabetic foot ulcers, and peripheral artery disease. Dr. Jacobs received a BS degree from Davidson College and a PhD in molecular biology from Washington University, St. Louis.

Viktoriya Tamlenova-Montano

Viktoriya Tamlenova-Montano

Vice President of Strategic Innovations

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Viktoriya (Vika) Tamlenova-Montano is vice president of strategic innovations for Zhittya Genesis Medicine Inc. For the last 20 years, she has been involved with biotechnology, handling technology transfer from the Ukrainian biotechnology companies to the USA, clinical trials, and research of new applications of angiogenesis medicines. Ms. Montano holds three Bachelor's degrees and a Master's degree from prestigious Ukrainian universities. She also speaks six languages and has been the personal translator for the first president of a free Ukraine, President Leonid M. Kravchuk. Ms. Montano has presented at universities on epigenetics, and she is dedicated to addressing women's health issues, which can be treated with angiogenesis and neurogenesis.

Judith Luell

Judith Luell

VP of Operations

  • LinkedIn

Judy has been a long-standing player in the efforts to develop the human FGF-1 medicine for cardiovascular and brain disorders. She first joined up with Zhittya’s CEO, Dan Montano, in 2004 when early efforts were focused on studying FGF-1 in patients with severe heart disease (“no-option” heart patients) and also in diabetics with non-healing foot ulcers. Judy was instrumental in putting together contracts, regulatory filings and other essential commercial activities to support these efforts. 

Currently, at Zhittya, she works closely with CEO Dan Montano and President Dr. Jack Jacobs to advance the FGF-1 molecule in an expanded portfolio of medical indications, including brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke disability and Alzheimer’s disease. She is responsible for the organization and implementation of the many business and commercial operations that always surround the running of relatively complex clinical studies.

Prior to joining Zhittya Genesis Medicine, Judy worked in the Las Vegas casino industry for 6 years and prior to that, she worked for Racine Visiting Nurses/St. Luke Community Hospital in Wisconsin.

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Thomas O'Brien

VP of Administration

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Thomas O'Brien has been a member of Zhittya's senior management team for more than eight years; advising on and responsible for corporate matters, contracts, intellectual property and licensing documents and issues, corporate and regulatory compliance, international commercial, cross border, and global partnering matters. 

 

His forty-year career included as partner at two international law firms: Coudert and Denton. His clients included Chevron, AIG, CNPC, Total, INPEX, Yukos, and Statoil. He worked on major projects in Russia, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and London. He was also Head of Legal at the Abu Dhabi International Investment House; Managing Director of Caspian Petroleum GmbH in Vienna and two subsidiaries in London; and Lead Transaction Counsel for the FDIC receiverships of Western Savings and Lincoln Savings in Phoenix. He was Vice President General Counsel General Counsel of Brinderson Corp. in Irvine, and also Construction Group Counsel at Perini Corp. (now Tutor-Perini). He is presently not practicing law. He was licensed in New York, California, London, Colorado, and Massachusetts.

BA Honors, Georgetown University

JD Albany Law School, Union University

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Ernest Montano

Exec. Vice President of Asia Pacific Region

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Mr. Ernest Montano has been involved with biotechnology since 1998. Mr. Ernest Montano has lived in Asia since 1973, when he first moved to India. He has since resided in Manila, Philippines starting in 1987 and has traveled throughout the Asia region on business. He has been an independent businessman, conducting business in many Asian nations. Now, he is currently entering a new venture with his younger brother, Mr. Dan Montano, the Chairman and CEO. He oversees the International business activities of the company.

Sergiy Montano

Sergiy Montano

Vice President of Marketing

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Sergiy has worked at all levels of a biotechnology company, from basic email security and social media efforts to raising money and international clinic development. As the Vice President of Marketing, Sergiy has led successful marketing campaigns on Google, YouTube, Facebook, and various other platforms leading to millions of interactions and hundreds of thousands of additional followers.

Sergiy is currently enrolled at the University of California, Irvine (2024) studying Business Administration and Biological Sciences and at the Universitat de Barcelona studying Business and Politics. 

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Daniel H. Montano

Vice President of Drug Development

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Daniel has been involved in the biotechnology industry for 10 years. He does extensive work in graphic design and website development. Beyond his technological experience, he assists in the manufacturing of the FGF-1 drug in the US, Latin America, and Europe.

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Khiry Anderson

Technology & Marketing Manager

  • LinkedIn

Khiry’s business experience stretches across all fields. Having his start in the restaurant industry, he was able to use his extensive knowledge of employee management and marketing as a way to jumpstart his career in computer coding, social media, and underlying computer and internet analytics. Working in a biotechnology company, Khiry plans to bring together his advanced knowledge of computer science, managerial skills, and marketing to facilitate and strengthen advertising campaigns and other marketing efforts.

Khiry is currently enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno (2024) studying Computer Science.

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