Howard Civian Birndorf is a biotechnology

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...

 entrepreneur and one of the founders of the biotech industry in San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

. Along with former University of California

University of California

The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...

 professor and current venture capitalist Ivor Royston

Ivor Royston

Ivor Royston, M.D., is an oncologist, researcher, scientist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, recognized for his efforts to develop treatments for multiple disease targets and to fund biotechnology companies with promising science, technology or medicines....

, Birndorf founded San Diego's first biotech in 1978, the monoclonal antibody company Hybritech. The company was subsequently bought by Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...

 in 1986, and Birndorf went on to found a number of other successful companies including Gen-Probe

Gen-Probe

Gen-Probe is a public biotechnology company based in San Diego, California employing approximately 1,300, and specializing in Clinical Diagnostics, Blood Screening, Transplant Products and Research Products...

, IDEC Pharmaceuticals (which merged with Biogen to form Biogen-Idec), and Ligand. Birndorf was also involved in the formation of Gensia (Sicor), was a founding investor of Kiyon, and was a founding Director of Neurocrine Biosciences

Neurocrine Biosciences

Neurocrine Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company founded in 1992 and located in San Diego, California. The company tooks its name from the original focus on therapies for neurological and endocrine diseases and disorders....

. Birndorf was Chairman of the Board and founding Director of FasTraQ, Chairman of HA Cell Technology and was Chairman of Oy Jurilab, a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 genomics

Genomics

Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...

 company. He is a founder and co-chair of the Coalition for 21st Century Medicine and was founder, Chairman and CEO of Nanogen, Inc.
Birndorf received his B.A. in Biology

Biology

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

 from Oakland University

Oakland University

Oakland University is a public university co-founded by Matilda Dodge Wilson and John A. Hannah whose campus is located in central Oakland County, Michigan, United States in the cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills. It is the only major research university in Oakland County, from which OU...

, an M.S. in Biochemistry

Biochemistry

Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...

 from Wayne State University

Wayne State University

Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

, and has received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Oakland University and Wayne State University.