Dr. Matt Finley promoted to Vice President of Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Veteran administrator takes over day-to-day operations as President and CEO George Prendergast focuses on bolstering Institute’s regional presence
Wynnewood, PA — Matt Finley, PhD , MBA, who has assembled an exceptional track record overseeing key departments at Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR), part of Main Line Health, will assume day-to-day leadership of Institute operations as Vice President. The appointment is effective July 1.
George Prendergast, PhD, President and CEO, for the last 20 years, promoted Dr. Finley as part of a realignment that will allow Dr. Prendergast to focus solely on bolstering LIMR’s regional presence as the Institute’s 100th anniversary approaches.
“At this stage of my tenure, I feel I can best serve LIMR by going out into the community to talk up our many successes and conduct fund-raising to accelerate our growth,” Dr. Prendergast said. “Matt’s record of excellence over the last four years convinced me that now is the right time to hand him the day-to-day responsibility of running our ACAPRENEURIAL™ program with its unique blend of academic and entrepreneurial pursuits. He is an extraordinary administrator who has steered us well, helping us use our budgetary resources efficiently to enhance our research programs.”
Dr. Finley, who joined LIMR as Director of Research Administration in 2020, will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of all scientific, educational and operations management. Operations management includes oversight and administration of all infrastructure, physical plant, equipment, operational departments, programs/policies/procedures, training and entrepreneurial activities in the LIMR biotech company incubator. He will work directly with supervisors, managers and directors within LIMR to build engagement.
LIMR, which will turn 100 in 2027, has accelerated its ACAPRENEURIAL program in innovative directions in recent years under Dr. Prendergast and Dr. Finley. Among its recent initiatives are:
- The novel SYNC-T combination therapy whose early clinical trial results offer hope for treating metastatic prostate cancer
- A suture and a drug-hydrogel under development to deliver scarless wound healing
- A potential drug for treating the earliest stages of two conditions that can result in blindness: diabetic retinopathy and wet age-related macular degeneration
- A program of Main Line Health healthcare-worker-invented products as part of the Lankenau Ventures joint venture, including the Rogers Limb Support device
- A cardiovascular clinical research program with Main Line Health researchers serving in lead roles in first-in-human trials in valve replacement, stroke prevention and more
“I’m excited by this opportunity to work with George to help LIMR achieve new heights,” Dr. Finley said. “We have an incredible team of researchers and I’m proud to have a chance to make an even greater impact in supporting their successes. I look forward to what we can achieve as LIMR approaches its 100th anniversary and beyond.”
Dr. Finley’s experience ranges from academic and translational science to clinical and industrial roles. Before joining LIMR, Dr. Finley held positions of increasing responsibility in biotechnology companies, including Personal Genome Diagnostics, QIAGEN and SABiosciences.
He is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson University where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology in 2004. He earned his PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Temple University School of Medicine in 2009, followed by a cardiac immunology postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He earned his MBA from the University of Maryland in 2016.
About Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute located on the campus of Lankenau Medical Center and is part of Main Line Health. Founded in 1927, LIMR's mission is to improve human health and well-being. Using its ACAPRENEURIALTM model that integrates academic and entrepreneurial approaches, faculty and staff are devoted to advancing innovative new strategies to address formidable medical challenges including cancer, cardiovascular disease, tissue regeneration, gastrointestinal disorders and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. LIMR's principal investigators conduct basic, preclinical and clinical research, using their findings to explore ways to improve disease detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. They are committed to extending the boundaries of human health through technology transfer and training of the next generation of scientists and physicians.