US Equity Holdings CEO Joins Buck Advisory Council

NOVATO, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 18, 2013) - Chester Aldridge, Chairman and CEO of US Equity Holdings, has joined the Buck Institute's Buck Advisory Council (BAC). The long-time Marin resident will take an active role in advising the Institute on the commercialization of some of its most promising research assets. The Buck Institute is a world leader in research on aging, devoted solely to understanding the link between aging and chronic disease.

At US Equity Holdings, Aldridge has established, financed, and managed multiple ventures in the fields of entertainment, biotechnology, and renewable energy. He has raised more than $150 million in private equity, and has led projects partnered with Sony and Disney, as well as Fraunhofer and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Under Aldridge's direction, Equity Solar has secured the exclusive license to a patented solar photovoltaic technology co-developed by NASA and the United States Department of Defense. Equity Solar has agreements in place with the majority of cell manufacturers in the world.

"Chester Aldridge, a senior executive with world-class knowledge in asset licensing and product commercialization, brings tremendous value to the Buck. Our previous work with him on the possible commercialization of Alzheimer's discoveries made in the lab of Dr. Dale Bredesen has been a testament to his value," said Brian Kennedy, PhD, Buck Institute President and CEO. "Now, through his participation in our BAC, we expect to leverage his wealth of experience in biotechnology, entrepreneurship, and fundraising to facilitate the commercialization of our scientific discoveries. His work as Founder, Chairman and CEO of Equity Solar consistently showcases his level of excellence and diversity as a commercial evangelist," said Kennedy.

"The Buck is one of the world's premier research institutes focusing exclusively on aging, its impact on chronic disease, and the translation of its discoveries to novel treatments for those diseases," said Aldridge. "The world is thankful for the Buck's innovative research on aging and its endless efforts in advancing the health and wellness of millions of people. I look forward to helping more people gain access to these revolutionary discoveries," he said.

Over the last several months, Aldridge and the US Equity Holdings team have accelerated their licensing deals and are quickly moving toward the establishment of a strategy that leads to the commercialization of some key assets and discoveries from the Buck Institute, under a new venture known as Project Golden State.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome Mr. Aldridge to the Buck family. His involvement in the BAC allows us to formalize a relationship that has been on-going over the past years and to confirm our commitment to bring innovative, ground-breaking therapies for the treatment of age-related diseases to commercialization," said Stelios Tzannis, PhD, a member of the Buck's Technology Transfer team and President and CEO of Delos Pharmaceuticals, a Buck spin-off. Tzannis also oversees the translation and clinical development activities at the Institute. "In this capacity, we are already working closely with Mr. Aldridge and his team to move some pioneering assets from the Buck forward. I look forward to continuing to work with him on Project Golden State."

The BAC is a distinguished group of men and women from the United States and around the world dedicated to helping advance the Buck Institute's scientific and educational mission. Aldridge joins a group of established, leading entrepreneurs from around the world -- including James Harpel, Senior Partner at Palm Beach Capital, and Mark Cutis, the CIO of Abu Dhabi Investment Council. The BAC meets twice a year to discuss how best to support the Buck's mission to increase healthspan through research and education.

About the Buck Institute for Research on Aging
The Buck Institute is the U.S.'s first and foremost independent research organization devoted to Geroscience - focused on the connection between normal aging and chronic disease. Based in Novato, California, the Buck is dedicated to extending "Healthspan," the healthy years of human life,and does so utilizing a unique interdisciplinary approach involving laboratories studying the mechanisms of aging and others focused on specific diseases. Buck scientists strive to discover new ways of detecting, preventing and treating age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, macular degeneration, diabetes and stroke. In their collaborative research, they are supported by the most recent developments in genomics, stem cell technologies, proteomics and bioinformatics. For more information: www.thebuck.org.

About US Equity Holdings
US Equity Holdings provides a number of advisory services for individuals and companies ranging from start-ups to large publicly traded corporations. The company's areas of expertise include merchant banking, venture capital, investment banking, business planning, strategic planning and business development. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, US Equity Holdings also has offices in Canada and the United Kingdom. For further information: www.usequityholdings.com