Dr. Cavenee did his graduate and postdoctoral training in cell biology, biochemistry and human genetics. He received his Ph.D. with honors in 1977 from the University of Kansas Medical School and then did postdoctoral work at the Jackson Laboratory, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Utah. He has held faculty positions at the University of Cincinnati and McGill University (where he was the Founding Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Montreal Branch).  From 1991-2015 he was Founding Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch and Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego. Since 2015, he is Director, Strategic Alliances-CNS of Ludwig Cancer Research with global responsibilities. He is also Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

His research has evolved over the years to the interplay between oncogenic and suppressive mutations in the genesis and progression of human tumors, particularly those of the central nervous system, and their influence on therapeutic response. This work involves cellular genetics, engineered mouse models, protein biochemistry and tumor biology. Dr. Cavenee’s most recognized accomplishments are in the genetic basis of cancer predisposition, tumor progression, oncogenic cellular signaling and the use of genetic approaches for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. He has served on many NIH review and advisory panels including the Boards of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and advisory boards for several NIH Cancer Center Support, SPORE and PO1 grants, as well those of several private foundations and international institutions. He has been President of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Dr. Cavenee is an elected member/fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Leopoldina German Academy of Science, the AACR Academy, the International Union Against Cancer, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Academy of Microbiology. He has published more than 380 scientific papers and received more than 120 honors, most notably the Charles S. Mott Prize of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation, the Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Award from the National Foundation for Cancer Research, the Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research from the American Association for Cancer Research, the Feldman Founder’s Award from the National Brain Tumor Society and the Friendship Award from the People’s Republic of China.

Pamela Garzone currently serves as Chief Development Officer of Anixa Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANIX), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious diseases, where she oversees Anixa’s vaccine and therapeutic development programs. Prior to that, Pamela was most recently the Chief Medical Officer of Calibr, a division of Scripps Research. Prior to joining Calibr, Pamela spent ten years at Pfizer (2009-2019), located in South San Francisco, CA. Before Pfizer, Pamela was Senior Director of Clinical Development at Elan Pharmaceuticals (2006-2009), focusing on early stage assets in neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. Prior to Elan, Pamela provided consulting services to countless executives in the area of drug development for over a decade. In the early years of her industrial career, Pamela created her pathway to leadership- managing preclinical groups such as toxicology and pharmacokinetic and drug metabolism functions in addition to planning and developing protocols for clinical pharmacology studies. Pamela has taught undergraduate and graduate students , providing courses in clinical research, experimental design and clinical pharmacology, while a faculty member of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh. She received the Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019.

Pamela is a respected pharmaceutical executive with a significant record of achievement in drug development and leadership, ascending to the level of Chief Medical Officer. She has led teams successfully through the regulatory process, culminating in clearance of multiple INDs in different therapeutic areas and approval of registration dossiers. Pamela is valued as an authentic leader, providing inspiration and motivation, mediating conflict resolution and was chief influencer of executive management. She has interacted with health authorities (US, CHMP, PMDA, HC) for pre-IND meetings, EOP2 meetings, FDA advisory committees, and EMEA scientific advice meetings. Pamela is an invited speaker at international meetings and for prominent organizations as well as an author of peer reviewed scientific articles. Recognized for her strategic, scientific and regulatory leadership in drug development, she serves as advisor to executives of start-up and clinical stage biotechnology companies, venture capitalists and non-profit research foundations and as the co-chair of AIM-HI Women’s Venture Competition. She has extensive experience helping boards and committees achieve aggressive goals and fulfill key objectives.

Pamela has comprehensive experience providing trusted leadership on boards and committees for a variety of organizations. She has achieved outstanding achievements as National Sponsorship Chair of Women in BioScience. Additionally, she has been profiled in Clinical Leader and served as a member of its Advisory Board. She has volunteered for numerous professional and community organizations.

Pamela earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Science and M.Sc. in Pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.Sc. in Pharmacy from Purdue University. She also obtained 2 certificates from Harvard University- the first one in Special Studies Administration and Management and Women on Boards from Harvard University. In addition, she received a certificate in Non-Profit Board Governance from College of San Mateo in California.

Pamela is married with one child. She enjoys scuba diving, hiking, running, cycling and travelling around the world.

Chih-Kao is an experienced management consultant working with top 100 pharmaceutical and biotech companies across more than 50 countries. His consulting approach concentrates in providing evidence-based commercialization strategies to healthcare clients by integrating scientific, clinical knowledge into commercialization. Chih-Kao has assisted companies with their commercial design, operation, business expansion and licensing deals. He also has managed several major pharmaceutical merger and acquisitions.

Prior his consulting career, Chih-Kao did a significant amount of scientific research for EGF-like peptides with Nycomed Pharma AS. Its fundamental concept led to the discovery of the anticoagulant Angiomax (bivalirudin). In addition, Chih-Kao worked on a key development project with Boehringer Mannheim and evaluated pharmacokinetic properties of the anti-fibrinolytic protein, Retavase (BM06.022, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator). He has published more than ten scientific articles based on his pharmaceutical research work.

Chih-Kao is a regular speaker on commercialization and scientific topics in various international conferences. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry summa cum laude from Tamkang University in 1986. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Physics Program) from Carnegie Mellon University in 1995, and a MBA at the Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University in 1997.

Since 2001 Dr. Kucherlapati is the Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and was the first Scientific Director of the Harvard Medical School-Partners HealthCare Center for Genetics and Genomics (HPCGG).

Raju Kucherlapati received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana and did his post-doctoral work at Yale University.  He was assistant professor in the Department of Biochemical Sciences at Princeton University, and then became professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. In 1989 Dr. Kucherlapati went to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he was the Lola and Saul Kramer Professor of Molecular Genetics and University Chairman of the Department of Molecular Genetics, a position he held for eleven years.  

Dr. Kucherlapati contributed to several different areas of research.  These include gene targeting and homologous recombination, human gene mapping, and generation of physical maps of the human genome with special emphasis on human chromosome 12, development of techniques to modify genes in mammalian cells and in cloning many human disease genes He was a member and Chair of several review committees at the NIH, was a member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research at the National Human Genomics Research Institute, and was a co-chair of the steering committee for the National Cancer Institute’s Mouse Models for Human Cancer Consortium. He served on the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine and was editor in chief of the journal Genomics.  He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Kucherlapati was a member of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues during the Obama administration.  

Dr. Kucherlapati was a Founder of several biotechnology companies including Cell Genesys, Abgenix (acquired by AMGEN) and Millennium (acquired by Takeda). He serves on the Boards of several privately held biotechnology companies and is a Board member of a publicly traded company called Puretech Health that trades on the London Stock Exchange. He has been active in promoting Precision Medicine in China and is the co-Chair of the International Cancer Precision Medicine Conference that just held it fourth annual meeting in Chongqing.

Dr. Louis D. Lieto is the leader of the patents and innovations department at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and is a partner in the firm’s Boston office. Lou advises biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies on strategic patent counseling, global patent portfolio development and management, and IP counseling for M&A and capital markets in complex life science fields.

Lou has decades of experience advising biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life science clients on all aspects of patent law and related business matters. He works with innovators engaged in highly technical fields, including CRISPR, cell therapy, immunotherapeutics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, stem cells, biofuels, regenerative medicine, and transgenic animals. He designed and implemented IP Strategy for multiple companies with drugs in active clinical trials, such as Aileron Therapeutics, Charleston Laboratories, Curemark, Gadeta B.V., BioNTech, Myeloid Therapeutics, Stoke Therapeutics, and TCR2 Therapeutics. He has extensive experience representing investors and companies in Financings and M&A.

Lou received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, where he focused on characterizing the molecular and genetic basis of hereditary disease. Subsequently, Lou completed his postdoctoral fellowship in immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Lou was a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office where he examined applications for inventions encompassing proteins, DNA vectors, nucleic acid vaccines, immune cell therapy, stem cell therapy, transgenic animals, and gene therapy.

Scott M. Lippman, MD, is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine & Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Research at UC San Diego Health, professor of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, senior associate dean and associate vice chancellor for Cancer Research and Care and holds the Chugai Pharmaceutical Chair in Cancer. He is also an adjunct professor at the Salk Institute, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Lippman has been recognized in every major “Top Doctor” listing including U.S. News & World Report. He has received numerous awards, including the American Cancer Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Award, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Award and the ASCO Statesman Award.

Dr. Lippman brings more than 25 years of experience as principal investigator of translational research involving investigator-initiated clinical trials. He has participated in the national leadership of clinical/translational research planning and development within the National Cancer Institute Cooperative Group setting and currently serves on the National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Trials and Translational Research Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the AACR, the Association of American Cancer Institutes and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and has served on the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee.

Dr. Lippman is an elected member of the prestigious Association of American Physicians. He has authored more than 300 publications in high-impact journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and The Lancet, and chapters in major medical textbooks.

Before joining UC San Diego Health, he was chair of the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Lippman completed fellowships in hematology and medical oncology at Stanford University and the University of Arizona. He completed an internship and residency training in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is board-certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology.

Mr. Jimmy Lu has over 25+ years of high tech and venture capital experience. Having a background in technology investing, he focuses much of his time now on healthcare related investments.

Mr. Lu is Member Of The Board Of Advisors at Elm Street Ventures. He is actively involved as Board Director of DeepBiome Therapeutics (microbiome drug discovery company leveraging deep learning methodologies), Panorama Medicine (advanced computational approaches addressing RNA-based diseases), Kindstar Globalgene Technology (China’s leader in specialty clinical lab testing), PaperG/Thunder (cross platform marketing technologies) and Wonder Workshop (educational toys/devices teaching children how to code). Previously he represented WI Harper on the boards of CNano Technology, China Diagnostics Medical Corporation (Chemclin), StemCyte Inc., Circle Pharma and Quixey.

Prior to joining WI Harper in 2010, Mr. Lu co-founded and was a General Partner of iD Ventures (Acer Technology Ventures), with key investments that included iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ: IRBT), Harmonix Music (creators of Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, acquired by MTV/Viacom; NYSE: VIA), ArtX (acquired by ATI Technologies; NASDAQ: AMD), Allayer Communications (acquired by Broadcom; NASDAQ: BRCM), Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ: MPWR), Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT), and Atrua Technologies (acquired by AuthenTec, later sold to Apple; NASDAQ: AAPL).

Mr. Lu joined the Acer Group, in 1992, and as General Counsel, worked closely with senior management to negotiate and structure Acer’s international joint ventures, strategic alliances, acquisitions, global financings and commercial transactions. Before joining Acer, he was with the McCutchen law firm in San Francisco, specializing in M&A and venture transactions, debt and equity financings, and public securities work. He also spent several years covering Fortune 100 companies as a banker with JP Morgan in New York City.
Mr. Lu earned a BA from Yale College, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a JD from UC Berkeley School of Law. Mr. Lu has spoken at many conferences sponsored by international organizations and has guest lectured and presented at Yale, Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. He has served as the Chair of the Yale Alumni Association and a trustee of the PK Yonge Laboratory School. He is currently a member of the Yale President’s Council on International Activities, the Vice-Chair of the Yale Alumni Magazine board and an Associate Fellow of Trumbull College. He also serves on the University of Florida College of Engineering West Coast Advisory Board and is a member of the advisory board of Elm Street Ventures.

Patty Obermaier leads Microsoft’s US sales strategy for driving digital transformation across customers and partners within the health and life sciences marketplace. Responsible for the 400+ sales organization and $3.5B in revenue, Patty is a recognized industry leader in health care and technology. With a strong track record for accelerating business results and building high performance teams, Patty is passionate about driving innovation in the health care industry so every person on this planet can achieve more.

Before she joined Microsoft, Patty founded Resigility LLC and served as CEO between 2015 and 2019. Resigility LLC is a strategic consulting firm dedicated to improving the resiliency and agility of corporations, government agencies, and communities. Patty joined IMS Health in 2009 as part of TPG Capital’s $5 billion private equity take-private / takeover of IMS Health, where she served as Head of Government Solutions and led successful turnaround of US Government business while contributing significantly to corporate growth and profit improvement initiatives. IPO of IMS Health in April 2014 is considered one of the most successful and largest turnarounds in healthcare private equity history. She was Head of US Payer, Provider and Government Markets between 2014 and 2015.

Prior to this, Patty had extensive experiences in CRM, business development, practice development, strategy development and people management with corporations such as Unisys and Collaborex.  She co-founded consulting firm, The ALLERIS Group, in 1993 and served as President until 2000.

Patty received a MBA in Business Administration and General Management from Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Throughout her career, Patty has built a reputation for thinking differently and seeking innovation. These guiding principles have helped her develop organizations that deliver exceptional results in revenue growth and profitability. As a senior executive and entrepreneur in several industries (healthcare, information technology, and professional services), she has received multiple awards for improving bottom lines and building successful, diverse teams.

Patty is passionate about shaping the future generation’s leadership skills, and is honored to lend her voice as Board Member of the Global Good Fund, and as a volunteer for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Her family is enthusiastic about cycling advocacy and are grateful to have been spotlighted on Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play, NPR, and Salud America.

Dr. Croce entered the school of medicine of La Sapienza University of Rome and graduated in 1969 summa cum laude in medicine and Latin.  He began his career in the United States the following year as an associate scientist at the Wistar Institute of Biology and Anatomy in Philadelphia. In 1980, he was named Wistar Professor of Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania and associate director of the Wistar Institute, titles he held until 1988. He was at Wistar from 18 years. From 1988-91, he was director of the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Croce rapidly expanded the faculty and staff and launched a PhD programme in genetics.

In 1991, Croce was named Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Medical College at the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. While at Jefferson, he discovered in 2002 the role of microRNAs in cancer pathogenesis and progression, implicating a new class of genes in cancer causation – he found that loss of two miRNAs that target BCL2 caused chronic lymphocytic leukemia in mice. 

In 2004, Croce moved to Ohio State University, where he had been an external advisor since 1988. Under his direction, the faculty within the Human Cancer Genetics Program conduct both clinical and basic research. Basic research projects focus on how genes are activated and inactivated, how cell-growth signals are transmitted and regulated within cells, and how cells interact with the immune system. Clinical research focuses on discovering genes linked to cancer and mutations that predispose people to cancer.

Dr. Corce is noted for research into the genetic mechanisms of cancer. His work focuses on microRNAs and their role in oncology. He discovered the juxtaposition of the human immunoglobulin genes to the MYC oncogene and the deregulation of MYC in Burkitt lymphoma; the MLL gene involved in acute leukemias; the TCL1A gene associated with T-cell leukemias; and cloned, named and characterized the BCL2 gene involved in follicular lymphoma. Croce also uncovered early events involved in the pathogenesis of lung, nasopharyngeal, head and neck, esophageal, gastrointestinal and breast cancers.

Dr. Croce received numerous awards, including the 2006 Clowes Memorial Award from the American Association for Cancer Research for his discoveries of the molecular mechanisms of leukemia. In 2010, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research (2011), the Outstanding Investigator Award from National Cancer Institute (2015) and the Dan David Award (2018).

Aleksandra Filipovic MD, PhD, is head of oncology at PureTech, where she manages Oncology Asset Sourcing, review of oncology/ immuno oncology technologies and platforms from academia world-wide as well as biotech assets and pipelines amenable for commercialization and partnership. She is also responsible for pre-clinical and clinical development of therapeutics, prognostics/diagnostics and treatment delivery and imaging modalities from concept all the way leading up to product launch.

Previously, Dr. Filipovic served as associate medical director of Bristol Myers Squibb (New York) for early phase oncology and immuno-oncology clinical trials. She graduated from medical school at the Faculty of Medicine University of Nis, Serbia, and completed her PhD on the identification and validation of novel therapeutic targets in breast cancer and monoclonal antibody drug development at Imperial College in London, UK. Following this, she received a Fellowship from the College for the continuation of the translational research work and continued clinical practice in medical oncology.

Dr. Filipovic is also a practicing clinician at Imperial College NHS trust, faculty member at European School of Oncology, scientific committee member of Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC), associate editor for Frontiers in Oncology, and a member of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC).

Dimitra is an experienced biotech professional with deep knowledge of personalized medicine projects, therapeutics. medical devices, diagnostics, and Health IT.

Dimitra is a general partner of Qral Ventures, and serves as Chief Business Officer (CBO) in select portfolio companies. She is currently a member of the Innovation Faculty team for MIT’s LinQ Catalyst program, mentoring and guiding innovators solving health and medical challenges. Dimitra currently serves as a technical dilligence lead for the Keiretsu Forum Midwest Investments and a Venture Partner for MBx Capital (formerly FundRx), a next-generation of healthcare and life science venture capital firm. Dimitra serves as an advisor to the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund, a mentor for the mHUB MedTech Accelerator and mentor for the Polsky COMPASS program. Dimitra is also a Director at Large for Women in Bio {WIB}, responsible for the Executive Women in Bio Committee in Chicago, and on the board of National WIB, an organization dedicated to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences.

She was previously with Baxter International, where she was hired as the Innovation Scout, supporting late-stage technology scouting and tech assessment for due diligence M&A deals. Prior to that, she was the Director of Commercialization for Northwestern University’s Innovation and New Ventures Office, where she actively pursued innovation management, commercialization and funding strategies as well business development opportunities for inventors, ranging from start-up ventures to strategic partnerships, and established and directed an I-Corps like program called INVOForward. Before joining Northwestern, Dimitra was the VP of R&D of Ohmx Corporation, a diagnostic company with novel POC (point-of-care) technology and prior to that she worked for Nanosphere (now Luminex) and Inverness Medical (now Alere / Abbott), in novel biosensor development.

Dimitra earned a Ph.D. in Bioelectrochemistry from University College London (UCL), an M.Sc. in Biosensors from King’s College London; her post-doctoral work focused on nanoparticle based diagnostics. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and patents.

Dr. Jennifer Grandis is an otolaryngologist and associate vice chancellor for clinical and translational research at UCSF. She directs the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which provides resources and builds partnerships to facilitate more efficient and effective research, with the goal of improving individual and community health.

Dr. Grandis’s research focuses on the signal transduction in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development and progression with the ultimate goal of targeting key pathways for therapeutic benefit. By taking key findings from the clinic and investigating mechanisms in a series of preclinical models, as well as developing novel therapeutic approaches in the laboratory and carrying out innovative clinical trials that employ these treatment strategies.

Grandis earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she also completed a residency in surgery, a residency in otolaryngology and a fellowship in infectious diseases. Prior to joining UCSF, she led the University of Pittsburgh’s head and neck cancer program.

Grandis is an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians and National Academy of Medicine. She has published more than 260 peer-reviewed articles and has contributed to more than 50 review articles (summaries of scholarly research) and book chapters. She holds the UCSF Robert K. Werbe Distinguished Professorship in Head and Neck Cancer.

Beverly Lu is a Biotech VC Investment Manager at Emerson Collective. Prior to joining Emerson, Beverly was a Director at Amgen, responsible for driving strategy and operations of the US portfolio. She was also an Engagement Manager at McKinsey and Company where she advised healthcare corporations in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical device.

Beverly is a trained scientist and received her PhD in Chemistry from Caltech and was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University.

Amy Millman is a passionate advocate for women entrepreneurs building Big Businesses Starting Small. In 2000, Amy co-founded Springboard Enterprises, to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to essential resources and a global community of experts. It is now the leading network of influencers, investors and innovators dedicated to building high-growth companies led by women who are transforming industries in technology and life science.

The Springboard portfolio numbers over 750 companies securing investment of financial and human capital for product development and expansion, having raised nearly $10 Billion, created tens of thousands new jobs and generated billions in annual revenues. With 190 exits to strategic acquirers and 19 IPOs, Springboard entrepreneurs are transforming industries.

During her career in Washington, DC, she served as a lobbyist for several industry groups and was appointed as Executive Director of the National Women’s Business Council, a US federal commission, from 1993-2000. She’s a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University.

Greg Mitchell is senior counsel at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. His expertise includes developing and implementing patent strategies, patent prosecution, and patent diligence (both buy and sell side) for venture financings, public offerings, and mergers and acquisitions.

Greg has extensive experience in providing patent counseling for a broad range of life science technologies, including for companies and venture capital firms focusing on small molecule pharmaceuticals, mRNA and gene therapies, gene editing (CRISPR) technologies, protein and cell therapies, synthetic biology, biomaterials, and food technologies. He also has experience with clean technology companies, including in the battery materials and nanotechnology spaces.

Greg has drafted, prosecuted, and managed the prosecution of hundreds of U.S. and foreign patent applications. Prior to joining the firm, Greg was a patent examiner, where he examined patent applications directed to pharmaceutical compositions, compounds, and therapies, as well as cosmetics. He has been a registered patent agent/attorney since 2003.

Greg is registered to practice law in New York, California, Texas, and Tennessee, and is practicing virtually in Tennessee, where he is licensed.

A medicinal chemistry scientist turned patent attorney, Dr. Eifion Phillips has helped secure his clients’ intellectual property portfolios across various fields and innovations, including those pertaining to small and large molecule pharmaceuticals, drug formulation and delivery, methods of treatment, biochemical processes and manufacturing. He previously worked at Omeros Corporation, serving as a senior in-house legal advisor of the commercial-stage pharmaceutical and biotechnology company. From 2007 to 2018, Dr. Phillips served as a principal at Fish & Richardson P.C., where he provided client counseling, patent preparation and global patent prosecution services in the areas of pharmaceuticals, chemistry, and biotechnology. He earlier worked as a medicinal chemist at AstraZeneca, where he was an inventor for 21 issued U.S. patents and 29 Patent Cooperation Treaty patent applications.

Dr. Phillips received a D. Phil. in chemistry from the University of Oxford, and pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University. He earned his J.D. from the Widener University School of Law. Dr. Phillips is currently admitted to practice in the U.S. states of Delaware and Pennsylvania, as well with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Dr. Sabapathy obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Immunology from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR, Singapore, in 1995. After a post-doctoral stint at the Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, Austria, he moved to the National Cancer Center of Singapore (NCCS) in late 1999 as the Principal Investigator of the Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis. In 2013 Dr. Sabapathy became Head of the Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, overseeing NCCS’ research activities. He is also the Research Director of the Academic Clinical Program in Oncology at SingHealth. Dr. Sabapathy is a joint Professor with the Department of Biochemistry at the National University of Singapore (NUS), a Professor with the Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program at Duke University-NUS and a joint Research Director at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. Furthermore, he is a fellow to the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Pathologists and was awarded the inaugural Singapore National Research Foundation Investigatorship award in 2015.

Dr. Sabapathy’s research is focused on better understanding the molecular mechanisms contributing to carcinogenesis and the alterations that lead to therapeutic resistance. His research helped to understand how mutant p53—the most widely mutated gene among cancer cells – contributes to cancer development and drug resistance. His lab has also unraveled how changes associated with another key gene, p73, lead to cancer.

Continued research into these two gene pathways might aid in identifying the most feasible molecular targets in anticipation of new therapeutic methods and advances in genetic engineering. Dr. Sabapathy’s lab has also developed updated models that recapitulate human cancers such as liver cancer. These models enable his team to identify new biomarkers for early detection as well as potential molecular targets for timely intervention.

Dr. Michael Salgaller leads the Invention Development and Marketing Unit within the National Cancer Institute’s Technology Transfer Center, where he leverages over 20 years of business, scientific, and investment experience in various life science sectors to support technology development and commercialization. Previously, he provided technical and strategic expertise to The Conafay Group, a DC-based government affairs firm – leading efforts on non-dilutive funding and alliance development. Previously, he was a key member of the business development team for the healthcare practice at SAIC, a Fortune-500 government contractor. He helped lead and deepen relationships with the Department of Health and Human Services – especially NIH and FDA – as well as foundations and patient advocacy groups. Before SAIC, he was a long-time industry executive who has held various positions in early-stage biotechnology and boutique professional service firms. In addition, Dr. Salgaller was on the investment team of Toucan Capital, a $120M early-stage venture firm dedicated to the life sciences, where he guided company formation and helped raise follow-on financing. He began his career as a Senior Staff Scientist with Dr. Steve Rosenberg at the National Cancer Institute, where he oversaw a lab developing immunotherapies for patients with terminal cancer.

Dr. Salgaller serves on the Life Sciences Advisory Board of the Maryland-Israel Development Center, as well as NCI liaison to the Maryland Technology Council. He is an advisor to DC ArchAngels and the Cooperative Angel Alumni Group. He is the author of “Biotechnology Entrepreneurship,” which is used as a reference text for courses at NIH and Catholic University, among others. He is the author of over 100 articles, presentations, and book chapters, and is on the editorial boards of several journals. Dr. Salgaller received his PhD in Pathology from The Ohio State University.

Paul Schimmel, Ph.D., is a biophysical chemist and he received his B.A. in biochemistry and biophysics from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1962, and then went on to earn his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Currently, Dr. Schimmel is the Ernest and Jean Hahn Professor of Molecular Biology and Chemistry at The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at The Scripps Research Institute. He formerly was the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Department of Biology at MIT. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Schimmel has received numerous honors and awards, including the American Chemical Society’s Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry, the Biophysical Society’s Emily M. Gray Award for significant contributions to education in biophysics, the Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association Brilliant Achievement Award and the Stein and Moore Award of the Protein Society. He was also elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the Institute of Medicine. He has also been active in many scientific and academic organizations and committees, including serving as Chairman of the Division of Biological Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. In addition to these honors and positions, Ohio Wesleyan University (his undergraduate alma mater) conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Science Degree. 

Dr. Schimmel has given many honorary lectures, including the Peter Debye Lectures (Cornell University), the Sherman Beychok Lecture (Columbia University), the Reilly Lectures (University of Notre Dame), the Mildred Cohn Lecture (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine), the University Lecture Series (University of Texas Health Sciences Center (Dallas), the Stanley Gill Memorial Lecture (University of Colorado), the Sir Hans Krebs Lecture (Sheffield, UK), the Nucleic Acids Award Lecture (Biochemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry, UK), Henry Kamin Lecture (Duke University), the Perlman Lecture Award (American Chemical Society) and the Marker Lecture Series (Pennsylvania State University). 

Dr. Schimmel is the author or co-author of more than 400 scientific papers and a widely-used three-volume textbook on biophysical chemistry, and he’s an editorial board member of ten different scientific journals. He holds several patents and is a co-founder or founding director of eleven biotechnology companies: Alkermes, Inc., Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., aTyr Pharma, Inc., Avicena Group, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Repligen Corporation, and Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. These companies develop new therapies for human diseases and disorders.

Fei is an Investment Director in the Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Venture Fund. She joined the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund in 2020 and is located in Boston, MA.

Fei received her Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and a B.Sc in Biochemistry from East China University Science & Technology.

In 2007, she started her industrial career at Theravance Biopharma as an in vivo pharmacologist and led a lab in driving multiple research projects from exploratory, lead optimization to development candidate nomination, including TD-1473 in Ulcerative Colitis, Ampreloxetine in Fibromyalgia, Velusetrag in Gastroparesis, TD-8954 in Post-operative Gastrointestinal Dysfunction. In 2015, she joined Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. Global Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research in Ridgefield where she started as a Laboratory Head and became the Head of in vivo Pharmacology group in 2016. From 2015 to 2020, before joining the BI Venture Fund, Fei led a group of ~20 in vivo pharmacologists supporting the Immunology and Respiratory Portfolio for small molecule, antisense and antibody projects.

Dr. Thea Tlsty is Professor of Pathology at the University of California, San Francisco. She is known for her research in cancer biology, and her involvement in the discovery of cells that may be at the origin of metaplastic cancer, an invasive form of breast cancer.

Dr. Tlsty led an eight-year research study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2010, which established a means to predict whether women with early stage breast cancer might develop more serious tumours, using “biomarkers” (biological indicators in the body) to determine cancer risk. She also led research into ‘pluripotent’ stem cells in breast tissue, seeking to identify if these caused tumours. This research had looked at wound cells in breast tissue, and identified ‘repair cells’ that could transform into a range of other cells, including neurons, bone and cartilage – with the potential therefore to also treat cancers and other diseases.

In 2015 Dr. Tlsty co-authored research into the use of 3D tissue culture models to study breast cancer cell generation, and later collaborated with Adam Engler of the University of California, San Diego in developing devices to test how strongly cells attach to tumor tissue, exploring if adhesion strength could be an accurate marker of metastatic cells.

Dr. Tlsty was awarded a 2019 Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge award to support a research project in collaboration with scientists from the UK, Canada, and Israel. The project will focus on understanding how chronic inflammation contributes to cancer.

Dr. Tlsty gained a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of South Florida, Tampa (1973). She started a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, which she completed in 1980 after transferring to Washington University in St. Louis.

Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., F.A.C.P. FASCO, FAACR is currently Physician in Chief, Distinguished Professor at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds the Virginia G. Piper Distinguished Chair for Innovative Cancer Research at HonorHealth Clinical Research Institute and the Margaret Givan Larkin Endowed Chair in Developmental Cancer Therapeutics at Hoag Hospital and Medical Director of Research at McKesson Specialty Health and the Chief Scientific Officer for US Oncology Research specializing in phase I clinical trials. He is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona and at the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ and Senior Consultant of Clinical Investigation at the City of Hope.

Dr. Von Hoff’s major interest is in the development of new anticancer agents, both in the clinic and in the laboratory. He and his colleagues were involved in the beginning of the development of many FDAapproved agents we now use routinely, including: mitoxantrone, fludarabine, paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, irinotecan, nelarabine, capecitabine, lapatinib, vismodegib, nab-paclitaxel, nal-IRI, pexidartinib and others. His clinical trial work has led to the approval of 3 of the 4 drugs approved by the FDA for treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. At present, he and his colleagues are concentrating on the development of therapies for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Von Hoff has published more than 741 papers, 143 book chapters and over 1186 abstracts. Dr. Von Hoff received the 2010 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology for his outstanding contributions to cancer research leading to significant improvement in patient care and most recently the AACR Distinguished Public Service Award in recognition of his extraordinary clinical research career and leadership in establishing the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop to educate and train young clinical investigators.

Dr. Von Hoff was appointed to President Bush’s National Cancer Advisory Board in 2004-2010. Dr. Von Hoff is the past President of the American Association for Cancer Research (the world’s largest cancer research organization), a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member and past board member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He is a founder of ILEX™ Oncology, Inc. (acquired by Genzyme after Ilex had 2 agents, alemtuzumab and clofarabine approved by the FDA for patients with leukemia). Dr. Von Hoff is founder and the Editor Emeritus of Investigational New Drugs – The Journal of New Anticancer Agents; and, past Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. He is a co-founder of the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Trial Cancer Research Workshop, which has graduated more than 2100 clinical trial physicians. He is also proud to have been a mentor and teacher for multiple medical students, medical oncology fellows, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows.

Barbara is President and CEO of Tango Therapeutics, a biotechnology company she began building shortly after joining Third Rock Ventures (TRV) in March 2015.  Tango launched with a $55M Series A from TRV in March 2017 and Barbara as interim CEO.  In September 2017, Barbara accepted the position as permanent President and CEO, while remaining a part-time venture partner at TRV. Tango has a target discovery engine based on the genetic principle of synthetic lethality, several lead drug discovery programs and a developing pipeline of novel genetic targets selected to make important contributions to cancer patients.

In her role at TRV, Barbara was interim CMO for Neon Therapeutics from launch in April 2015 until September 2017 and played a leadership role in creating Relay Therapeutics, launched in March 2016.  Barbara also is a member of the Board of Directors of Revolution Medicine, another exceptional cancer drug discovery company launched by TRV in 2015.

Prior to joining Third Rock Ventures, Barbara was SVP and Global Head, Oncology Translational Medicine at Novartis from 2009 to 2015 and VP, Oncology Discovery and Translational Medicine at GlaxoSmithKline from 2005 to 2009. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Barbara was Professor of Medicine and Genetics at The University of Pennsylvania, leading a clinical and translational research program in cancer genetics.

Barbara is an elected member of the American Association of Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, of which she served as President in 2005. Barbara also has served on the Board of Directors of both ASCO and AACR. She is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Yale University and her fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.