Clinical Stage CAR-T for AL Amyloidosis and Select Immune-Mediated Diseases

MEET THE TEAM

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Meet our team of innovators and thinkers at Immix Biopharma, whose dedication and expertise are paving the way for revolutionary treatments in AL Amyloidosis and select immune mediated diseases. Hear their insights and learn about the passion that drives our mission forward.

Ilya Rachman, MD PhD

Ilya Rachman, MD PhD

Chief Executive Officer

UCLA Health, Cedars Sinai, UIC College of medicine

Ilya Rachman is the Chief Executive Officer of Immix Biopharma, Inc. Dr. Rachman is a physician/scientist and former clinical faculty at UCLA. He received both his MD and PhD from the University of Illinois, and his MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Ilya founded a Clinical Research organization that conducted clinical trials of pharmaceutical drugs, and completed several clinical trials as a Principal Investigator building strong relationships in the clinical research industry.

Graham Ross, MBChB, FFPM

Graham Ross, MBChB, FFPM

Chief Medical Officer

AstraZeneca, Roche, GSK

Dr. Ross is the Chief Medical Officer, Immix Biopharma. Dr. Ross is an experienced pharmaceutical physician executive with a successful track record of development and post-marketing activities of a number of cancer therapeutics (including topoisomerase inhibitors and therapeutic antibodies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and next generation immunotherapeutics).

Prior, Dr. Ross was Senior Medical Science Director, AstraZeneca and Global Clinical Leader at Roche Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for the clinical development and registration of pertuzumab in breast cancer indications (marketed as PERJETA® by Roche). Prior to Roche, Dr. Ross was Director of Clinical Development at GlaxoSmithKline for a decade.

Dr. Ross trained in oncology in Durban, South Africa and specialized a second time as a pharmaceutical physician in the UK.

Gerhard Bauer

Gerhard Bauer

Head of Cell Therapy Manufacturing

ASGCT, UCDavis

Gerhard Bauer is the Head of Cell Therapy Manufacturing at Immix Biopharma, Inc.. Prior to Immix, Gerhard was Director of the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory at the University of California at Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures and assistant professor of hematology and oncology for nearly two decades, where he was responsible for design, construction, and operation of the GMP facility as well as submission of Investigational New Drug (IND) applications to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and was a member of the UC Davis Institutional Biosafety Committee, Medical School Admissions Committee, and Translational Research Integration and Compliance Committee. 

Gerhard is the Editor of the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy’s journal Molecular Therapy—Methods & Clinical Development. In addition to GMP operations, design and construction expertise, Gehard has extensive experience in the field of gene and cell therapy, having spent several decades developing novel clinical applications to improve medical outcomes for life-threatening illnesses. Gerhard was responsible for the design, construction and operations of cell therapy GMP manufacturing facilities at the University of Washington in St. Louis; Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and University of California at Davis, among others. Prior, Gerhard was a regulator at the Austrian Federal Office for Safety in Health Care. Gerhard received his B.S. from the University Preparatory School, Wieselburg, Austria.

Gabriel Morris, BA

Gabriel Morris, BA

Chief Financial Officer

Goldman Sachs, Columbia University

Gabriel Morris is the Chief Financial Officer of Immix Biopharma, Inc. Mr. Morris has been managing partner of Alwaysraise LLC, a life sciences advisory and investment firm based in San Francisco, since founding.

Prior, Mr. Morris was the interim Chief Financial Officer of Zap Surgical Systems, a brain radiosurgery company, where he completed a growth equity financing round. Prior, Mr. Morris led cross-border mergers & acquisitions transactions at Goldman Sachs and other global investment banks for more than a decade, where he participated in greater than $50 billion in completed transactions. Mr. Morris received his B.A. from the Columbia University in the City of New York.

David Marks, MBBS, PhD

David Marks, MBBS, PhD

Chief Medical Officer, Cell Therapy

Pfizer, NHS, Drexel

Dr. Marks is the Chief Medical Officer, Cell Therapy at Immix Biopharma. Prior to Immix, Dr. Marks has held positions of increasing responsibility and most recently been the Director and Lead Clinician at Bristol Allogenic Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and a Professor in Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, University of Bristol from 1998 until 2022.

At the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust, Dr. Marks has been a hematology/oncology CAR-T expert, having been appointed as expert who evaluated trials resulting in regulatory approval of CAR-Ts Tisagenlecleucel (KYMRIAH®) (Novartis) and Brexucabtagene autoleucel (TECARTUS®) (Kite/Gilead). Dr. Marks was also a principal investigator in trials resulting in regulatory approval of Inotuzumab (BESPONSA®) (Pfizer) and played a key role in gaining approval for rituximab in adult ALL (RITUXAN®) (Genentech/Biogen). Dr. Marks also has experience working with idecabtagene vicleucel (ABECMA®) and allogeneic CAR-T therapies currently in clinical trials.

Dr. Marks was the Medical Director of the IMPACT UK from 2016 until 2020, a partnership of organizations committed to improving the outcomes of stem cell transplant patients through the delivery of clinical trials across the UK jointly funded by Anthony Nolan, Leukemia UK and NHS Blood and Transplant.

Dr Marks was President of the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation between 2007 and 2009 and established the Society’s Clinical Trials Committee in 1999. Prior, Dr, Marks was an assistant professor of basic research in leukemia and bone marrow transplantation in the division of hematology oncology, Department of medicine at the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA from 1993 until 1996.

Dr. Marks is an author of more than 10 book chapters and more than 310 peer reviewed publications, including in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Blood, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Marks received his MBBS and PhD from the University of Melbourne.

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

Meet our team of innovators and thinkers at Immix Biopharma, whose dedication and expertise are paving the way for revolutionary treatments in AL Amyloidosis and select immune mediated diseases. Hear their insights and learn about the passion that drives our mission forward.

Heather Landau, MD

Heather Landau, MD

Scientific Advisor

Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center

Heather Landau is the Director of the Amyloidosis Program and a Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist & Cellular Therapist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Landau received her medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University, completed her Internal Medicine residency at University of Colorado and her Hematology & Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Raymond Comenzo, MD

Raymond Comenzo, MD

Scientific Advisor

Tufts University School of Medicine

Dr. Comenzo is Director of the Myeloma and Amyloid Program; Director, the Cell Therapy Laboratory at Tufts Medical Center; and Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is principally responsible for the clinical care of all plasma cell disease patients and for clinical research for these diseases at Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Comenzo completed his residency at Boston City Hospital and his fellowship in hematology/oncology and transfusion medicine at Tufts Medical Center. Prior to coming to Tufts MC, Dr. Comenzo was medical director of the cell therapy laboratory, and an attending member at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; a professor of medicine at Weil-Cornell School of Medicine; and an attending physician in hematology, the founder of the Stem Cell Transplant Program, and the director of the Blood Bank at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Comenzo is board certified in Internal Medicine and Hematology.

Michaela Liedtke, MD

Michaela Liedtke, MD

Scientific Advisor

Stanford Medicine

Michaela Liedtke is the Stanford University Medicine Cancer Center Program Lead, Hematology; Co-Director, Stanford Amyloid Center; Medical Director, Stanford Adolescent and Young Adult Program; and Member Leukemia Committee, Southwest Oncology Group. Dr. Liedtke is an award-winning hematologist/oncologist, having received the Translational Research Award, Stanford Department of Medicine; Young Investigator Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO); Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Scholar, ASCO/AACR; Fellowship Award, Lymphoma Research Foundation; and Translational Research Award, Doris Duke Foundation. 

Dr. Leidtke is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, International Myeloma Society, International Society of Amyloidosis, and the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Liedtke completed her fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and received her medical degree from Medizinische Hochschule Hannover.

Marko Radic, PhD

Marko Radic, PhD

Scientific Advisor

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Dr. Radic is Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (“UTHSC”). Dr. Radic’s research laboratory focuses on the mechanisms leading to autoimmune disease, with an emphasis on antibody-mediated disorders, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome (APS). 

Dr. Radic’s laboratory identified the critical nexus of sustained activation of autoreactive B cells in lupus, and tested immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor modified CD8+ T cells (CAR-T) in two murine models of lupus, published in Science Translational Medicine, 2019 (which was recently featured in Nature, Dec 2023). Dr. Radic has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 25 reviews and 10 book chapters. Prior to joining UTHSC in 2000, Dr. Radic was an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Drexel University.

 Dr. Radic trained as postdoctoral fellow at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of California in Irvine, and received his B.S. in Genetics from the University of California in Davis.

Suzanne Lentzsch, MD

Suzanne Lentzsch, MD

Scientific Advisor

Columbia University

Suzanne Lentzsch is a Professor of Clinical Medicine and the Director of the Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis Program at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York. Dr. Lentzsch was a key clinical investigator in establishing bendamustine as a new treatment for relapsed amyloidosis, and designed and led the first in human CAEL-101 phase 1a/b clinical study in AL Amyloidosis. She is a co-founder of Caelum Biosciences, subsequently acquired by AstraZeneca. 

Dr. Lentzsch is the Co-Chair of the NCI Myeloma Steering Committee, a member of the ASH Scientific Committee for Plasma Cell Neoplasia and the ASCO Scientific Program Committee Hematologic Malignancies-Plasma Cell Dyscrasia, the Educational and Steering Committee for the Society of Hematology and Oncology (SOHO), and the SWOG Myeloma Working Group. She co-chairs the Career Development Committee of the International Myeloma Society (IMS). She is Associate Editor for JCO and on the Editorial Board for Blood Cancer Discoveries.

Vaishali Sanchorawala, MD

Vaishali Sanchorawala, MD

Scientific Advisor

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Dr. Sanchorawala is the Skinner Professor of Amyloidosis Research in the Department of Medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and Director of the Amyloidosis Center at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University. Dr. Sanchorawala is Associate Editor of Amyloid: The Journal of Protein Folding Disorders; former Secretary of the International Society of Amyloidosis; and a member of the Executive Steering Committee of Amyloidosis Research Consortium. Dr. Sanchorawala completed residency at Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School and her fellowship in hematology/oncology at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Sanchorawala is board certified in Internal Medicine and Hematology.

Gary Schiller, MD

Gary Schiller, MD

Scientific Advisor

UCLA Health

Dr. Schiller is a well-published clinical investigator in acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myeloma, and other hematologic malignancies, as well as in stem cell and bone marrow transplantation. He lectures extensively, and has also written for the popular press. He is Immediate-Past Chairman of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. His research projects include clinical studies of new drugs, therapies, and bone marrow/stem cell transplantation for patients with malignancies of the blood or bone marrow such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma. He has carried out studies of stem cell transplantation following high-dose chemotherapy and radiation for acute myelogenous leukemia, one of the most common types of leukemia in adults. He has ongoing studies using new drugs and therapeutics for acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia, and multiple myeloma; he also has studies going on in certain kinds of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Sickle Cell Anemia. Dr. Schiller received his MD from the USC School of Medicine.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Meet our team of innovators and thinkers at Immix Biopharma, whose dedication and expertise are paving the way for revolutionary treatments in AL Amyloidosis and select immune mediated diseases. Hear their insights and learn about the passion that drives our mission forward.

Helen Adams, CPA

Helen Adams, CPA

Director

Prometheus, Deloitte

Ms. Adams is also the Audit Committee Chair and a member of the board of directors of Prometheus Biosciences, Inc (Nasdaq:RXDX). From January 2013 to March 2018, Ms. Adams was the San Diego Area Managing Partner for Haskell & White LLP, a regional certified public accounting firm. Previously, Ms. Adams was a certified public accountant at Deloitte & Touche LLP from 1982 to 2009, serving most recently as a Partner in the Life Sciences and Technology Group.

 From 2010 to 2013, Ms. Adams was a member of the board of directors of Genasys Inc. (formerly known as LRAD Corporation), serving as the Audit Committee Chair and member of the Compensation Committee. In addition to her public company board service, Ms. Adams has served on the boards of directors and working committees of many organizations, including Athena San Diego, the Athena Foundation, Corporate Directors’ Forum, Make A Wish San Diego, the YWCA, and the California State University at San Marcos Foundation.

Ms. Adams received her BS from San Diego State University and completed an Executive Management Program at Columbia Business School. Ms. Adams’ experience in public accounting and the life sciences industry qualifies her to serve on our board of directors.

Yekaterina Chudnovsky, JD

Yekaterina Chudnovsky, JD

Director

Colorectal Cancer Alliance, GI Research Foundation (GIRF) for the University of Chicago

Ms. Chudnovsky has served as General Counsel for an international privately-held technology firm since 2009, overseeing intellectual property, trademarks, technology acquisition, and mergers & acquisitions. Ms. Chudnovsky is Chairperson of the GI Research Foundation (GIRF) for the University of Chicago Digestive Diseases Center. She has served on the GIRF board for the past 11 years, becoming President in 2019.

Her work with GIRF contributes to raising over $3 million annually to support the physicians and scientists at the University of Chicago and beyond. Ms. Chudnovsky is an active board member of XCures, a privately-held technology company working to advance cancer research and patient outcomes and has served as a member of the board of Elicio Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of cancer immunotherapies for patients with limited treatment options and poor outcomes, since October 2022. 

Ms. Chudnovsky has a particular interest in cancer research and personalized cancer vaccines, and is a frequent investor and donor in the space. Prior to her current roles, she began her legal career at Thomas Coburn Fagel Haber, with a focus on corporate law, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, and business banking. Ms. Chudnovsky received a B.A. in political science and Slavic literature from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from DePaul University.

 Magda Marquet, PhD

Magda Marquet, PhD

Director

ALMA Life Sciences, Althea

Dr. Marquet is also a member of the board of directors of AnaptysBio, Inc. (Nasdaq:ANAB) and Arcturus Therapeutics (Nasdaq:ARCT). She was the co-CEO of Althea Technologies from 2000 to 2008. She is currently the co-CEO of Alma Life Sciences. LLC, an investment and consulting firm and serves on several Boards of Directors. Dr. Marquet has built, led and commercialized multiple life science companies. She is the co-founder of AltheaDx, a commercial stage, precision medicine company with the world’s leading pharmacogenomics test for anxiety and depression, and ALMA Life Sciences, LLC, an early stage investment firm creating and growing innovative healthcare companies.

Dr. Marquet co-founded Althea Technologies and, as its co-CEO with full P&L responsibility, led the company to become a leader in the field and a highly profitable, commercial company. As a result, she guided Althea to acquisition by Ajinomoto, a global Japanese company and leader in amino acid technology. Prior to starting Althea Technologies, Dr. Marquet held several positions in pharmaceutical development in companies such as Vical and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Marquet holds a Ph.D in Biochemical Engineering from INSA/University of Toulouse, France.

She has received numerous prestigious awards throughout her career including the 2005 Regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Life Sciences category, the Athena Pinnacle award, the Director of the Year award (Corporate Governance) from the Corporate Directors Forum and has been inducted into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

Jane Buchan, PhD

Jane Buchan, PhD

Director

PAAMCO, KKR, JPMorgan

Dr. Buchan is also a member of the board of directors of Globe Life Inc (NYSE:GL) and AGF Management Ltd. (TSX:AGF.B) . Dr. Buchan is Chief Executive Officer of Martlet Asset Management, a private investment office established in 2018. Prior to founding Martlet, Dr. Buchan was Chief Executive Officer of PAAMCO, a fund of hedge funds, which she helped found in 2000, and Co-CEO of the holding company, PAAMCO Prisma Holdings. Under her leadership, the firm grew to $32 billion in assets under management. 
 
Dr. Buchan began her career at J.P. Morgan Investment Management in the Capital Markets Group. She has been an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She recently served as chairwoman of the board for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA) and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Master of Financial Engineering Program at UCLA Anderson School of Management. 
 
She is a Trustee of Reed College, Portland, Oregon and University of California Irvine Foundation. Dr. Buchan has been actively involved in initiatives to advance the careers of women in finance and is a founding Angel for 100 Women in Finance. has also been recognized with numerous industry honors and awards. She earned a BA in Economics from Yale University and holds both a PhD and an MA in Business Economics (Finance) from Harvard University.
Jason Hsu, PhD

Jason Hsu, PhD

Director

Research Affiliates, Rayliant

Mr. Hsu is the founder and chairman of Rayliant Global Advisors, a professor of finance at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and on the Board of Advisors for UCLA Anderson School of Management. Rayliant is an asset manager focused on generating alpha from investing in China and other inefficient emerging markets, which has a total of USD 27 billion of investment assets using its strategies across equity, fixed income and alternatives. 

Prior to founding Rayliant, Mr. Hsu was the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Research Affiliates, a quantitative fund manager with over $200 billion under management. Mr. Hsu has received 3 JPM Fabozzi-Bernstein Outstanding Research Awards, 3 CFA Institute Graham and Dodd awards, 3 William Sharpe Best Research awards, 2010 Rising Star of Hedge Fund, 40+ Journal publications and 11+ books and book chapters on investing, 2009 Outstanding Service Award (UCLA Anderson), and has held visiting positions at UC Irvine, National Taiwan Chengchi University, Kyoto University and Tsinghua University. 

Mr. Hsu received his BS (summa cum laude) from the California Institute of Technology, was awarded a MS from Stanford University, and earned his PhD in finance from UCLA.

Carey Ng, PhD

Carey Ng, PhD

Director

Mesa Verde Venture Partners, Abbott

Dr. Ng is a Managing Director of Mesa Verde Venture Partners and Member of the Investment Committee. Dr. Ng has over fifteen years investment and operating experience in the biomedical industry, ranging from biotech startups to large biopharmaceutical companies. 

Dr. Ng serves on the board of a number of Mesa Verde portfolio companies including Immix Biopharma, Elysium Therapeutics, Satiogen Pharmaceuticals (spinout acquired by Shire), Biscayne Neurotherapeutics (acquired by Supernus), and Paradigm (acquired by Exact Sciences). His board observer roles include Matrisys Bioscience, Immusoft, Alastin Skincare, Retrosense Therapeutics (acquired by Allergan), and Oncternal Therapeutics (ONCT). Prior to Mesa Verde, he worked with a number of biomedical startups and was also in business development at Abbott. Dr. Ng has a Ph.D. from UCLA and a MBA from UC San Diego.

Ilya Rachman, MD PhD

Ilya Rachman, MD PhD

Chief Executive Officer

UCLA Health, Cedars Sinai, UIC College of medicine

Ilya Rachman is the Chief Executive Officer of Immix Biopharma, Inc. Dr. Rachman is a physician/scientist and former clinical faculty at UCLA. He received both his MD and PhD from the University of Illinois, and his MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Ilya founded a Clinical Research organization that conducted clinical trials of pharmaceutical drugs, and completed several clinical trials as a Principal Investigator building strong relationships in the clinical research industry.

Gabriel Morris, BA

Gabriel Morris, BA

Chief Financial Officer

Goldman Sachs, Columbia University

Gabriel Morris is the Chief Financial Officer of Immix Biopharma, Inc. Mr. Morris has been managing partner of Alwaysraise LLC, a life sciences advisory and investment firm based in San Francisco, since founding.

Prior, Mr. Morris was the interim Chief Financial Officer of Zap Surgical Systems, a brain radiosurgery company, where he completed a growth equity financing round. Prior, Mr. Morris led cross-border mergers & acquisitions transactions at Goldman Sachs and other global investment banks for more than a decade, where he participated in greater than $50 billion in completed transactions. Mr. Morris received his B.A. from the Columbia University in the City of New York.

BUSINESS ADVISORS

Meet our team of innovators and thinkers at Immix Biopharma, whose dedication and expertise are paving the way for revolutionary treatments in AL Amyloidosis and select immune mediated diseases. Hear their insights and learn about the passion that drives our mission forward.

Henry McKinnell, PhD

Henry McKinnell, PhD

Business Advisor

Pfizer, Moody’s

Dr. McKinnell has served as an independent director of ChemoCentryx, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ:CCXI) from 2016 to 2022, which was subsequently acquired by Amgen (NYSE:AMGN). Dr. McKinnell has served as an independent director of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) from 1997 until 2012, and served as the Independent Chairman from 2012 until 2021.

Dr. McKinnell has served as an independent director of Agiliti, Inc. (NYSE:AGTI) from 2016 to 2022, an independent director of ViewRay, Inc. (NASDSAQ:VRAY) from 2016 to 2019, and an independent director of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) from 2002 to 2007. Dr. McKinnell served as the Chief Executive Officer of Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ:OPTR) in 2013, until its acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals (formerly NASDAQ:CBST, now Merck & Co. NYSE:MRK). Prior, Dr. McKinnell served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) from 2001 until his retirement in 2006. He served as President of Pfizer Inc. from 1999 to 2001, and as President of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group from 1997 to 2001. Dr. McKinnell served as Chief Operating Officer of Pfizer Inc. from 1999 to 2000 and as Executive Vice President from 1992 to 1999. Dr. McKinnell joined Pfizer in 1971. He served as a Director of Emmaus Life Sciences until 2015. He served as a director of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. until 2011, and John Wiley & Sons until 2005. 

Dr. McKinnell is the Chairman Emeritus of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). He also served as a Senior Advisor to Toyota Motor Corporation’s International Advisory Board and the Thomas H. Lee Private Equity Partnership. Dr. McKinnell holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of British Columbia and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Dr. McKinnell brings to the Board financial expertise, global management experience and leadership skills.

Dr. McKinnell brings to the Board an appreciation of what a complex regulatory environment means for the Company’s operations. Dr. McKinnell has also served as a director of several public companies, contributing to his perspective on corporate governance matters.

Jeffery H. Cooper

Jeffery H. Cooper

Business Advisor

Biomarin

Jeffrey H. Cooper is a former Audit Committee Chair and Independent Director for Sierra Oncology (formerly NASDAQ:SRRA) from 2016 until 2022, until it was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK). Mr. Cooper also previously served on the Board of Directors of Tobira Therapeutics (formerly NASDSAQ:TBRA) from 2014 until it was acquired by Allergan (now AbbVie NYSE:ABBV) in 2016. Mr. Cooper has served as an independent consultant for life sciences companies since January 2014. Previously, Mr. Cooper served at KaloBios Pharmaceuticals as a senior advisor in 2013 and as the Chief Financial Officer from 2012 until 2013. 

Prior, Mr. Cooper served in positions of increasing responsibility at BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDSAQ:BMRN), beginning as Vice President, Controller, to his most recent position as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2012. Mr. Cooper has also served as Vice President of Finance at Matrix Pharmaceutical and held numerous finance-related positions within the health care and pharmaceutical industries, including Corporate Controller at Foundation Health Systems and Director of Business Analysis at Syntex Corporation. Mr. Cooper received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University.

Mary Sue Coleman

Mary Sue Coleman

Business Advisor

Johnson & Johnson, University of Michigan

Dr. Coleman is President Emerita of the University of Michigan, having served as President from 2002 to 2014, where she was named one of “10 Best College Presidents” by TIME Magazine and served as President of the University of Michigan Health System. Dr. Coleman served as an Independent Director of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) for over a decade from 2003 to 2016, chairing the Audit Committee, as a member of the Audit Committee and a member of the J&J Technology/Science/R&D Committee. Dr. Coleman served as an independent director of Meredith Corporation (formerly NYSE:MDP) from 1997 to 2016, as well as a director of Gaylord Container Corp. She also was a Professor of Biological Chemistry in the University of Michigan Medical School and a Professor of Chemistry in the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science and the Arts. From 1995 to July 2002, Dr. Coleman served as President of the University of Iowa. Prior to 1995, Dr. Coleman served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of New Mexico, Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies & Research and Associate Provost and Dean of Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a member of the biochemistry faculty and an administrator at the Cancer Center of the University of Kentucky in Lexington. President Obama selected Dr. Coleman to help launch the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a national effort bringing together industry, universities and the federal government. In 2010, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke named Dr. Coleman co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Elected to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine in 1997, Dr. Coleman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Coleman is a Trustee Emerita of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship program, and the Mayo Clinic Foundation, and is on the Board of Directors of The Kavli Foundation.

Edward Borkowski

Edward Borkowski

Business Advisor

Mylan, Carefusion, Allegheny Collage,

Mr. Borkowski is an experienced financial executive in the pharmaceutical industry. He served as Chairman and then Lead Independent Director, First Wave Biopharma (NASDSAQ:FWBI) 2015 to date. Prior, He served as Interim Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President of MiMedx Group (Nasdaq: MDGX) from 2018 until 2019.

Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Mylan N.V. (formerly MYSE:MYL) from 2002 until 2009, which was acquired by Pfizer (NYSE:PFE). Mr. Borkowski has also served as Chief Financial Officer of Amerigen Pharmaceuticals, a generic pharmaceutical company with a focus on oral, controlled release products from 2013 until 2016. 

In addition, Mr. Borkowski previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer with Convatec (LON:CTEC) from 2012 until 2013, a global medical device company focused on wound care and ostomy, and Carefusion (formerly NYSE:CFN) from 2009 until 2011, a global medical device company for which he helped lead its spin-out from Cardinal Health into an independent public company. Mr. Borkowski has been the Chief Financial Officer of Aceto Corporation (Nasdaq: ACET), and has held several executive positions with Concordia International, an international specialty pharmaceutical company from 2015 until 2017.

 He has also served in senior financial positions at Pharmacia and American Home Products (Wyeth). He started his career with Arthur Andersen & Co. after receiving his MBA in accounting from Rutgers University subsequent to having earned his degree in Economics and Political Science from Allegheny College. Mr. Borkowski is currently a trustee and a member of the Executive Committee of Allegheny College.