At PMV, we believe that by specifically targeting each mutant p53 we can fundamentally disrupt the course of cancer. Our research and development efforts are dedicated to selectively targeting mutant p53, providing unique therapies for any patient whose tumor harbors these gene mutations.
PMV Pharma was founded in 2013 by David Mack, Ph.D., Arnold Levine, Ph.D. and Thomas Shenk, Ph.D. Over the past seven years, we have built a precision oncology platform that leverages more than four decades of research experience and unique insights into the p53 protein. We have assembled a management team of biopharmaceutical experts with extensive experience in oncology drug discovery and development.
Management
David H. Mack, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, President & CEO
Prior to co-founding PMV Pharma with biologists Arnold Levine and Thomas Shenk, Dr. Mack was a general partner at Alta Partners from 2002 to 2013. His first investment was Angiosyn (acquired by Pfizer in 2005) where he was a Director and CEO. Prior to Alta, Dr. Mack co-founded and served as Vice President of Genomics Research at Eos Biotechnology (acquired by Protein Design Labs in 2003).
From 1994 to 1997, he served at Affymetrix as Head of Cancer Biology where he oversaw the development and application of DNA array technology in the areas of oncology and inflammation. Dr. Mack was also a pivotal member of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Invention Group at Cetus (now Novartis) in the mid 1980s. Dr. Mack has co-authored more than 30 scientific articles and reviews, including papers published in Cell, Science, and Nature, and is an inventor on 26 issued US patents. Dr. Mack was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow in microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, where he was a Howard Hughes Fellow in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, and a B.A. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Winston Kung
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Prior to joining PMV Pharma, Mr. Kung was a Vice President of Business Development and Global Alliances at Celgene and Chief Business Officer at Celgene Cellular Therapeutics (CCT). Over four and a half years, he led the formation of a strategic long range plan for CCT, multiple transactions and a team that managed Celgene’s alliance portfolio of over 100 collaborations, equity investments and company integrations. Prior to Celgene, Mr. Kung worked from 2007 to 2013 at Citigroup in its Global Healthcare Investment Banking group and Lehman Brothers (which was subsequently acquired by Barclays) in its Global Mergers and Acquisition Group. He worked on various transactions including public and private financings, mergers, acquisitions, spin-outs and other financial advisory engagements.
From 2004 to 2007, he served at Amgen as a co-founder of the Alliance Management group, and also served as the deal lead on multiple acquisitions as part of the Corporate Development group. Mr. Kung was also part of the Business and Corporate Development group at Genentech. He worked on several transactions, including leading the spin-out of Tercica (acquired by Ipsen), and co- led the formation of the Genenfund, Genentech’s first Corporate Venture Capital Fund. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his A.B. in Biology and A.B in International Relations with honors from Brown University.
Leila Alland, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Alland brings over 25 years of experience in oncology to the leadership of PMV Pharma. Dr. Alland, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and accomplished physician-scientist, has been working in the biopharmaceutical industry since 2001 to bring novel therapies to patients. Dr. Alland has held leadership positions at Affimed, Tarveda Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, and Schering-Plough, where she worked on a broad range of oncology products from early to late stage development and contributed to multiple successful drug approvals. Dr. Alland obtained her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, and her B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at The New York Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. From 1994 to 2000, Dr. Alland served as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she was awarded the James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award and pursued basic cancer research while also caring for children with cancer. Dr. Alland sits on the Scientific Advisory Council of Columbia University's Center for Radiological Research and serves as a reviewer for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
Deepika Jalota, Pharm.D.
Chief Regulatory and Quality Officer
Prior to joining PMV Pharma, Dr. Jalota was Vice President, Head of Global Regulatory Strategy, Oncology I at Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals where she was responsible for overseeing the development of global regulatory strategies for several early and late stage oncology projects, including Xofigo®, VITRAKVI® and darolutamide. From 2014-2016 at Bayer, she was responsible for overseeing the development of global regulatory strategies in Ophthalmology and Dermatology, including Eylea®.
Prior to working at Bayer for 12 years, Dr. Jalota was employed with Sanofi-Aventis, Forest Laboratories and Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals within various roles across drug development.
Dr. Jalota received her Pharm.D. from University of Florida, College of Pharmacy, and her B.S. in Pharmacy from Rutgers University, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.
Binh Vu, Ph.D.
Vice President, Drug Discovery and CMC
Prior to joining PMV Pharma as Director of Research, Dr. Vu was a Research Leader at Roche Nutley where he spent 15 years working in small molecule oncology drug discovery. While at Roche, Dr. Vu was a key contributor to the discovery and development of Nutlins, small molecule MDM2 antagonists which target the p53 pathway. He has extensively published on p53 biology and drug discovery, and is an inventor on 14 issued US patents.
Dr. Vu received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin. He received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine.
Melissa Dumble, Ph.D.
Vice President, Preclinical Development and Translational Science
Prior to joining PMV Pharma, Dr. Dumble was a Research Leader at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS, Lawrenceville site) developing small molecules to regulate tumor intrinsic targets that may sensitize cancers to immuno-oncology agents. Before her tenure at BMS she worked at PTC Therapeutics and Enzon Pharmaceuticals leading drug discovery projects in oncology, infectious disease and genetic disorders from lead optimization to clinical trials. Dr. Dumble began her career at GSK Oncology, training as a pharmacologist and working on many of the marketed kinase inhibitors (e.g. VotrientTM, MekinistTM, TafinlarTM). In addition, she led the team of scientists developing an oral AKT inhibitor to clinical trials. Dr. Dumble has co-authored over 20 manuscripts and is an inventor on 5 issued patents.
Dr. Dumble received a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Western Australia, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. Her studies were based on understanding the role of p53 in stem cell dynamics, cancer and aging. She received a B.S. in Biochemistry and Human Biology from the University of Western Australia.
Michael Carulli
Vice President, Finance
Prior to joining PMV Pharma, Mr. Carulli was an Executive Director of R&D Financial Planning and Analysis at Celgene (now Bristol Myers Squibb) where he oversaw the financial and operational plans for the entire Research and Development organization. Over 10 years at Celgene he held multiple positions with increasing responsibility working closely on the R&D strategy, long range planning, and financial partnering to the Business Development and Alliance Management team. Mr. Carulli was the Chief of Staff to the President of Research & Early Development for 2 years, as well as the R&D finance lead for the Bristol Myers Squibb integration and Otezla divestiture to Amgen.
Combined, Mr. Carulli has over 20 years of financial management experience and has led many process improvement initiatives and implemented several business intelligence technology solutions. He received his MBA from Fordham University.
Robert Ticktin
General Counsel
Prior to joining PMV Pharma, Mr. Ticktin was Associate General Counsel, Corporate, at Tesaro, Inc., a development and commercial oncology company (acquired by GSK), where he led corporate legal matters, including SEC reporting, business development and alliance management support. Prior to Tesaro, he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Epirus Biopharmaceuticals, a biosimilar company. Before his tenure at Epirus, Mr. Ticktin spent 10 years at Amgen Inc., where he held various leadership positions in the legal department. He began his legal career in New York City at global law firms, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP. Mr. Ticktin received a B.A. in Economics from The Ohio State University and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
Laura De Leon
Vice President, Head of Clinical Operations
Laura joined PMV in February 2019 as Head of Clinical Operations with nearly two decades of clinical operations experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Laura has worked in multiple therapeutic areas in all phases of development across company type: large pharma, biotech, medical device, and CRO.
Throughout her career, Laura has held positions of increasing responsibility and leadership in clinical operations and program management at PAREXEL International, Thoratec Corporation, CombinatoRx, Inc., Takeda Oncology, Syndax Pharmaceuticals, EMD Serono, and Seres Therapeutics. Prior to joining PMV, Laura was the Director of Clinical Operations at Seres, responsible for the clinical operations strategy, team management, and oversight of study deliverables for two microbiome therapeutic assets in development including the lead product candidate SER-109 in Clostridioides difficile infection. Laura has extensive monitoring and global trial management experience and has been at the forefront of precision medicine in oncology since joining PMV.
Laura holds a BA in Psychology from Boston College and a MS in Health Product Regulation and Health Policy from Regis College.
Board of Directors
Richard A. Heyman, Ph.D.
Chair, Board of Directors and Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Richard A. Heyman, PhD, currently serves as Chairman and co-founder of Metacrine Inc., a biotech startup developing therapeutics for liver and gastrointestinal diseases. He also is the co-founder and Chairman of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, which is developing drugs to overcome resistance in cancer and serves as Chairman of Amunix Pharmaceuticals and Vividion Therapeutics. Previously, Rich was the co-founder and CEO of Aragon and Seragon Pharmaceuticals; which focused on therapeutics targeting hormone dependent cancers. J&J purchased Aragon in 2013 and Genentech purchased Seragon in 2014. He has been involved in the discovery and development of multiple therapeutic agents approved by the FDA, including the recently approved prostate cancer drug, Erleada.
Rich also serves on the BOD of Gritstone Oncology and Yumanity Therapeutics. In addition to his corporate experience, Rich is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Salk Institute, on the Board Foundation for the AACR and on the Board of Visitors at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. He has won numerous awards including Ernst and Young San Diego Regional Entrepreneur of the Year and the Endocrine Society Outstanding Innovation Award. He was an NIH postdoctoral fellow and staff scientist at the Salk Institute. Rich received a PhD in pharmacology and a BS in chemistry and is the author or inventor on more than 125 publications and patents.
Peter Thompson, M.D.
Partner, OrbiMed
Peter Thompson, M.D., is currently a Private Equity Partner with OrbiMed who brings over 25 years of industry experience. Peter co-founded and was CEO of Trubion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TRBN), co-founded Cleave BioSciences and Corvus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CRVS) and was previously an executive of Chiron Corporation and Becton Dickinson. Dr. Thompson also serves as a Director on several public and private company Boards, is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awardee and an Affiliate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Washington. He is the inventor on numerous patents, is a board-certified internist and oncologist and was on the staff at the National Cancer Institute following his internal medicine training at Yale University.
Arnold Levine, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Arnold J. Levine is currently a Professor Emeritus at The Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and a joint Professor in the Pediatrics and Biochemistry Departments at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. He received his B.A. in Biology from Harpur College, SUNY and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
He trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at California Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Robert Sinsheimer. Dr. Levine is a widely acclaimed leader in cancer research. In 1979, Dr. Levine and others discovered the p53 tumor suppressor protein, a molecule that inhibits tumor development. He established the Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study, which concentrates on research at the interface of molecular biology and the physical sciences: on genetics and genomics, polymorphisms and molecular aspects of evolution, signal transduction pathways and networks, stress responses, and pharmacogenomics in cancer biology. Dr. Levine helped shape U.S. science priorities as chairman of an influential 1996 review panel on federal AIDS research funding. He also chaired the National Cancer Advisory Board, which advises the National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine on cancer policy. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1991 and to its Institute of Medicine in 1995. In April 2001, Levine received the first Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the largest annual prize in science or medicine offered in the United States. In 1968 Dr. Levine joined Princeton University as an Assistant Professor, becoming a Professor of biochemistry in 1976. In 1979, he moved to the SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine to Chair the Department of Microbiology. He returned to Princeton in 1984. Between 1984 and 1996, he presided over a major expansion of Princeton’s life sciences programs as Chairman of the Department of Molecular Biology. From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Levine was President of The Rockefeller University.
David H. Mack, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, President & CEO
Prior to co-founding PMV Pharma with biologists Arnold Levine and Thomas Shenk, Dr. Mack was a general partner at Alta Partners from 2002 to 2013. His first investment was Angiosyn (acquired by Pfizer in 2005) where he was a Director and CEO. Prior to Alta, Dr. Mack co-founded and served as Vice President of Genomics Research at Eos Biotechnology (acquired by Protein Design Labs in 2003).
From 1994 to 1997, he served at Affymetrix as Head of Cancer Biology where he oversaw the development and application of DNA array technology in the areas of oncology and inflammation. Dr. Mack was also a pivotal member of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Invention Group at Cetus (now Novartis) in the mid 1980s. Dr. Mack has co-authored more than 30 scientific articles and reviews, including papers published in Cell, Science, and Nature, and is an inventor on 26 issued US patents. Dr. Mack was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow in microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, where he was a Howard Hughes Fellow in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, and a B.A. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Thilo Schroeder, Ph.D.
Partner, Nextech
Thilo Schroeder, Ph.D. is a Partner at Nextech and has a passion for precision medicines in cancer with a focus on identifying first and best-in-class targeted therapies regardless of drug modality.
Thilo is a board member of Revolution Medicines, PMV Pharma, IDEAYA Biosciences (NASDAQ: IDYA), ImaginAb and is a board observer of Black Diamond Therapeutics. Past board seats include Blueprint Medicines (NASDAQ: BPMC) and Peloton Therapeutics (acquired by Merck).
Thilo began his biotech career at the pioneering cancer immunology company Micromet (acquired by Amgen) while studying at Ecole Supérieure de Biotechnologie de Strasbourg, conducted research at the University of Sydney and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich, focused on protein engineering in the development of Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins), a technology developed by Molecular Partners (SWX:MOLN).
Laurie Stelzer
Executive Vice President and CFO, Arena Pharmaceuticals
Laurie Stelzer is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Arena Pharmaceuticals. Laurie has over 20 years of experience in biopharmaceutical management, including leading teams in finance, treasury, investor relations, business development and emerging markets. Most recently, Laurie served as Chief Financial Officer of Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. Prior to joining Halozyme, Laurie served as SVP of Finance for R&D, Technical Operations and Business Development, and was previously Division CFO for Regenerative Medicine, at Shire Plc. Before Shire, she spent 15 years at Amgen Inc. in senior leadership roles in finance and business development with responsibilities including the U.S., Canada and International Markets, ultimately serving as the company’s acting treasurer, and playing an integral role in the original build of their immunology business. Laurie earned her B.S. in Accounting from Arizona State University and an M.B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management. She currently serves on the board of directors for Surface Oncology, Inc.
Charles M Baum, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mirati Therapeutics
Charles M Baum, M.D., Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2021. Dr. Baum has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Mirati Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: MRTX) since November 2012. From June 2003 to September 2012, Dr. Baum held positions of increasing responsibility at Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) as Vice President and Head of Oncology Clinical Development and subsequently as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Research for the Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center within Pfizer's Worldwide Research & Development division. His experience in targeted oncology included the development of Sutent®, Inlyta®, Xalkori® and Ibrance® while at Pifzer. From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Baum was responsible for the development of several oncology compounds (including Temodar®) at Schering-Plough Corporation (acquired by Merck). Dr. Baum's career has included academic and hospital positions at Stanford University and Emory University, as well as positions of increasing responsibility within the pharmaceutical industry at SyStemix, Inc. (acquired by Novartis AG), and G.D. Searle & Com (acquired by Pfizer). In addition to his director role at Mirati, Dr. Baum currently serves as chairman of the board of OncoMyx Therapeutics, member of the board of directors at BCTG Acquisition Corp, as well as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for ALX Oncology (NASDAQ: ALXO). Dr. Baum previously served on the board of directors of Immunomedics, Inc. from 2019 until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in 2020 and Array BioPharma Inc. from 2014 until its acquisition by Pfizer in July 2019. Dr. Baum received his M.D. and Ph.D. (Immunology) degrees from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri and completed his post-doctoral training at Stanford University.
Scientific Advisory Board
Scott Lowe, Ph.D.
Chair, Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Lowe is a member of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and an Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is also chair of the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at MSKCC. Dr. Lowe received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He started his independent research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he eventually became Director of the Cancer Center. He joined Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2011.
Dr. Lowe studies the genes and processes whose alterations cause and maintain cancer. Much of his work has focused on the tumor suppressor gene p53, where he has focused on how p53 acts to suppress tumorigenesis and the diverse consequences of p53 mutation on cancer progression. As examples, he has identified key roles for p53 in the processes of apoptosis (cell death) and senescence, and shown how p53 can suppress tumors through both cell intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Conversely, he has shown how p53 inactivation can promote resistance to certain cytotoxic agents, and facilitate escape from immune surveillance. His work has been recognized by several awards, including the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award, the AACR Clowes Award, the Paul Marks Prize, and the Albert Knudsen award from the National Cancer Institute. He has also been elected as a Fellow in the Academy of the American Association of Cancer Research, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.
Karen Vousden, Ph.D.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Karen received her BSc and Ph.D. in Genetics from Queen Mary College at the University of London working with Lorna Casselton, followed by postdoctoral fellowships with Chris Marshall at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and Douglas Lowy at the National Cancer Institute in the USA. She then became head of the Human Papillomavirus group the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in London before moving back to the NCI in 1995, where she was Director of the Molecular Virology and Carcinogenesis Section at the ABL-Basic Research programme and then Chief of the Regulation of Cell Growth Laboratory. In 2002 she returned to the UK to become the Director of the CRUK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, moving back to London in 2016 to take up the role of Chief Scientist at CRUK and Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute.
Karen has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences, EMBO, the European Academy of Sciences, the American Association of Cancer Research, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. She has also received honorary DScs from the Universities of London and Strathclyde and is an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow). Karen’s awards include the Tenovus Gold Medal, the Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins Medal, the Royal Medal from the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Mike Price Gold Medal from the EACR. She was made a Commander of the British Empire for services to clinical science.
Frank McCormick, Ph.D., F.R.S.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Frank McCormick, PhD, is a Professor at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to joining the UCSF faculty, Dr. McCormick pursued cancer‐related work with several Bay Area biotechnology firms and held positions with Cetus Corporation (Director of Molecular Biology, 1981‐1990; Vice President of Research, 1990‐1991) and Chiron Corporation, where he was Vice President of Research. In 1992 he founded Onyx Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to developing new cancer therapies, and served as its Chief Scientific Officer until 1996. At Onyx Pharmaceuticals, he initiated drug discovery efforts that led to the approval of Sorafenib in 2005 for treatment of renal cell cancer, and for liver cancer in 2007, and the approval of ONYX‐015 in 2006 in China for treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer. In addition, Dr. McCormick’s group led to the identification of the CDK4 kinase inhibitor, Palbociclib, approved for treating advanced breast cancer. Dr. McCormick's current research interests center on ways of targeting Ras proteins and their regulators, including the NF1 protein neurofibromin.
Dr. McCormick holds the David A. Wood Chair of Tumor Biology and Cancer Research at UCSF. He is the author of over 330 scientific publications and holds more than 20 issued patents. He was Director of the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center from 1997 to 2014. He also served as President, 2012‐ 2013, for the American Association for Cancer Research. Since 2013, Dr. McCormick has led the National Cancer Institute’s Ras Initiative at the Frederick National Laboratories for Cancer Research overseeing the national effort to develop therapies against Ras‐driven cancers. These cancers include most pancreatic cancers, and many colorectal and lung cancers, and are amongst the most difficult cancers to treat. Dr. McCormick is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Arnold Levine, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Arnold J. Levine is currently a Professor Emeritus at The Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and a joint Professor in the Pediatrics and Biochemistry Departments at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. He received his B.A. in Biology from Harpur College, SUNY and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
He trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at California Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Robert Sinsheimer. Dr. Levine is a widely acclaimed leader in cancer research. In 1979, Dr. Levine and others discovered the p53 tumor suppressor protein, a molecule that inhibits tumor development. He established the Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study, which concentrates on research at the interface of molecular biology and the physical sciences: on genetics and genomics, polymorphisms and molecular aspects of evolution, signal transduction pathways and networks, stress responses, and pharmacogenomics in cancer biology. Dr. Levine helped shape U.S. science priorities as chairman of an influential 1996 review panel on federal AIDS research funding. He also chaired the National Cancer Advisory Board, which advises the National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine on cancer policy. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1991 and to its Institute of Medicine in 1995. In April 2001, Levine received the first Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the largest annual prize in science or medicine offered in the United States. In 1968 Dr. Levine joined Princeton University as an Assistant Professor, becoming a Professor of biochemistry in 1976. In 1979, he moved to the SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine to Chair the Department of Microbiology. He returned to Princeton in 1984. Between 1984 and 1996, he presided over a major expansion of Princeton’s life sciences programs as Chairman of the Department of Molecular Biology. From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Levine was President of The Rockefeller University.
Thomas Shenk, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Thomas Shenk, Ph.D., is the James A. Elkins Professor of Life Sciences in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. He received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Detroit and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Rutgers University. He trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Biology at Stanford University in the laboratory of Paul Berg.
Dr. Shenk is a virologist, who has investigated gene functions and pathogenesis of adenovirus, a DNA tumor virus, and human cytomegalovirus, a member of the herpes family of viruses. His laboratory’s current areas of focus include the dissection of cytomegalovirus gene functions, persistence, and latency. Dr. Shenk is the recipient of the Eli Lilly Award from the American Society for Microbiology, an American Cancer Society Professorship and an Investigatorship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and he is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Dr. Shenk served as Chair of Princeton’s Department of Molecular Biology for two terms. He has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Virology and as Chair of the Council for Research and Clinical Investigation of the American Cancer Society. He is a past President of the American Society for Virology and the American Society for Microbiology, and he served on the Board of Directors of Merck & Company for 11 years. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Hepatitis B Foundation.
Charles Sawyers, M.D.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Sawyers is chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and is an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He was appointed to US President Barack Obama’s National Cancer Advisory Board, and is former president of the American Association for Cancer Research and of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is also a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the co-founder of Aragon (acquired by J&J in 2013) and Seragon (acquired by Genentech in 2014).
Dr. Sawyers received his doctor of medicine from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and worked at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles for nearly 18 years before joining Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2006. An internationally acclaimed cancer researcher, he co-developed the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) and the anti-androgen drug Xtandi (enzalutamide). He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award in 2009.
Michael E. Jung, Ph.D.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Michael E. Jung is currently a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is also an Adjunct Member of the Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology. He is a member of the Molecular Biology Institute and the California Nanosystems Institute. He serves as the funding director of the Biosciences Synthetic Chemistry Core Facility at UCLA. He received his B.A. in Chemistry from Rice University and his Ph.D. from Columbia University.
He trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) in Zürich in the laboratory of Albert Eschenmoser. In 1974 Dr. Jung joined the faculty at UCLA as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, becoming a Professor in 1983. He is a widely acclaimed leader in synthetic medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Beginning in 2003, he teamed with Professor Charles Sawyers at UCLA on a joint project to design and prepare new antagonists of the androgen receptor which still functioned under the high AR expression found in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This led to the discovery of novel AR antagonists and culminated in the approval of one of his analogues, RD162’ - enzalutamide, as a first line treatment for CRPC in 2012. A different AR antagonist, ARN509, is now in phase 3 clinical trials for pre-metastatic CRPC, sponsored by Johnson and Johnson. He has been a founder of six biotech startups and has more than 15 ongoing collaborations with MDs and biologists at UCLA and elsewhere. He serves on the Board of Directors or the Scientific Advisory Board of five companies. He consult currently for 25 pharmaceutical firms and biotech companies. Recently he and his wife established the Jung Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery at UCLA.
Richard A. Heyman, Ph.D.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Richard A. Heyman, PhD, is a scientist and entrepreneur with experience in building biotech and life science companies. He currently serves as Chairman and co-founder of Metacrine Inc., a biotech startup developing therapeutics for liver and gastrointestinal diseases. He also is the co-founder and Chairman of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, which is developing drugs to overcome resistance in cancer. Previously, Rich was the co-founder and CEO of Aragon and Seragon Pharmaceuticals, which focused on therapeutics targeting hormone dependent cancers. J&J purchased Aragon in 2013, and Genentech purchased Seragon in 2014. He has been involved in the discovery and development of multiple therapeutic agents approved by the FDA, including the recently approved prostate cancer drug Erleada.
Dr. Heyman is a Venture Partner for Arch Ventures and serves on the BOD of Gritstone Oncology, Yumanity Therapeutics and Vividion Therapeutics. Rich is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Salk Institute, on the Board Foundation for the AACR and on the Executive Committee at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. He has won numerous awards including Ernst and Young San Diego Regional Entrepreneur of the Year and the Endocrine Society Outstanding Innovation Award. He was an NIH postdoctoral fellow and staff scientist at the Salk Institute. Rich received a PhD in pharmacology and a BS in chemistry and is the author or inventor on more than 125 publications and patents.
Guillermina (Gigi) Lozano, Ph.D.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Lozano received her BS degree in Biology and Mathematics, Magna Cum Laude, from Pan American University now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She received her PhD from Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and performed post-doctoral studies with Dr. Arnold Levine at Princeton University.
Dr. Lozano was hired as an Instructor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1987 and quickly rose through the ranks to her current position as professor and chair of the Department of Genetics. She holds the Hubert L. Olive Stringer Distinguished Chair in Oncology in Honor of Sue Gribble Stringer.
Dr. Lozano's research is focused on understanding the activities of the p53 tumor suppressor and the upstream signals that regulate p53 function. Dr. Lozano used the mouse as a model system to demonstrate that Mdm2 and Mdm4 are critical inhibitors of p53, and identified gain-of-function mechanisms for p53 missense mutations which result in more aggressive cancers. Other models showed that cell cycle arrest and senescence (independent of apoptosis) were important p53 tumor suppressive mechanisms and explored the clinical implications of restoring p53 activity in different contexts in vivo.
Dr. Lozano is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She received the Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship and the Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Lectureship awards, both from the American Association for Cancer Research. She also received the EE Just Award from the American Society of Cell Biology. She is also the recipient of distinguished alumni awards from both her undergraduate and graduate alma maters.
