Jeffrey Stein Ph.D.
Jeffrey Stein has served as our president and chief executive officer since February 2007 and on our board of directors since 2005. From 2005 through 2007, Dr. Stein was a Kauffman Fellow with the venture capital firm Sofinnova Ventures. He has also served as a Venture Partner with Sofinnova Ventures from 2007 until present and as Director of Venture Development for the University of California, San Diego from 2005 to 2006. From 1999 to 2005, Dr. Stein served as executive vice president, chief scientific officer and a member of the board of directors of Quorex Pharmaceuticals, an anti-infectives company he founded in 1999, which was acquired by Pfizer in 2005. From 1995 to 1999, Dr. Stein was a scientist with Diversa Corporation where he most recently served as principal scientist and head of the anti-infectives discovery team. From 1993 to 1995, Dr. Stein served as Principal Scientist with the Agouron Institute, a private research institution, where he conducted research in bacterial genetics. From 1991 to 1993, he was an Alexander Hollaendar Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow with the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Stein holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and microbiology from the University of California, at San Diego.
John Finn Ph.D.
John Finn has served as our chief scientific officer since February 2007 and is a co-founder of our company. From July 2004 to February 2007, he served as our president. From December 2003 to June 2004, Dr. Finn served as the vice president of drug discovery at Elitra Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. From January 1998 to March 2003, Dr. Finn served as the senior director of lead discovery and optimization at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. From January 1995 to December 1997, Dr. Finn served as associate director at Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company. From December 1984 to January 1995, Dr. Finn served as the senior scientist of American Cyanamid Company. Dr. Finn holds a B.S. in chemistry from Villanova University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.
Kenneth Bartizal Ph.D.
Kenneth Bartizal has served as our chief development officer since June 2007. From 1988 to 2007, he served as executive director and head of infectious disease research at Merck & Co., Inc., a pharmaceutical company. From 1986 to 1988, Dr. Bartizal served as a research scientist at Pfizer Inc., a pharmaceutical company. From 1983 to 1986, he was a faculty member and conducted research at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and Northeast Missouri State University. Dr. Bartizal holds a B.S. in Professional Studies, an M.S. in Physiology and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Bartizal performed postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin from 1981 to 1983.
Philippe Prokocimer M.D.
Philippe Prokocimerhas served as our chief medical officer since July 2007. From 2003 to 2007, he served as a vice president, clinical research at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C. From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Prokocimer served as vice president, clinical research at Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, and from 1994 to 2001, he served as vice president of anti-infectives clinical research at Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company. From 1987 to 1994, Dr. Prokocimer served as medical director for Abbott Laboratories, a health care company. Dr. Prokocimer is board certified in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine from Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire Bichat-Beaujon. He holds an M.D. from the School of Medicine (Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire Pitie-Salpetriere) in Paris, France and undertook his post-doctoral research fellowship in adrenergic pharmacology at Stanford University from 1984 to 1986.
Craig Thompson
Mr. Thompson has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since January 2011. Previously, he was Vice President of Marketing for Pfizer's Specialty Care Business Unit where he was directly responsible for the U.S. commercial strategy for products with over $1.5 billion in annual U.S. sales including Zyvox®, Tygacil®, Vfend®, Eraxis®, Rapammune® and Relistor®. Prior to his 7 years at Pfizer, Mr. Thompson served in positions of increasing responsibility for 12 years at Merck where he most notably worked on the commercial planning and marketing activities for the company's anti-infectives Primaxin®, Mefoxin® and Cancidas® as well as major cardiovascular brands including Vytorin®, Zetia® and Zocor®. Mr. Thompson earned a Bachelors degree from McMaster University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.
Karen E. Potts Ph.D.
has served as our Vice President of Regulatory Affairs since September 2009. From April 2006 to February 2009, she served as senior director, regulatory policy at Allergan, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company. From August 2003 to March 2006, Dr. Potts served as director, regulatory affairs at Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. From November 1999 to July 2003, she served as associate director, regulatory affairs at Pfizer Inc., a pharmaceutical company, and from March 1996 to October 1999, she served as senior research scientist, virology at Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. From October 1992 to March 1996, Dr. Potts served as a senior research scientist in infectious disease at G.D. Searle & Company and before that, from January 1991 to October 1992, Dr. Potts was a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Disease Control, Division of HIV/AIDs. Dr. Potts holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Emory University.
John P. Schmid
John Schmidhas served as our chief financial officer since June 2004 and is a co-founder of our company. From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Schmid served as the chief financial officer of GeneFormatics, Inc., a structural proteomics company, where he was a co-founder. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Schmid served as the chief financial officer of Endonetics, Inc., a biotechnology company. From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Schmid was an associate with Idanta Partners, a venture capital firm. From 1987 to 1992, Mr. Schmid served as a vice president at Home Federal Bank. From 1985 to 1986, Mr. Schmid served as a financial analyst for Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company. In addition, from 1994 to 2005, Mr. Schmid served as a member of the board of directors and as president of the San Diego Venture Group in 1995. Mr. Schmid holds a B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from the University of San Diego.
Karen Joy Shaw Ph.D.
Karen Joy Shaw has served as our senior vice president of biology since 2007 and served as one of our scientific advisors from 2005 to 2007. From 1999 to 2005, she served as team leader, infectious diseases at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C., a pharmaceutical research and development company. From 1984 to 1999, she served as a research fellow at Schering-Plough Research Institute. From 1981 to 1983, Dr. Shaw was a post-doctoral fellow at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Shaw holds a B.S. in Biology from Brooklyn College and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Connecticut.
Neil Abdollahian
Neil Abdollahian has over 13 years of management and research experience in the life sciences industry. His experience in biopharmaceutical management includes more than 30 transactions ranging from early-stage technology collaborations, clinical-stage licensing transactions to acquisition and divestment of marketed therapeutics and companies. Most recently, Mr. Abdollahian was Director of Business Development & Special Projects at Emerging Growth Capital Pty, a biotech focused Australian investment bank. Prior to EG Capital, he spent 8 years leading and closing high-value biotech transactions while at Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Isis Pharmaceuticals and Neurogen Corporation. Mr. Abdollahian began his career in the research sciences where his graduate research focused on neuronal energy metabolism. He earned an MBA from Pepperdine University, an M.S. in the Biomedical Sciences from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a B.S. in the Biological Sciences from the George Washington University.
