Our core values: Integrity, Excellence, Respect, Teamwork, Trust
Artizan Biosciences, Inc. is a biotechnology company with a mission to restore lives disrupted by inflammatory disease through innovation and advancement of microbiota-targeted therapies. We are leveraging our proprietary IgA-SEQ™ technology platform to distinguish disease-driving bacteria from the intestinal microbiota with the goal of developing new and potentially curative treatments.
Founders
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Richard A. Flavell, Ph.D., D.Sc., FRS
Richard A. Flavell, Ph.D., D.Sc., FRS
Richard A. Flavell, Ph.D., D.Sc., is Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his B.Sc. (Honors) in 1967 and Ph.D. in 1970 in biochemistry from the University of Hull, England. He performed his postdoctoral work in Amsterdam (1970-72) with Piet Borst and in Zurich (1972-73) with Charles Weissmann. Before accepting his current position in 1988, Dr. Flavell was first Assistant Professor (equivalent) at the University of Amsterdam (1974-79); then Head of the Laboratory of Gene Structure and Expression at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London (1979-82); and subsequently President and Chief Scientific Officer of Biogen Research Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1982-88). Dr. Flavell is a fellow of the Royal Society, a member of EMBO, the National Academy of Sciences as well as the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Flavell served as the founding Chairman of Yale’s Department of Immunobiology for 28 years, stepping down in early 2016.
Dr. Flavell is co-discoverer of introns in cellular genes: he showed DNA methylation correlates inversely with, and prevents, gene expression. He was the first to develop reverse genetics as a postdoc, and in his own lab continued in this field throughout his career. He is a pioneer and sophisticated practitioner in the use of this approach in vivo to study function. Dr. Flavell’s laboratory studies the molecular and cellular basis of the immune response, particularly as it applies to autoimmune and auto inflammatory diseases. Recently he elucidated mechanisms that regulate homeostasis between the microbiome and host. This work has, in part, led to the founding of Artizan Biosciences. He has published more than 1,000 peer reviewed papers and is one of the world’s most cited immunologists.
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Noah W. Palm, Ph.D.
Noah W. Palm, Ph.D.
Noah W. Palm, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Immunobiology at the Yale University School of Medicine, where his lab focuses on illuminating the diverse mechanisms by which the trillions of microbes that live in and on us interact with and influence their mammalian hosts. His work emphasizes the development of new technologies that leverage recent advances in combinatorial biology and next-generation sequencing to deconvolute complex host-microbiota interactions and reveal causal roles for the microbiota in human health and disease. These causal host-microbiota interaction nodes serve as ideal leads for the development of novel microbiota-targeted therapeutics. Dr. Palm received his B.A. in Biology from Macalester College and performed doctoral work with Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov and postdoctoral work with Dr. Richard Flavell, both at Yale University. He is the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Kingsley Award in Medical Research and Smith Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research. His work has appeared in various high-impact journals including Nature, Science, and Cell.
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Marcel R. de Zoete, Ph.D.
Marcel R. de Zoete, Ph.D.
Dr. Marcel de Zoete, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Microbiome Research at the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University Medical Center Utrecht, in The Netherlands. During his postdoctoral studies in the lab of Prof. Dr. Richard Flavell at the Department of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. De Zoete identified a subset of bacterial members of the intestinal microbiota that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease. His current research continues to focus on the molecular mechanisms through which the microbiota and its metabolites, by targeting epithelial, stromal and immune cells, influence intestinal health and disease. Dr. De Zoete has authored multiple high-impact publications, several of which appeared in Nature, Science, Cell and PNAS.
Team
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Jordan Bendor, B.S., Research Associate II
Jordan Bendor, B.S. — Research Associate II
Jordan Bendor, B.S., joined the Artizan team in 2019 as a Research Associate. Previously, he worked in labs at Yale University and The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, investigating the role of noncoding RNAs in cancer pathways. In his role at Artizan, he brings a background in molecular biology and experience with in vivo and in vitro studies. Mr. Bendor holds a B.S. in biology from Brandeis University.
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Priyanka Chintha, M.S., Scientist II
Priyanka Chintha, M.S. — Scientist II
Priyanka Chintha, M.S., previously worked as a Senior R & D Specialist in the Infectious Diseases department at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. She has over eight years of industrial experience working in the fields of virology, immunology, molecular biology and biochemistry, from target validation to moving lead candidates into clinical trials. She received her master’s degree in biological sciences from University of Massachusetts.
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Chase Fredrick, M.S., Research Associate
Chase Fredrick, M.S. — Research Associate
After graduating with a B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin, Chase Fredrick, M.S., joined Artizan in 2017 as a Research Associate. His research under Dr. Eric Johnson focused on how arginine catabolism affects toxin expression in Clostridium botulinum. He is actively involved in both target discovery and therapeutic development at Artizan.
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William J. Hoekstra, Ph.D., Sr. Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry
William J. Hoekstra, Ph.D. — Sr. Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry
Dr. Hoekstra has worked in pharmaceutical R&D as a medicinal chemist and intellectual property coordinator for more than 30 years. Prior to joining Artizan, he served as Sr. Vice President of Medicinal Chemistry at Viamet Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he co-invented both the Phase 3 antifungal oteseconazole and the Phase 2B anticancer agent seviteronel. Prior to working with Viamet, Dr. Hoekstra held the position of Associate Director in Discovery Medicinal Chemistry at GlaxoSmithKline where he coordinated the introduction of a group of nuclear receptor modulator programs into the portfolio. In the 1990s, he directed the discovery and lead optimization of several clinical NCEs such as the Phase 2B antithrombotic elarofiban in Johnson & Johnson’s Department of Drug Discovery. He has co-authored over 100 publications, holds 75 issued U.S. patents, and has presented several invited lectures.
Dr. Hoekstra received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Hope College, Holland, MI. He subsequently earned his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry from Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
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Paul F. Miller, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer
Paul F. Miller, Ph.D. — Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Paul Miller, Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer for Artizan Biosciences, having joined the company in February 2019. Prior to Artizan, he was Chief Scientific Officer at Synlogic where he established the research team which advanced a novel therapeutic microbial engineering platform from idea to first-in-human studies in under 3 years. Previously, Dr. Miller was the Vice President of Infection Biology at AstraZeneca where he was responsible for the early discovery portfolio and strategy, while also leading several external collaborations. Prior to AstraZeneca, he was the Chief Scientific Officer for Antibacterial Research at Pfizer, leading discovery teams that produced 8 drug development candidates, provided critical research support for several successful marketed antibiotics including Zithromax and Zyvox, and advanced a novel oxazolidinone (sutezolid) for tuberculosis into Phase II studies. A microbial geneticist by training, he began his professional career at the Warner-Lambert Company in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he integrated cutting edge molecular-genetic approaches into a traditional antibacterial drug discovery program and established novel target discovery projects. His work there led to new insights into the mechanisms by which bacteria sense and respond to antibiotics and other environmental agents. Dr. Miller received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the Albany Medical College and conducted postdoctoral studies in yeast genetics at the National Institutes of Health. He has served as a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Microbial Threats and is also a scientific advisor to both the CARB-X antibacterial funding initiative and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the area of tuberculosis drug discovery.
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Edward Natoli, M.A., Senior Scientist
Edward Natoli, M.A. — Senior Scientist
Edward Natoli, M.A., began his career as a scientist producing monoclonal antibodies to cancer antigens that went into clinical trials, providing him with a lasting impression that his work had direct correlation to a person’s wellness. Mr. Natoli enjoyed the diversity of working on multiple biologics from treating immunodeficiencies in cows, to monoclonal therapies for orphan malignancies. He continues to work at the bench and has been involved in the therapeutic antibody process from antigen design to production of preclinical materials. Mr. Natoli holds an M.A. in Immunology from Queens College.
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James H. Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H., President & Chief Executive Officer
James H. Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H. — President & Chief Executive Officer
James Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H., is the President & CEO of Artizan Biosciences, Inc., which was established to further the research & development pursuits of Yale Immunobiology faculty members Noah Palm and Richard Flavell. Prior to Artizan’s inception, he spent 12 years in venture capital, most recently leading the program-related venture capital investment function for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.
From 2005-2015, Mr. Rosen was with Intersouth Partners, where he was a Partner on the life sciences investment team. He began with the firm as an intern in 2005 while pursuing his graduate degrees, joined full-time in 2007, and became a Partner in 2009. Prior to joining Intersouth, he spent 15 years in clinical, research and financial positions in the health care and biotechnology sectors.
Mr. Rosen’s research experience includes programs at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, the National Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center and its Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also managed and monitored clinical trials at a privately held contract research organization, which led to FDA-approved products. He spent several years as an equity research analyst at Brean Murray & Co., covering biopharmaceuticals, genomics, generics, drug delivery and medical device companies. Prior to his research and Wall Street functions, he spent five years in Emergency Medical Services as a mountain search & rescue and ambulance medic.
Mr. Rosen currently serves on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the University of North Carolina’s Public Health Foundation Board (Immediate Past Chairman) and Dean’s Advisory Council for the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, the board of Southeast BIO, and the Oversight Committee for the Duke-Coulter Translational Partners Program.
James holds a B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A. from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business where he was a Carolina Venture Fellow and recipient of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Award for Excellence. He received his M.S.P.H. from the UNC School of Public Health, where his thesis focused on the relationship between technology transfer in biotechnology and venture capital investment. In 2010 he was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship for which he designed and executed a program to evaluate the prospects for health care innovation in China and Southeast Asia.
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Stacy Hyunji Ryu, Ph.D., Director, Mechanistic Research
Stacy Hyunji Ryu, Ph.D. — Director, Mechanistic Research
Stacy Hyunji Ryu, Ph.D., is the Director of Mechanistic Research. She received her Ph.D. in immunology and cell biology at Northwestern University. During her graduate research, under Dr. Terrence Barrett, she examined the role of cytokines on intestinal stem cell activation during inflammatory bowel disease, and completed her post-doctoral training under Dr. Thaddeus Stappenbeck at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Ryu’s post-doctoral work involves mechanistic dissection of host-microbial interactions mediated by intestinal microbial metabolites and their effects on host physiology and disease pathogenesis. She was a part of the CCFA Microbiome Initiative research effort which aims to identify microbial metabolites that are altered in IBD patients, and worked to develop lead molecules for microbiome-based therapy. Upon completion of her postdoctoral training, Dr. Ryu joined Artizan Biosciences and is currently leading the therapeutic development effort.
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Whitman B. Schofield, Ph.D., Director II, Preclinical Biology
Whitman B. Schofield, Ph.D. — Director II, Preclinical Biology
Whitman Schofield, Ph.D., is the Director II of Preclinical Biology. He spent his academic career working to understand the molecular mechanisms that enable bacteria to propagate and thrive in the mammalian host. Dr. Schofield did his doctoral work in the laboratory of Christine Jacobs-Wagner, where he studied bacterial chromosome segregation by developing novel image analysis software. His post-doctoral work was done with Andrew Goodman at Yale University, where he utilized transcriptomics, metabolomics and epistasis analysis to elucidate how human gut bacteria adjusts central carbon metabolism to the mammalian digestive tract.
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Keely Walsh, B.S., L.A.T.G., Research Scientist I, Preclinical
Keely Walsh, B.S., L.A.T.G. — Research Scientist I, Preclinical
Keely Walsh, B.S., L.A.T.G., is a Research Scientist I with Artizan. Prior to joining the team, she worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb for 13 years as a veterinary scientist where she performed lab animal research and discovered a passion for the animals that lead to so many important scientific discoveries. Ms. Walsh began her career working in a zoo and a small animal veterinary practice. She received her bachelor’s degree in zoology from Washington State University.
Board
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Christy Shaffer, Ph.D.
Christy Shaffer, Ph.D.
Seasoned entrepreneur and biotech executive, Christy Shaffer, Ph.D., has over 25 years of experience in the life science industry. Following her career as a clinical scientist, international project leader and Associate Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Burroughs Wellcome Co., she joined Inspire Pharmaceuticals in 1995 as the first full-time employee. She was responsible for raising over $300m for the company, and took the company public in 2000. As President and CEO, Dr. Shaffer grew the company from 20 scientists to nearly 250 employees, and brought revenues to over $100 million. Under her leadership, Inspire was named as “Best Place to Work for Scientists” by Scientist magazine, and “Best Place to Work in North Carolina.” Dr. Shaffer retired from Inspire in 2010 and the company was acquired by Merck in 2011. She joined Hatteras in 2011 as the Managing Director of Hatteras Discovery and became a general partner in 2016.
Dr. Shaffer currently serves as a board member of five Hatteras portfolio companies: Artizan Biosciences (Chair), Clearside Biomedical, GrayBug Vision (Chair), Trefoil Therapeutics, and Spyryx Biosciences. Dr. Shaffer is a receptor pharmacologist by training, earning her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis TN in 1985. She received her post-doctoral training at The Chicago Medical School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Community and Board Engagements
Dr. Shaffer played a role in the Chancellor’s Innovation Circle to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation across the UNC-Chapel Hill campus (2010 – 2012.) She has served on numerous boards including the NC Biotechnology Center, the Biotechnology Institute, BIO, PhRMA, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the CFF Therapeutics’s Inc., the NC School of Science and Math Foundation Board, and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Dr. Shaffer received the Breath of Life Award for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 2009 and the Hamner Leadership Award at the NC BIOTECH meeting in 2011. TiE Atlanta awarded Dr. Shaffer the 2013 Venture Capital Entrepreneur Award at the TieCON Southeast conference.
She received the Lifetime Women in Business Award by the Triangle Business Journal in 2016 and was named one of the top BizWomen to Watch in December, 2016. Christy currently serves on multiple non-profit boards including the Chordoma Foundation, the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the Burroughs Wellcome Regulatory Initiative Advisory board, the Frank Hawkins Kenan’s Institute’s Advisory Board, and RTI International.
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Jon Soderstrom, Ph.D.
Jon Soderstrom, Ph.D.
Jon Soderstrom, Ph.D., is currently the Managing Director of the Office of Cooperative Research at Yale University responsible for commercializing inventions resulting from Yale’s scientific research including patent license agreements, strategic corporate partnerships and the formation of new business ventures.
Since joining the Office in 1996, he has helped form more than 25 new ventures including Molecular Staging (acquired by Qiagen), Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASQ: ACHN), Protometrix (acquired by Invitrogen), Iconic Therapeutics, HistoRx (acquired by Genoptix), Kolltan Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Celldex), Arvinas (NASDAQ: ARVN) and Artizan Bioscience. Collectively, these companies have raised over $500 million in professional venture capital.
Dr. Soderstrom was a founding board member and past president of the Association of Federal Technology Transfer Executives as well as a member of the Licensing Executive Society and Association of University Technology Managers (President 2008; VP Public Policy). He is frequently asked to lecture on various aspects of the technology commercialization and economic development both within the United States and abroad. He has testified before Congress on technology transfer issues and served as an expert witness in patent infringement/contract litigation.
Dr. Soderstrom received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and his B.A. from Hope College.
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Holden Thorp, Ph.D.
Holden Thorp, Ph.D.
Holden Thorp became Editor-in-Chief of the Science family of journals on 28 October 2019. He came to Science from Washington University, where he was provost from 2013 to 2019 and where he is Rita Levi-Montalcini Distinguished University Professor and holds appointments in both chemistry and medicine.
Thorp joined Washington University after spending three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he served as the 10th chancellor from 2008 through 2013.
A North Carolina native, Thorp started at UNC as an undergraduate student and earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1986. He earned a doctorate in chemistry in 1989 at the California Institute of Technology, working with Harry B. Gray on inorganic photochemistry. He completed postdoctoral work at Yale University with Gary W. Brudvig, working on model compounds and reactions for the manganese cluster in the photosynthetic reaction center. He holds an honorary doctor of laws degree from North Carolina Wesleyan College and is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In his research career, Thorp studied electron-transfer reactions of nucleic acids, developed technology for electronic DNA chips, and cofounded Viamet Pharmaceuticals, which developed oteseconazole, now held by Mycovia Pharmaceuticals and in preparation for a new drug application in 2021 following successful Phase 3 trials. Thorp is a venture partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, a consultant to Ancora, and is on the board of directors of the College Advising Corps and Artizan Biosciences.
Thorp is the coauthor, with Buck Goldstein, of two books on higher education: Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the Twenty-First Century and Our Higher Calling: Rebuilding the Partnership Between America and its Colleges and Universities, both from UNC Press.
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St John Donnie McGrath, M.D.
St John Donnie McGrath, M.D.
Dr. McGrath has over 22 years of clinical research and pharmaceutical business development experience. From 2013 to 2017, he was Vice President, Business Development, and Head of Search & Evaluation at Bristol-Myers Squibb, based in Princeton, NJ. During this period, the business development group executed over 50 major transactions in the therapeutic areas of oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular, fibrosis, immuno-science, virology, and genetically-defined diseases. In addition, Dr. McGrath was responsible for overseeing BMS’ venture capital investment portfolio ($350 million), and provided leadership for all global external partnering activities. From 2010 to 2013, he was Executive Director in Business Development responsible for neuroscience and virology business development. In 2005, he joined the BMS virology clinical development group based in Wallingford, CT, as a director of clinical research, and became Group Director in 2007 and the REYATAZ® Development Lead. Dr. McGrath oversaw multiple clinical virology programs resulting in seven major FDA filings for REYATAZ® and SUSTIVA®, and over 60 EMEA procedures submitted and fulfilled. From 1998 to 2005, he was a physician-researcher in the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Disease at Tufts-New England Medical Center, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts Medical School in Boston. From 2002-2004 he was based at the Africa Center for Reproductive Health and Population Studies in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, where he established an NIH-funded post-graduate training program in medical informatics with the University of KwaZulu Natal School of Medicine and worked on HIV clinical studies. Dr. McGrath earned his undergraduate degree at University College Dublin, his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, and fellowship in Infectious Disease at Tufts-New England Medical Center, both in Boston.
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Seth Rudnick, M.D.
Seth Rudnick, M.D.
Dr. Rudnick has extensive expertise in drug discovery and development and healthcare investments. Dr. Rudnick is retired from Canaan Partners, where he built the global venture capital firm’s capability in biopharmaceutical investing. Prior to joining Canaan Partners, Dr. Rudnick served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of CytoTherapeutics, a company developing stem cell-based therapies to combat chronic diseases. He also helped found and served as the Head of Research and Development for Ortho Biotech, a division of Johnson & Johnson that provides life-improving products to individuals with a focus on cancer and chronic illnesses. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Virginia. Dr. Rudnick also serves on the Board of Director for G1 Therapeutics.
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James Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H. President & Chief Executive Officer
James Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H. — President & Chief Executive Officer
James Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H., is the President & CEO of Artizan Biosciences, Inc., which was established to further the research & development pursuits of Yale Immunobiology faculty members Noah Palm and Richard Flavell. Prior to Artizan’s inception, he spent 12 years in venture capital, most recently leading the program-related venture capital investment function for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.
From 2005-2015, Mr. Rosen was with Intersouth Partners, where he was a Partner on the life sciences investment team. He began with the firm as an intern in 2005 while pursuing his graduate degrees, joined full-time in 2007, and became a Partner in 2009. Prior to joining Intersouth, he spent 15 years in clinical, research and financial positions in the health care and biotechnology sectors.
Mr. Rosen’s research experience includes programs at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, the National Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center and its Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also managed and monitored clinical trials at a privately held contract research organization, which led to FDA-approved products. He spent several years as an equity research analyst at Brean Murray & Co., covering biopharmaceuticals, genomics, generics, drug delivery and medical device companies. Prior to his research and Wall Street functions, he spent five years in Emergency Medical Services as a mountain search & rescue and ambulance medic.
Mr. Rosen currently serves on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the University of North Carolina’s Public Health Foundation Board (Immediate Past Chairman) and Dean’s Advisory Council for the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, the board of Southeast BIO, and the Oversight Committee for the Duke-Coulter Translational Partners Program.
James holds a B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A. from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business where he was a Carolina Venture Fellow and recipient of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Award for Excellence. He received his M.S.P.H. from the UNC School of Public Health, where his thesis focused on the relationship between technology transfer in biotechnology and venture capital investment. In 2010 he was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship for which he designed and executed a program to evaluate the prospects for health care innovation in China and Southeast Asia.
Christy Shaffer, Ph.D.
Seasoned entrepreneur and biotech executive, Christy Shaffer, Ph.D., has over 25 years of experience in the life science industry. Following her career as a clinical scientist, international project leader and Associate Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Burroughs Wellcome Co., she joined Inspire Pharmaceuticals in 1995 as the first full-time employee. She was responsible for raising over $300m for the company, and took the company public in 2000. As President and CEO, Dr. Shaffer grew the company from 20 scientists to nearly 250 employees, and brought revenues to over $100 million. Under her leadership, Inspire was named as “Best Place to Work for Scientists” by Scientist magazine, and “Best Place to Work in North Carolina.” Dr. Shaffer retired from Inspire in 2010 and the company was acquired by Merck in 2011. She joined Hatteras in 2011 as the Managing Director of Hatteras Discovery and became a general partner in 2016.
Dr. Shaffer currently serves as a board member of five Hatteras portfolio companies: Artizan Biosciences (Chair), Clearside Biomedical, GrayBug Vision (Chair), Trefoil Therapeutics, and Spyryx Biosciences. Dr. Shaffer is a receptor pharmacologist by training, earning her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis TN in 1985. She received her post-doctoral training at The Chicago Medical School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Community and Board Engagements
Dr. Shaffer played a role in the Chancellor’s Innovation Circle to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation across the UNC-Chapel Hill campus (2010 – 2012.) She has served on numerous boards including the NC Biotechnology Center, the Biotechnology Institute, BIO, PhRMA, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the CFF Therapeutics’s Inc., the NC School of Science and Math Foundation Board, and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Dr. Shaffer received the Breath of Life Award for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 2009 and the Hamner Leadership Award at the NC BIOTECH meeting in 2011. TiE Atlanta awarded Dr. Shaffer the 2013 Venture Capital Entrepreneur Award at the TieCON Southeast conference.
She received the Lifetime Women in Business Award by the Triangle Business Journal in 2016 and was named one of the top BizWomen to Watch in December, 2016. Christy currently serves on multiple non-profit boards including the Chordoma Foundation, the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the Burroughs Wellcome Regulatory Initiative Advisory board, the Frank Hawkins Kenan’s Institute’s Advisory Board, and RTI International.
Jon Soderstrom, Ph.D.
Jon Soderstrom, Ph.D., is currently the Managing Director of the Office of Cooperative Research at Yale University responsible for commercializing inventions resulting from Yale’s scientific research including patent license agreements, strategic corporate partnerships and the formation of new business ventures.
Since joining the Office in 1996, he has helped form more than 25 new ventures including Molecular Staging (acquired by Qiagen), Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASQ: ACHN), Protometrix (acquired by Invitrogen), Iconic Therapeutics, HistoRx (acquired by Genoptix), Kolltan Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Celldex), Arvinas (NASDAQ: ARVN) and Artizan Bioscience. Collectively, these companies have raised over $500 million in professional venture capital.
Dr. Soderstrom was a founding board member and past president of the Association of Federal Technology Transfer Executives as well as a member of the Licensing Executive Society and Association of University Technology Managers (President 2008; VP Public Policy). He is frequently asked to lecture on various aspects of the technology commercialization and economic development both within the United States and abroad. He has testified before Congress on technology transfer issues and served as an expert witness in patent infringement/contract litigation.
Dr. Soderstrom received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and his B.A. from Hope College.
Holden Thorp, Ph.D.
Holden Thorp became Editor-in-Chief of the Science family of journals on 28 October 2019. He came to Science from Washington University, where he was provost from 2013 to 2019 and where he is Rita Levi-Montalcini Distinguished University Professor and holds appointments in both chemistry and medicine.
Thorp joined Washington University after spending three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he served as the 10th chancellor from 2008 through 2013.
A North Carolina native, Thorp started at UNC as an undergraduate student and earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1986. He earned a doctorate in chemistry in 1989 at the California Institute of Technology, working with Harry B. Gray on inorganic photochemistry. He completed postdoctoral work at Yale University with Gary W. Brudvig, working on model compounds and reactions for the manganese cluster in the photosynthetic reaction center. He holds an honorary doctor of laws degree from North Carolina Wesleyan College and is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In his research career, Thorp studied electron-transfer reactions of nucleic acids, developed technology for electronic DNA chips, and cofounded Viamet Pharmaceuticals, which developed oteseconazole, now held by Mycovia Pharmaceuticals and in preparation for a new drug application in 2021 following successful Phase 3 trials. Thorp is a venture partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, a consultant to Ancora, and is on the board of directors of the College Advising Corps and Artizan Biosciences.
Thorp is the coauthor, with Buck Goldstein, of two books on higher education: Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the Twenty-First Century and Our Higher Calling: Rebuilding the Partnership Between America and its Colleges and Universities, both from UNC Press.
St John Donnie McGrath, M.D.
Dr. McGrath has over 22 years of clinical research and pharmaceutical business development experience. From 2013 to 2017, he was Vice President, Business Development, and Head of Search & Evaluation at Bristol-Myers Squibb, based in Princeton, NJ. During this period, the business development group executed over 50 major transactions in the therapeutic areas of oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular, fibrosis, immuno-science, virology, and genetically-defined diseases. In addition, Dr. McGrath was responsible for overseeing BMS’ venture capital investment portfolio ($350 million), and provided leadership for all global external partnering activities. From 2010 to 2013, he was Executive Director in Business Development responsible for neuroscience and virology business development. In 2005, he joined the BMS virology clinical development group based in Wallingford, CT, as a director of clinical research, and became Group Director in 2007 and the REYATAZ® Development Lead. Dr. McGrath oversaw multiple clinical virology programs resulting in seven major FDA filings for REYATAZ® and SUSTIVA®, and over 60 EMEA procedures submitted and fulfilled. From 1998 to 2005, he was a physician-researcher in the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Disease at Tufts-New England Medical Center, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts Medical School in Boston. From 2002-2004 he was based at the Africa Center for Reproductive Health and Population Studies in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, where he established an NIH-funded post-graduate training program in medical informatics with the University of KwaZulu Natal School of Medicine and worked on HIV clinical studies. Dr. McGrath earned his undergraduate degree at University College Dublin, his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, and fellowship in Infectious Disease at Tufts-New England Medical Center, both in Boston.
Seth Rudnick, M.D.
Dr. Rudnick has extensive expertise in drug discovery and development and healthcare investments. Dr. Rudnick is retired from Canaan Partners, where he built the global venture capital firm’s capability in biopharmaceutical investing. Prior to joining Canaan Partners, Dr. Rudnick served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of CytoTherapeutics, a company developing stem cell-based therapies to combat chronic diseases. He also helped found and served as the Head of Research and Development for Ortho Biotech, a division of Johnson & Johnson that provides life-improving products to individuals with a focus on cancer and chronic illnesses. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Virginia. Dr. Rudnick also serves on the Board of Director for G1 Therapeutics.
James Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H. — President & Chief Executive Officer
James Rosen, M.B.A., M.S.P.H., is the President & CEO of Artizan Biosciences, Inc., which was established to further the research & development pursuits of Yale Immunobiology faculty members Noah Palm and Richard Flavell. Prior to Artizan’s inception, he spent 12 years in venture capital, most recently leading the program-related venture capital investment function for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.
From 2005-2015, Mr. Rosen was with Intersouth Partners, where he was a Partner on the life sciences investment team. He began with the firm as an intern in 2005 while pursuing his graduate degrees, joined full-time in 2007, and became a Partner in 2009. Prior to joining Intersouth, he spent 15 years in clinical, research and financial positions in the health care and biotechnology sectors.
Mr. Rosen’s research experience includes programs at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, the National Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center and its Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also managed and monitored clinical trials at a privately held contract research organization, which led to FDA-approved products. He spent several years as an equity research analyst at Brean Murray & Co., covering biopharmaceuticals, genomics, generics, drug delivery and medical device companies. Prior to his research and Wall Street functions, he spent five years in Emergency Medical Services as a mountain search & rescue and ambulance medic.
Mr. Rosen currently serves on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the University of North Carolina’s Public Health Foundation Board (Immediate Past Chairman) and Dean’s Advisory Council for the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, the board of Southeast BIO, and the Oversight Committee for the Duke-Coulter Translational Partners Program.
James holds a B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A. from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business where he was a Carolina Venture Fellow and recipient of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Award for Excellence. He received his M.S.P.H. from the UNC School of Public Health, where his thesis focused on the relationship between technology transfer in biotechnology and venture capital investment. In 2010 he was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship for which he designed and executed a program to evaluate the prospects for health care innovation in China and Southeast Asia.
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