People
Management Team
Brian H. Johnston, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Johnston has over 30 years of experience in scientific
innovation and product development. He holds a Ph.D. in biophysical
chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and did
post-doctoral research at UCSF and MIT. Dr. Johnston was previously
Director of the Nucleic Acids Program at SRI International and has
authored over 50 scientific papers and 14 patents.
Sergei A. Kazakov, Ph.D., Vice President for Discovery
Research
Dr. Kazakov has over 25 years of research experience and is a
recognized authority in nucleic acid chemistry. He received his Ph.D.
in bioorganic chemistry from Moscow State University and did
post-doctoral research at Yale University (with Nobel Prize Winner
Prof. Sidney Altman). Dr. Kazakov has also been a research scientist at
the University of Virginia. He is the author of 43 scientific papers
and 11 patents.
Charlotte Clark, MBA, Chief Business Officer
Ms. Clark has 25 years experience in the areas of finance and business
development in life science companies. She has been a co-founder of
four
companies and has served as a senior operating executive in companies
involved in pharmaceuticals, drug delivery and gene therapy. Most
recently,
she was a Managing Member of POSCO BioVentures, a venture capital
company
that invested in 21 portfolio companies. One portfolio company was
acquired,
and 5 went public during her tenure. Ms. Clark served on the Board of
Directors of two portfolio companies, and was an observer to the Board
for
three more companies. She has a BA from the University of Virginia and
an
MBA from the Anderson school at UCLA.
Scientific Advisors (partial list)
John J. Rossi, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Biology, Beckman Research
Institute of the City of Hope National Medical Center. Dr. Rossi is a
pioneer in the therapeutic use of ribozymes and siRNAs against HIV and
a prominent researcher in the biology of RNAi. Also Dean of the
Graduate School of the City of Hope, he has been awarded the
prestigious MERIT Award for the Division of AIDS at the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Patricia P. Jones, Ph.D.
Vice Provost, Professor, and former Chair of the Department of
Biological Sciences, Stanford University. Dr. Jones studies the
genetic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms that regulate adaptive and
innate immune responses and is an authority on tumor necrosis factor
alpha (TNF-α).
Harvey J. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and former Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford
University School of Medicine and Chief of Staff, Lucile Packard
Children's Hospital. A clinician and researcher in hematology and
oncology, Dr. Cohen has studied the cellular biology and biochemistry
of granulocyte function especially as they relate to the oxidative
killing ability of phagocytic cells.
Gerald. G. Krueger, M.D.
Professor of Dermatology, University of Utah. A recognized
authority on psoriasis, Dr. Krueger has led many key clinical trials of
psoriatic drugs. He was the recipient of the Taub International Award
for Psoriasis Research and a National Psoriasis Foundation Lifetime
Achievement Award.