Our team possesses deep, cross-functional experience and shares a longstanding commitment to developing new medicines to benefit cancer patients.
Management
Mark Rothera
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mark Rothera joined Viracta as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director in September 2022. Mr. Rothera brings more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a strong record of commercial and global leadership, including driving the successful build of multiple biotech companies, predominantly in the field of rare or specialty diseases. Prior to joining Viracta, Mr. Rothera served as President and CEO of Silence Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SLN), a clinical-stage organization focused on developing RNA therapies for hematology, cardiovascular and rare diseases. He previously served as CEO of Orchard Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ORTX), where he oversaw its transformation from a small U.K.-based, privately held company with two clinical-stage programs into a leading gene therapy company with seven clinical-stage programs and fully integrated capabilities. During his tenure, Orchard Therapeutics secured more than $600 million in financing and grew from a market capitalization of $250 million to more than $1.7 billion at its peak. Prior to Orchard, Mr. Rothera served as Chief Commercial Officer of PTC Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PTCT), where he helped it evolve into a commercial company with a global footprint, including the successful launch of two rare disease therapies. Previously, he served as Global President of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Vice President and General Manager of commercial operations at Shire Human Genetic Therapies for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Mr. Rothera received an M.A. in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an M.B.A. from the European Institute for Business Administration (INSEAD).
Lisa Rojkjaer, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Lisa Rojkjaer joined Viracta Therapeutics in May 2020 as Chief Medical Officer. Previously, Dr. Rojkjaer served as the Chief Medical Officer at Nordic Nanovector from November 2016 to April 2020. Prior to this, Dr. Rojkjaer held several senior management positions in biotech and global pharmaceutical companies. She was the Global Clinical Program Head for AML at Novartis Oncology from October 2013 to November 2016. Her previous roles also included Chief Medical Officer at Molecular Partners, and Vice President, Head of Clinical Development at MorphoSys AG. Dr. Rojkjaer received her medical degree from the University of Toronto, where she also completed her internal medicine and hematology training.
Dan Chevallard
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Chevallard has served as Chief Financial Officer of Viracta since July 2019 and Chief Operating Officer since March 2021. Previously, Mr. Chevallard served as the Chief Financial Officer and principal financial officer at Regulus Therapeutics from May 2017 to July 2019. Mr. Chevallard joined Regulus Therapeutics in December 2012 as Vice President, Accounting and Financial Reporting and served as Vice President, Finance from May 2013 to April 2017. Prior to joining Regulus Therapeutics, Mr. Chevallard held various senior roles in corporate finance, accounting and financial reporting including Controller and Senior Director, Finance of Prometheus Laboratories Inc. (acquired by Nestlé Health Science in July 2011). Prior to joining Prometheus, Mr. Chevallard spent approximately five years in public accounting at Ernst & Young, LLP in their assurance services practice. He received his Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of San Diego and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California.
Ayman Elguindy, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Ayman Elguindy, Ph.D., has over 23 years of experience studying the role of viruses in cancer and spent the last decade as a faculty member at Yale University School of Medicine, most recently as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Disease, and the Department of Pathology. At Yale, Dr. Elguindy ran a laboratory focused on the involvement of herpesviruses in the etiology and prognosis of cancer. His group studied the fundamental role of herpesvirus protein kinases in viral pathogenesis and as potential targets for drug development. Additionally, he made seminal contributions to the understanding of oncogenic herpesvirus reactivation from latent to lytic state, the process of viral DNA replication, role of virally encoded cytokines in mediating cell proliferation, and temporal regulation of viral gene expression during infection. He has been awarded numerous grants from organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute to study the mechanisms regulating EBV gene expression and the role of viruses in cancer as both a Principal and Co-Investigator. Dr. Elguindy has authored over two dozen peer-reviewed publications and serves in editorial roles at the scientific journals Pathogens and Frontiers in Microbiology. He also serves as a reviewer for multiple journals including PloS Pathogens and the Journal of Virology. He received his Ph.D. and M.Ph. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and his M.Sc. in Biochemistry from Ain-Shams University (Egypt).
Stewart M. Brown
Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs & General Counsel
Mr. Brown, a registered patent attorney, joined Viracta in February 2022 as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs & General Counsel. Previously, Mr. Brown served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (EVFM). Mr. Brown has deep experience meeting the challenges facing clinical and commercial-stage life science companies, including patent portfolio development (through R&D and acquisition), equity and debt financing, clinical trial design and execution as well as all aspects of commercial operations. He began his legal career in San Diego at DLA Piper (and its predecessor firm) where he served for fourteen years (the last six as Partner) in the Intellectual Property and Technology group. Mr. Brown received his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University and law degree at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Cheryl Madsen
Senior Vice President, Regulatory
Cheryl Madsen joins Viracta Therapeutics from Calithera Biosciences where she served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. Previously, Cheryl was the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Peloton Therapeutics where she facilitated the successful acquisition of their HIF2-α inhibitor (belzutifan) by Merck. Prior to that Cheryl served as Sr. Director at Medivation (acquired by Pfizer), where she played an instrumental role in the initial global regulatory filings, approval and launch of XTANDI® (enzalutamide) for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. In addition to her regulatory responsibilities, she served as Project Team Leader for XTANDI from 2015-2016. Prior to Medivation, she held positions of increasing responsibility at several successful small- to medium-size biotechnology companies. Cheryl started her career at Genentech, and during her 13‑year tenure, was responsible for the original filing and approval of AVASTIN® (bevacizumab) for first-line metastatic colorectal cancer. She played a critical role in the parallel filing and approval of the HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) BLA for metastatic breast cancer and the HercepTest™ PMA, an in vitro diagnostic for HER2 expression and patient selection. Cheryl received her bachelors degree in Psychology from U.C. Santa Cruz and completed additional post-graduate work in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at U.C. Berkeley. She holds U.S. and Global Regulatory Affairs Certifications from the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society.
Patric Nelson, MBA
Senior Vice President, Business Development & Corporate Strategy
Patric Nelson, MBA, joined Viracta from Esperion Therapeutics, where he served as Vice President, Business Development and Alliance Management. At Esperion, Mr. Nelson led the company’s global business development strategy, closing over $2 billion in licensing transactions. Furthermore, he created Esperion’s alliance management function, where he led Esperion’s global partnerships with Daiichi Sankyo and Otsuka. Prior to his time at Esperion, he was a Program Therapeutic Leader at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw the clinical and lifecycle strategy for antisense oligonucleotide therapies. Additionally, Mr. Nelson previously held management positions at Amgen, Amylin Pharmaceuticals (acquired by AstraZeneca) and Allergan (acquired by Abbvie). During his tenure, he contributed to the development of multiple commercially available therapies such as Byetta®, Symlin®, Restasis®, Tegsedi®, and Evolocumab®. Mr. Nelson earned his MPH in Public Health from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine and his MBA with distinction from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.
Violetta Akopian, Ph.D.
Vice President, Quality Assurance
Violetta Akopian, Ph.D. joined Viracta Therapeutics as Vice President of Quality Assurance with more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical development. Most recently, Dr. Akopian served as Vice President of Quality at Nitto Avecia Pharma Services, responsible for Quality Assurance and Quality Systems compliance to regulatory standards for custom development and commercial product support. Previously, Dr. Akopian served as Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development at Regulus Therapeutics where she managed drug development compliance activities for the company’s pipeline. Her recent experiences reflect the knowledge gained from a succession of roles in which she was focused on quality assurance, compliance and pharmaceutical development across biotech companies and contact organizations in the US and Canada. Dr. Akopian obtained a M.Sc. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Biology at the Russian Academy of Science in St. Petersburg. She received her post-doctoral training at Erasmus University of Rotterdam and in the Department of Cancer Endocrinology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency.
Biljana Nadjsombati, Pharm.D.
Vice President, Pharmaceutical Development
Biljana Nadjsombati, Pharm.D., is an experienced chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) and technical operations executive with more than 25 years of experience across the pharmaceutical industry. She has contributed to the global development and commercialization of multiple pharmaceutical products and her areas of expertise include directing commercial and clinical production operations, process development, scale up and validation, product technology transfers, supply chain management, contract manufacturing oversight, and due diligence activities for new business development opportunities. Prior to joining Viracta, Ms. Nadjsombati served as Vice President, CMC, at Urovant Sciences, Inc., where she played an instrumental role in the registration filing, approval, and launch of GEMTESA®. Before joining Urovant, Ms. Nadjsombati held leadership roles within the R&D organization at Avanir Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical), most recently serving as Executive Director of Pharmaceutical Development and Supply Chain and was a key contributor to the registration and commercialization of NUEDEXTA® and ONZETRA® Xsail®. Prior to her time at Avanir, Ms. Nadjsombati held positions of increasing responsibility at Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Ribapharm, and ICN Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Nadjsombati earned her Pharm.D. and completed additional postgraduate work in pharmaceutical technology at the University of Belgrade, School of Pharmacy in Serbia.
Shelly Vandertie
Vice President, Finance
Ms. Vandertie joins Viracta from Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., having spent thirteen years there, most recently as Vice President, Finance. She served in senior financial consulting roles at several companies from 2002 to 2008. From 1998 to 2004, Ms. Vandertie held various positions, including Chief Financial Officer, at Althea Technologies Inc., which was acquired by Ajinomoto Co. in 2013. She held the position of Corporate Controller at Vical Incorporated, a publicly traded biotechnology company, from 1993 to 1997. From 1990 to 1993, Ms. Vandertie held the position of Corporate Controller at California Structures, a real estate development company. She served as an auditor with Ernst & Young from 1987 to 1990. Ms. Vandertie received her B.S. degree from the University of Northern Colorado.
Ruby Cheema
Vice President, Portfolio and Program Management
Ms. Cheema joined Viracta in April 2022 as Vice President of Portfolio and Program Management. She brings 22 years of industry experience as a scientist, and in the disciplines of project, portfolio, and alliance management. Ms. Cheema developed experience in multiple disease areas (infectious disease, oncology, immune-oncology and rare diseases, among others) over the course of her career, while working at both large and small pharma companies. She started her career at Johnson & Johnson as a research associate, and then moved to Aviron/Medimmune Vaccines as an associate scientist before joining Genentech. Over the course of her 13-year tenure at Genentech, she managed multiple projects from early stage to launch, including the mAbs Perjeta™ and Tecentriq™ and the ADC polatuzumab vedotin. Thereafter, Ms. Cheema transitioned to Unity Biotechnologies as the Director of Portfolio and Program Management. Prior to Viracta, she was the Senior Director and Head of Strategic Alliances and Patient Advocacy at 4D Molecular Therapeutics. Ms. Cheema has participated in the filing of multiple INDs/INDa(s), PMPs, 2 BLAs and brings a wealth of experience with her to Viracta.
Strategic Advisor
Mark A. McCamish, M.D., Ph.D.
Strategic Advisor
Dr. McCamish has significant leadership in the life science industry, most recently serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Forty Seven Inc., which he led through IPO and multiple financings until the acquisition by Gilead for approximately $4.9 Billion. Dr. McCamish has also served as the Global Head of Biopharmaceutical Development of Novartis' Sandoz division, receiving Novartis's Chairman award each year from 2010-2015. Prior to his time at Novartis, Dr. McCamish was a Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at several companies including PDL BioPharma, Perlegen Sciences, and Facet Labs, which was acquired by Abbott Laboratories due in part to Dr. McCamish's work advancing multiple myeloma and multiple sclerosis therapies. Additionally, Dr. McCamish has also held senior research and development roles at Amgen Inc. and Abbott Laboratories.
Dr. McCamish received his PhD in Human Nutrition from Penn State University and his MD from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He completed his residency and fellowship training at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Dr. McCamish has been named one of the top 50 global antibody industry influencers by the European Antibody Congress and has held professorships at UC Davis and The Ohio State University.
Board of Directors
Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D.
Chairman of the Board
Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D. has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Viracta since June 2020 and was appointed Chair in September 2020. Dr. Pomerantz has been President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of ContraFect Corporation (NASDAQ: CFRX) since April 2019. Previously, Dr. Pomerantz was a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering from 2014 through 2019. In addition, he served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Seres Therapeutics from 2014-2019, where he continues to serve as Senior Advisor to its Board of Directors. Previously, Dr. Pomerantz was Senior Vice President, Worldwide Head of Licensing & Acquisition at Merck & Co., Inc and prior to that was Senior Vice President and Global Franchise Head of Infectious Diseases at Merck. Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Pomerantz was Global Head of Infectious Diseases for Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Pomerantz currently serves on the boards of Intec Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ: NTEC), Collplant Biosciences (NASDAQ: CLGN), and Indaptus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: INDP).
Dr. Pomerantz received his B.A. in Biochemistry at the Johns Hopkins University and his M.D. at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He received post-graduate training at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and M.I.T. Dr. Pomerantz is Board Certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. He was Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chief of Infectious Diseases, and the Founding Director and Chair of the Institute for Human Virology and Biodefense at the Thomas Jefferson University and Medical School.
Jane F. Barlow, M.D., MPH, MBA
Director
Jane F. Barlow, M.D., MPH, MBA, has served as a member of the Board of Directors since August 2021. Dr. Barlow is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Jane Barlow & Associates, LLC and a Board Director for ContraFect Corporation and Sera Prognostics. She is Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Real Endpoints, a market access consultancy, Senior Advisor to MIT's Center for Biomedical Innovation and serves on the biotech advisory board of Pictet Asset Management and the advisory board of Refractor Health. Prior to her current roles, she was Associate Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health Government Services where she successfully implemented industry-leading clinical strategies supporting drug purchasing, distribution, and utilization management. Formerly, she served as Vice President of Clinical Innovation at Medco Health Solutions, leading the adoption of cutting-edge therapeutic programs through all aspects of pharmacy.
Dr. Barlow has extensive experience in steering pharmaceutical development and commercialization by strategically weighing the value and economic impact that drug candidates bring to the healthcare ecosystem at large. Dr. Barlow previously served on the boards of Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (prior to and during its sale to Johnson and Johnson), TherapeuticsMD Inc., and SilverScript Insurance Company. Dr. Barlow received her medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine and subsequently completed her residency in occupational and environmental medicine at The Johns Hopkins University, where she also earned her MPH. She is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and served as Chief of Flight Medicine at the Beale and Maxwell Air Force Bases. Additionally, she holds an MBA from the University of Alabama. She is board-certified in occupational medicine and a fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the American College of Preventive Medicine. She is a diplomat of the American College of Physician Executives and a member of the American Medical Association.
Flavia Borellini, Ph.D.
Director
Flavia Borellini, Ph.D., has more than 25 years of executive management experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, with a particular focus on global development of targeted oncology drugs, from preclinical to commercial stage. She is the former Chief Executive Officer for Acerta Pharma, where she oversaw the successful development and approval of Calquence® (acalabrutinib), a selective Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). During her career, Dr. Borellini has also held key senior level positions within AstraZeneca, most recently Global Franchise Head, Hematology, with responsibility for the hematology portfolio in the company's oncology business unit. While at AstraZeneca, she led the global development, approval, and commercialization of Tagrisso® (osimertinib), a first-in-class epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) caused by the T790M mutation.
Prior to her tenure with AstraZeneca, Dr. Borellini spent nearly seven years at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. During this time, she led the global development, approval and launch of Zelboraf® (vemurafenib), a first-in-class BRAF inhibitor for the treatment of melanoma caused by the V600E BRAF mutation. Dr. Borellini also served as the program leader for Herceptin® (trastuzumab), a targeted treatment for HER2 receptor positive cancers, including breast cancer, and Tarceva® (erlotinib), an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of NSCLC and pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Borellini also serves on the Board of Directors of Kartos Therapeutics, Cantargia AP, and Revolution Medicines.
Jane Chung, R.Ph.
Director
Jane Chung, R.Ph., joined Viracta’s Board in August 2022. She has over 20 years of commercial leadership experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, focused mostly on innovative oncology medicines and broadly across executive management, franchise leadership, marketing, sales, operations, and market access functions. She is currently the Chief Commercial Officer at Sutro Biopharma, where she has been responsible for building and leading global commercialization since August 2021. Previously, Ms. Chung served in several leadership roles at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, including as President and General Manager of AstraZeneca Canada, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of U.S. lmmuno-Oncology, and Senior Commercial Business Director. Prior to that, Ms. Chung served as a Regional Sales Director and Director of Sales Productivity and Effectiveness for Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc as well as various commercial roles for Genentech, Inc., including as Commercial Operations Manager, Division Manager and Senior Marketing Manager. Ms. Chung also serves on non-profit boards in the science, education, and community development arenas. Ms. Chung received a B.S. in Pharmacy from St. John's University and a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University.
Thomas E. Darcy, CPA
Director
Mr. Darcy previously was a cofounder and director of Tocagen Inc. from August 2007 until June 2020. Mr. Darcy also served as Tocagen Inc.’s Chief Financial Officer from August 2007 to February 2017 and as Tocagen’s Executive Vice President from August 2007 to May 2017. Prior to Tocagen, Mr. Darcy served for over five years as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Science Applications International Corporation (“SAIC”), a Fortune 500 science and technology company. Mr. Darcy also served as a director and chairman of the audit committee of McAfee, Inc., a publicly-held technology company, for over three years until its sale to Intel Corporation in February 2011. Mr. Darcy also served as a director and audit committee member of Forte Biosciences, Inc. from June 2020 through May 2021 and currently serves as a director and chairman of the audit committee of Lytx, Inc., a privately-held technology company. Prior to SAIC, he was an audit Partner in the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he served as the Managing Partner of both the West and Southwest Region Audit and Business Advisory Service Technology practices, as well as the Managing Partner of the San Diego office. Mr. Darcy is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the state of California and graduated from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Accounting.
Sam Murphy, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Murphy has served as a member of the board of directors of Viracta since January 2019. He has been a Vice President and Head of International Business Development for Shenzhen Salubris Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. since 2017, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of its United States subsidiary, Salubris Biotherapeutics, Inc. Prior to joining Salubris, Dr. Murphy worked for ten years in strategy consulting and transaction advisory services across several global firms including IMS (now IQVIA) and Simon-Kucher & Partners. Dr. Murphy currently serves on the boards of GO Therapeutics, Inc. (chair) and MedAlliance S.A. Dr. Murphy earned a B.A. in Biochemistry, Ph.D. in Molecular Biology with a concentration in Virology and completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Gene Therapy and Translational Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nicole Onetto, M.D.
Director
Dr. Onetto has served as a member of the board of directors of Viracta since February 2021. Dr. Onetto is a medical doctor and independent consultant in oncology, drug development, and translational research. She was Deputy Director and Chief Scientific Officer at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research from 2009 to 2016. From 2005 to 2009 she was Chief Medical Officer at ZymoGenetics, a biotechnology company developing protein therapeutics. From 2002 to 2005, she served at OSI Pharmaceuticals, a biopharma company developing targeted cancer therapies, first as Executive Vice President Oncology, and then as Chief Medical Officer. Her career in the pharmaceutical industry also includes senior management positions at Bristol- Myers Squibb, Nexstar Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Gilead Sciences, and Immunex. Dr. Onetto currently serves on the board of Bolt Biotherapeutics and previously, she served as a board member of ImmunoGen for eleven years and a board member of Sunesis for two years. Dr. Onetto earned her BS from the University of Paris, and an MS in Pharmacology from the University of Montréal. She obtained her MD and a Hematology-Oncology Certificate from the University of Paris.
Mark Rothera
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Mark Rothera joined Viracta as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director in September 2022. Mr. Rothera brings more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a strong record of commercial and global leadership, including driving the successful build of multiple biotech companies, predominantly in the field of rare or specialty diseases. Prior to joining Viracta, Mr. Rothera served as President and CEO of Silence Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SLN), a clinical-stage organization focused on developing RNA therapies for hematology, cardiovascular and rare diseases. He previously served as CEO of Orchard Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ORTX), where he oversaw its transformation from a small U.K.-based, privately held company with two clinical-stage programs into a leading gene therapy company with seven clinical-stage programs and fully integrated capabilities. During his tenure, Orchard Therapeutics secured more than $600 million in financing and grew from a market capitalization of $250 million to more than $1.7 billion at its peak. Prior to Orchard, Mr. Rothera served as Chief Commercial Officer of PTC Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PTCT), where he helped it evolve into a commercial company with a global footprint, including the successful launch of two rare disease therapies. Previously, he served as Global President of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Vice President and General Manager of commercial operations at Shire Human Genetic Therapies for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Mr. Rothera received an M.A. in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an M.B.A. from the European Institute for Business Administration (INSEAD).
Ivor Royston, M.D.
Director
Ivor Royston, M.D., served as Viracta’s founding President and CEO from 2015 until September 2022. From 1990 to 2017, Dr. Royston was a Managing Partner of Forward Ventures, a life science venture capital firm. From 1990 to 2000, Dr. Royston also held the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Prior to that, Dr. Royston was the Director of Clinical Immunology at University of California, San Diego Cancer Center. Dr. Royston was the co-founder of Hybritech, Inc., which developed the PSA test for prostate cancer; and the co-founder of IDEC Corporation, which developed Rituxan, the first approved monoclonal antibody therapy for lymphoma, and which subsequently merged with Biogen to form Biogen Idec, now Biogen. Dr. Royston currently serves on the board of directors of Biocept, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIOC). Dr. Royston received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from Johns Hopkins University and completed post-doctoral training in internal medicine and medical oncology at Stanford University.
Stephen Rubino, Ph.D., MBA
Director
Dr. Rubino has served as a member of the board of directors since March 2021. Dr. Rubino has over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology company experience in the areas of business development & licensing, marketing, commercial operations, and strategic planning across a wide range of therapeutic areas. Dr. Rubino has extensive experience developing and commercializing oncology products both in the US and EU. He is currently President & CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Sporos Bioventures. Dr. Rubino had previously served as the Chief Business Officer of Celyad Oncology, a biotechnology company developing cellular therapies and Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Omega Therapeutics. Dr. Rubino held various positions of increasing responsibility at Novartis, a pharmaceutical company, from 2001 until 2017, including most recently as Global Head of Business Development & Licensing and New Product Marketing, Cell & Gene Therapies Unit. Dr. Rubino has served on the boards of directors of Sermonix Pharmaceuticals and Ilkos Therapeutics. Dr. Rubino received a Ph.D. in virology from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Baruch College.
Barry J. Simon, M.D.
Director
Barry J. Simon, M.D., is a healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience spanning the public and private sectors. Dr. Simon has been serving as a member of the Board of Directors since March 2021. Dr. Simon has served on the Board of Directors of ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBRX) since June 2008 and as its Chief Corporate Affairs Officer since March 2021. Prior to that, Dr. Simon served as ImmunityBio’s President and Chief Administrative Officer since January 2017, President and Chief Operating Officer since March 2015 and as its President and Chief Executive Officer since May 2007. Dr. Simon has also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Brink Biologics, Inc., a bioanalytics, reagents and testing services company, since June 2015. He has served on the Board of Directors of Cue BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:CUE), a biopharmaceutical company from March 2016 to June 2021 and as its Chairman from 2018 to 2021 and previously served on the Board of Viracta Subsidiary, Inc. (previously named Viracta Therapeutics, Inc.) from July 2017 to November 2020. Previously, Dr. Simon held Vice President, senior level and advisory positions at F. Hoffmann-La Roche (OTCQX:RHBBY), a global healthcare company, Roche Labs, a pharmaceuticals company, Connetics Corporation (NASDAQ:CNCT), a specialty pharmaceutical company, Immunomedics (NASDAQ:IMMU), a biopharmaceutical company, Immusol, a biopharmaceutical company, HealthPro BioVentures, LLC, a healthcare and life sciences investment bank and NorthSound Capital, LLC, a U.S.-based hedge fund.
In his prior roles, Dr. Simon worked across several therapeutic areas including oncology, virology, ophthalmology and dermatology on product launches including Xeloda®, Pegasys®, Fortovase®, Tamiflu®, Boniva®, Fuzeon®, Valcyt®, Kytril® and Accutane®. Dr. Simon attended corporate training programs by the London School of Business and the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He received his M.D. from the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Center in New York and trained clinically in infectious diseases, anesthesiology, and internal medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Mount Sinai Medical Center and New York University, respectively.
Scientific Advisory Board
Douglas V. Faller, M.D., Ph.D.
Scientific Founder and Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Faller is the Scientific Founder of Viracta Therapeutics and serves as the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. Previously, Dr. Faller served as the Interim Chief Medical Officer and Interim Chief Scientific Officer for Viracta. Dr. Faller is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University Medical Center, and previously served as the Director of the Cancer Center and held the Grunebaum Chair for Cancer Research. He has founded a number of biotechnology companies and holds or has held several senior management positions in biotech and global pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Faller received his medical degree from the Harvard University where he also served on the faculty of Brigham and Womens Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Boston Childrens’ Hospital. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Robert Baiocchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Scientific Advisor
Professor and Head of the Lymphoma Program at Ohio State University, and member of Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network.
Corey Casper, M.D., MPH
Scientific Advisor
Chief Medical Officer at Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), and Co-Director of University of Washington/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research.
Charles Cobbs, M.D.
Scientific Advisor
Director of the Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment in Seattle; pioneered the concept of the potential role of cytomegalovirus in cancer pathogenesis and therapy.
Carl June, M.D.
Scientific Advisor
Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies; Director of Translational Research, Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Shannon Kenney, M.D.
Scientific Advisor
Wattawa Bascom Professor in Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, in the Departments of Oncology and Medicine. Dr. Kenney’s research is focused on understanding the molecular regulation and pathogenesis of EBV in both epithelial cells and B cells, including viral gene regulation, host-pathogen interactions, and virally-induced transformation.
Ronald Levy, M.D.
Scientific Advisor
Professor and Director of the Lymphoma Program at Stanford University School of Medicine; Associate Director of Translational Science for the Stanford Cancer Institute; former Chief of the Stanford Division of Medical Oncology; member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.
Pierluigi Porcu, M.D.
Scientific Advisor
Director of the Hematologic Malignancies and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Division in the Department of Medical Oncology for Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University.
Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., F.A.C.P. FASCO, FAACR
Scientific Advisor
Physician-in-Chief and Distinguished Professor at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen); Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic; Senior Consultant-Investigations, City of Hope; member of President Bush’s National Cancer Advisory Board and past President of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Lawrence Young, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisor
Vice President and Director of the Warwick Cancer Research Centre at University of Warwick, UK, distinguished by work in the roles of the Epstein-Barr virus in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and other cancers; Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences.
