SETH RUDNICK, M.D., PH.D.

Chairman of the Advisory Board

Seth Rudnick is currently a venture partner at Canaan ventures. His comprehensive experience bringing new medicines to fruition provides invaluable perspective. He is passionate about working hand-in-hand with innovative companies to develop and market new drugs to help cure the most nefarious diseases.

Since he joined Canaan in 1998, Seth led the investment in Chimerix, developer of orally bioavailable antiviral therapies for immunocompromised patient populations, including transplant and oncology, HIV and HBV.

Prior to Canaan, Seth led many drug discovery and development projects, gaining deep operational experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. He served as CEO and Chairman of CytoTherapeutics (CTII), a company developing stem cell-based therapies to combat chronic diseases, and also helped start and headed R&D for Ortho Biotech, a division of Johnson & Johnson that provides life-improving products to individuals with chronic illnesses. At Ortho Biotech, Seth was instrumental in creating a portfolio of products that still provide significant Johnson & Johnson revenue today. Seth began his career at Schering-Plough, a global science-based healthcare company, leading clinical trials, and also directed pharmaceutical development efforts at Biogen.

RICHARD WHITLEY, M.D.

Advisor

Rich is a Distinguished UAB Professor, Loeb Scholar Chair in Pediatrics; Director, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases; Vice-Chair, Department of Pediatrics; Senior Scientist, Department of Gene Therapy; Senior Scientist, Cancer Research and Training Center; Associate Director for Clinical Studies, Center for AIDS Research; Co-Director, Center for Emerging Infections and Emergency Preparedness (CEIEP) for the institution, and a member of Gilead Sciences' Board of Directors.

Rich has held responsibility for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Collaborative Antiviral Study Group, is a past President of the International Society of Antiviral Research, chairs the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Infectious Diseases of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is the former President of the Board of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

PETER FARINA, PH.D.

Advisor

Peter joined Canaan Ventures in 2008 to identify and evaluate strategic investment opportunities by applying his background in research and drug development.

Previous to joining Canaan, Peter served as Senior Vice President of Development at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was responsible for the North American development of drugs in the therapeutic areas of immunology/inflammation, virology and cardiovascular disease. Peter also served as vice president of research, director of inflammatory diseases and director of biochemistry during his 28 year career with the company.

Some of Peter’s most notable accomplishments include the successful development and registration of the reverse transcriptase inhibitor, Viramune® (nevirapine), HIV protease inhibitor, Aptivus®, and Atrovent HFA® for COPD and emphysema. He has also authored more than fifty publications and patents.

Ed Penhoet, PH.D.

Advisor

A co-founder of Chiron, Ed served as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer from its formation in 1981 until April 1998. He served as Vice-Chair of the governing board of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) from 2005 to 2010, and served as the President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation from 2004 to 2008.  Ed was appointed to President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). PCAST is an advisory group comprised of 20 of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers who directly advise the President and the Executive Office of the President. PCAST makes policy recommendations in the many areas where understanding of science, technology, and innovation is key to strengthening our economy and forming policy that works for the American people.  For 10 years prior to founding Chiron, Ed was a faculty member of the Biochemistry Department of the University of California, Berkeley.  Ed is the immediate past Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of both the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has co-authored more than 50 scientific articles and papers.

Charlie Goetz

Advisor

Professor Charles Goetz joined Emory’s Goizueta Business School in the fall of 2001 and has since earned a multitude of distinguished teaching awards. He leads corporate executive workshops for some of the leading companies in the world including: Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Applied Entrepreneurship, Business Development, Innovation, Marketing on $3.95 and Power Selling. Prior to becoming a professor, he had over fifteen years of experience developing, implementing and growing successful entrepreneurial ventures. Charlie has been responsible for starting and building nine successful ventures in highly diverse industries that employed over 1000 employees. Charlie remains at the cutting edge, investing in new businesses and sitting on a number of boards for private and not-for-profit businesses. He is recipient of the 2018 CNBC Disruptor- Top 50 Innovators Award. In addition to writing multiple business and creative books, Charlie is responsible for the development of “Marketnomics,” a mathematical model that quantifies perceived customer value by product features, resulting in product offerings with substantially greater value propositions at lower costs and higher demand.