Team
Executive Team
Board of Directors
Investors
© 2021 Copyright, Verseau Therapeutics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
John Edwards
Chief Executive Officer
John Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, has been working at Verseau since 2020. John brings over 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical discovery, development and global commercialization, which included his involvement with 10 FDA-approved biologics and eight biotech companies with successful exits. He previously served as Executive Chair at Tilos Therapeutics, where he helped advance the company from founding to acquisition by Merck in less than 2 years. John also served as Executive Chair of F-star, where he helped grow the company from discovery-stage to a leading clinical stage developer of bispecific antibodies. He was Chief Operating Officer at Adnexus and during his tenure took the company from a start-up through a $450M acquisition by BMS within 3 years. Following the acquisition, he served as President of Adnexus and worked within BMS during the early days of immuno-oncology. John also previously held the role of Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Medical Affairs at Transkaryotic Therapies and served a 15-year tenure with Genetics Institute/Wyeth, where he was responsible for advancing the company’s first product from discovery to FDA and EMA approval. In addition to his role at Verseau, John is also the Executive Chair at Abcuro. John received his MBA from Boston University and his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
John Edwards
Chief Executive Officer
John Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, has been working at Verseau since 2020. John brings over 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical discovery, development and global commercialization, which included his involvement with 10 FDA-approved biologics and eight biotech companies with successful exits. He previously served as Executive Chair at Tilos Therapeutics, where he helped advance the company from founding to acquisition by Merck in less than 2 years. John also served as Executive Chair of F-star, where he helped grow the company from discovery-stage to a leading clinical stage developer of bispecific antibodies. He was Chief Operating Officer at Adnexus and during his tenure took the company from a start-up through a $450M acquisition by BMS within 3 years. Following the acquisition, he served as President of Adnexus and worked within BMS during the early days of immuno-oncology. John also previously held the role of Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Medical Affairs at Transkaryotic Therapies and served a 15-year tenure with Genetics Institute/Wyeth, where he was responsible for advancing the company’s first product from discovery to FDA and EMA approval. In addition to his role at Verseau, John is also the Executive Chair at Abcuro. John received his MBA from Boston University and his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
John Edwards
Chief Executive Officer
John Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, has been working at Verseau since 2020. John brings over 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical discovery, development and global commercialization, which included his involvement with 10 FDA-approved biologics and eight biotech companies with successful exits. He previously served as Executive Chair at Tilos Therapeutics, where he helped advance the company from founding to acquisition by Merck in less than 2 years. John also served as Executive Chair of F-star, where he helped grow the company from discovery-stage to a leading clinical stage developer of bispecific antibodies. He was Chief Operating Officer at Adnexus and during his tenure took the company from a start-up through a $450M acquisition by BMS within 3 years. Following the acquisition, he served as President of Adnexus and worked within BMS during the early days of immuno-oncology. John also previously held the role of Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Medical Affairs at Transkaryotic Therapies and served a 15-year tenure with Genetics Institute/Wyeth, where he was responsible for advancing the company’s first product from discovery to FDA and EMA approval. In addition to his role at Verseau, John is also the Executive Chair at Abcuro. John received his MBA from Boston University and his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Igor Feldman, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Analytics Officer
Igor Feldman is a Co-Founder and has served as Chief Analytics Officer at Verseau since January 2021. Prior to his current role, Igor was a Vice President and Head of Computational Biology. Before co-founding Verseau, Igor held positions at Merck & Co., Rosetta Informatics, Jounce Therapeutics and Epizyme. He has been involved in discovery and clinical development using large omics datasets of human tumors, drug response biomarker discovery, novel target discovery in immuno-oncology and epigenetics, and establishing computational infrastructure from the ground up for early discovery and development support in several biotech startup companies. He is an inventor on eight U.S. patents. Igor holds a B.S. in biology and a Ph.D. in systems biology from Columbia University.
Igor Feldman, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Analytics Officer
Igor Feldman is a Co-Founder and has served as Chief Analytics Officer at Verseau since January 2021. Prior to his current role, Igor was a Vice President and Head of Computational Biology. Before co-founding Verseau, Igor held positions at Merck & Co., Rosetta Informatics, Jounce Therapeutics and Epizyme. He has been involved in discovery and clinical development using large omics datasets of human tumors, drug response biomarker discovery, novel target discovery in immuno-oncology and epigenetics, and establishing computational infrastructure from the ground up for early discovery and development support in several biotech startup companies. He is an inventor on eight U.S. patents. Igor holds a B.S. in biology and a Ph.D. in systems biology from Columbia University.
Igor Feldman, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Analytics Officer
Igor Feldman is a Co-Founder and has served as Chief Analytics Officer at Verseau since January 2021. Prior to his current role, Igor was a Vice President and Head of Computational Biology. Before co-founding Verseau, Igor held positions at Merck & Co., Rosetta Informatics, Jounce Therapeutics and Epizyme. He has been involved in discovery and clinical development using large omics datasets of human tumors, drug response biomarker discovery, novel target discovery in immuno-oncology and epigenetics, and establishing computational infrastructure from the ground up for early discovery and development support in several biotech startup companies. He is an inventor on eight U.S. patents. Igor holds a B.S. in biology and a Ph.D. in systems biology from Columbia University.
Tatiana Novobrantseva, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Tatiana Novobrantseva is a Co-Founder and has served as Head of Research and Development of Verseau since its inception, she became Chief Scientific Officer in March 2019. Before co-founding Verseau, Tatiana consulted for multiple companies on immunological aspects of drug development across different stages and therapeutic modalities in a variety of autoimmune, cancer and rare disease indications. At her prior position as Director of Tumor Immunology at Jounce Therapeutics, Tatiana defined research plans for several programs at the company’s inception, as well as led a portfolio of programs on (re)activating the immune system against cancer. Previously, Tatiana served as Associate Director at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Scientist II at Biogen. Tatiana’s scientific accomplishments include discovering the critical role for B cells in liver fibrosis, developing mechanistic insights for multiple therapeutic programs, pushing the envelope on siRNA delivery and championing a dendritic cell cancer vaccine clinical program. Tatiana is an inventor on more than 22 patents and an author on more than 37 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Tatiana completed her Ph.D. with Dr. Klaus Rajewsky at the University of Cologne in Germany, focusing on B cell development and function. She holds a diploma of engineer-physicist and an M.S. in molecular biology from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Tatiana Novobrantseva, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Tatiana Novobrantseva is a Co-Founder and has served as Head of Research and Development of Verseau since its inception, she became Chief Scientific Officer in March 2019. Before co-founding Verseau, Tatiana consulted for multiple companies on immunological aspects of drug development across different stages and therapeutic modalities in a variety of autoimmune, cancer and rare disease indications. At her prior position as Director of Tumor Immunology at Jounce Therapeutics, Tatiana defined research plans for several programs at the company’s inception, as well as led a portfolio of programs on (re)activating the immune system against cancer. Previously, Tatiana served as Associate Director at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Scientist II at Biogen. Tatiana’s scientific accomplishments include discovering the critical role for B cells in liver fibrosis, developing mechanistic insights for multiple therapeutic programs, pushing the envelope on siRNA delivery and championing a dendritic cell cancer vaccine clinical program. Tatiana is an inventor on more than 22 patents and an author on more than 37 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Tatiana completed her Ph.D. with Dr. Klaus Rajewsky at the University of Cologne in Germany, focusing on B cell development and function. She holds a diploma of engineer-physicist and an M.S. in molecular biology from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Tatiana Novobrantseva, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Tatiana Novobrantseva is a Co-Founder and has served as Head of Research and Development of Verseau since its inception, she became Chief Scientific Officer in March 2019. Before co-founding Verseau, Tatiana consulted for multiple companies on immunological aspects of drug development across different stages and therapeutic modalities in a variety of autoimmune, cancer and rare disease indications. At her prior position as Director of Tumor Immunology at Jounce Therapeutics, Tatiana defined research plans for several programs at the company’s inception, as well as led a portfolio of programs on (re)activating the immune system against cancer. Previously, Tatiana served as Associate Director at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Scientist II at Biogen. Tatiana’s scientific accomplishments include discovering the critical role for B cells in liver fibrosis, developing mechanistic insights for multiple therapeutic programs, pushing the envelope on siRNA delivery and championing a dendritic cell cancer vaccine clinical program. Tatiana is an inventor on more than 22 patents and an author on more than 37 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Tatiana completed her Ph.D. with Dr. Klaus Rajewsky at the University of Cologne in Germany, focusing on B cell development and function. She holds a diploma of engineer-physicist and an M.S. in molecular biology from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Karen Tubridy
Chief Development Officer
Karen Tubridy has served as Chief Development Officer of Verseau since September 2021. Karen brings over 25 years of experience in clinical operations management as well as in research and development of novel and first-in-class therapeutics, including overall drug development strategy and operations. Karen previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Programs and Chief Development Officer at Akebia Therapeutics, where she was responsible for driving program strategy with operational responsibilities for its lead clinical asset through NDA and J-NDA. Prior to joining Akebia, Karen was Chief Development Officer at Eleven Biotherapeutics, where she led clinical, regulatory, quality, program management and development strategy. She previously served as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals. Before this, she held senior positions in clinical and regulatory operations at Taligen Therapeutics and stayed on following the company’s acquisition by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Karen also served as Vice President, Clinical Operations at Syntonix Pharmaceuticals and Biogen Idec Hemophilia. She held a senior position at AVANT Immunotherapeutics and held positions of increasing responsibility in clinical research and medical affairs at Genetics Institute/Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, where she directed the hematology and oncology programs. Karen holds a B.S. in pharmacy and a Pharm.D. from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences.
Karen Tubridy
Chief Development Officer
Karen Tubridy has served as Chief Development Officer of Verseau since September 2021. Karen brings over 25 years of experience in clinical operations management as well as in research and development of novel and first-in-class therapeutics, including overall drug development strategy and operations. Karen previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Programs and Chief Development Officer at Akebia Therapeutics, where she was responsible for driving program strategy with operational responsibilities for its lead clinical asset through NDA and J-NDA. Prior to joining Akebia, Karen was Chief Development Officer at Eleven Biotherapeutics, where she led clinical, regulatory, quality, program management and development strategy. She previously served as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals. Before this, she held senior positions in clinical and regulatory operations at Taligen Therapeutics and stayed on following the company’s acquisition by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Karen also served as Vice President, Clinical Operations at Syntonix Pharmaceuticals and Biogen Idec Hemophilia. She held a senior position at AVANT Immunotherapeutics and held positions of increasing responsibility in clinical research and medical affairs at Genetics Institute/Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, where she directed the hematology and oncology programs. Karen holds a B.S. in pharmacy and a Pharm.D. from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences.
Karen Tubridy
Chief Development Officer
Karen Tubridy has served as Chief Development Officer of Verseau since September 2021. Karen brings over 25 years of experience in clinical operations management as well as in research and development of novel and first-in-class therapeutics, including overall drug development strategy and operations. Karen previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Programs and Chief Development Officer at Akebia Therapeutics, where she was responsible for driving program strategy with operational responsibilities for its lead clinical asset through NDA and J-NDA. Prior to joining Akebia, Karen was Chief Development Officer at Eleven Biotherapeutics, where she led clinical, regulatory, quality, program management and development strategy. She previously served as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals. Before this, she held senior positions in clinical and regulatory operations at Taligen Therapeutics and stayed on following the company’s acquisition by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Karen also served as Vice President, Clinical Operations at Syntonix Pharmaceuticals and Biogen Idec Hemophilia. She held a senior position at AVANT Immunotherapeutics and held positions of increasing responsibility in clinical research and medical affairs at Genetics Institute/Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, where she directed the hematology and oncology programs. Karen holds a B.S. in pharmacy and a Pharm.D. from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences.
Lou Vaickus
Chief Medical Officer
Lou Vaickus has served as interim Chief Medical Officer of Verseau since September 2021. He has over 30 years of experience including as an academic scientist and as a practicing physician before transitioning into the biotech industry where he developed preclinical, clinical, and globally marketed pharmaceutical products. Lou’s therapeutic areas of specialization include oncology, hematology, infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and immunology. Lou is also Chief Executive Officer and Founder of akta Pharmaceutical Development (aktaPD®), an international drug development consultation company. He previously served as interim Chief Medical Officer at several biotech companies, most recently for Vigeo Therapeutics, Vedanta Biosciences, Verastem Oncology, Momenta Pharmaceuticals and InVivo Therapeutics. Lou also served as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development, Global Medicines Development and Affairs at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Before joining Vertex, he was Chief Medical Officer of Tolerx. Previously, he served as Vice President of Clinical Research and later as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Sunovion (formerly Sepracor), as Medical Director of Oncology/Immunology at EMD Serono (formerly Ares Serono), where he supervised clinical and medical affairs for Rebif®, and as Associate Medical Director, Medical Director, and later Medical Marketing Director for the Rebif® Multiple Sclerosis Strategic Business Unit at Serono. Lou is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in hematology, oncology, and immunology at the Mayo Clinic and Stanford University. Lou has held faculty positions at the University of Iowa and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute/SUNY Buffalo. He holds an M.D. from Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine.
Lou Vaickus
Chief Medical Officer
Lou Vaickus has served as interim Chief Medical Officer of Verseau since September 2021. He has over 30 years of experience including as an academic scientist and as a practicing physician before transitioning into the biotech industry where he developed preclinical, clinical, and globally marketed pharmaceutical products. Lou’s therapeutic areas of specialization include oncology, hematology, infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and immunology. Lou is also Chief Executive Officer and Founder of akta Pharmaceutical Development (aktaPD®), an international drug development consultation company. He previously served as interim Chief Medical Officer at several biotech companies, most recently for Vigeo Therapeutics, Vedanta Biosciences, Verastem Oncology, Momenta Pharmaceuticals and InVivo Therapeutics. Lou also served as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development, Global Medicines Development and Affairs at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Before joining Vertex, he was Chief Medical Officer of Tolerx. Previously, he served as Vice President of Clinical Research and later as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Sunovion (formerly Sepracor), as Medical Director of Oncology/Immunology at EMD Serono (formerly Ares Serono), where he supervised clinical and medical affairs for Rebif®, and as Associate Medical Director, Medical Director, and later Medical Marketing Director for the Rebif® Multiple Sclerosis Strategic Business Unit at Serono. Lou is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in hematology, oncology, and immunology at the Mayo Clinic and Stanford University. Lou has held faculty positions at the University of Iowa and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute/SUNY Buffalo. He holds an M.D. from Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine.
Lou Vaickus
Chief Medical Officer
Lou Vaickus has served as interim Chief Medical Officer of Verseau since September 2021. He has over 30 years of experience including as an academic scientist and as a practicing physician before transitioning into the biotech industry where he developed preclinical, clinical, and globally marketed pharmaceutical products. Lou’s therapeutic areas of specialization include oncology, hematology, infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and immunology. Lou is also Chief Executive Officer and Founder of akta Pharmaceutical Development (aktaPD®), an international drug development consultation company. He previously served as interim Chief Medical Officer at several biotech companies, most recently for Vigeo Therapeutics, Vedanta Biosciences, Verastem Oncology, Momenta Pharmaceuticals and InVivo Therapeutics. Lou also served as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development, Global Medicines Development and Affairs at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Before joining Vertex, he was Chief Medical Officer of Tolerx. Previously, he served as Vice President of Clinical Research and later as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Sunovion (formerly Sepracor), as Medical Director of Oncology/Immunology at EMD Serono (formerly Ares Serono), where he supervised clinical and medical affairs for Rebif®, and as Associate Medical Director, Medical Director, and later Medical Marketing Director for the Rebif® Multiple Sclerosis Strategic Business Unit at Serono. Lou is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in hematology, oncology, and immunology at the Mayo Clinic and Stanford University. Lou has held faculty positions at the University of Iowa and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute/SUNY Buffalo. He holds an M.D. from Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine.
Daniel Anderson, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Verseau
Professor, Applied Biology, Koch Institute, MIT
Dr. Daniel Anderson is a Co-Founder of Verseau and has served as a board member since March 2017. He is a leading researcher in the field of nanotherapeutics and biomaterials. He is appointed in the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology at MIT. The research done in his laboratory is focused on developing new materials for medicine. He has pioneered the development of smart biomaterials, and his work has led to advances in a range of areas, including medical devices, cell therapy, drug delivery, gene therapy and material science. Dan received a B.A. in mathematics and biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of California at Davis. Dan’s work has resulted in the publication of over 400 papers, patents and patent applications. These advances have led to products that have been commercialized or are in clinical development, as well as to the foundation of companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and consumer product spaces including CRISPR Tx (Nasdaq:CRSP), Living Proof, Sigilon and Olivo Labs.
Daniel Anderson, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Verseau
Professor, Applied Biology, Koch Institute, MIT
Dr. Daniel Anderson is a Co-Founder of Verseau and has served as a board member since March 2017. He is a leading researcher in the field of nanotherapeutics and biomaterials. He is appointed in the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology at MIT. The research done in his laboratory is focused on developing new materials for medicine. He has pioneered the development of smart biomaterials, and his work has led to advances in a range of areas, including medical devices, cell therapy, drug delivery, gene therapy and material science. Dan received a B.A. in mathematics and biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of California at Davis. Dan’s work has resulted in the publication of over 400 papers, patents and patent applications. These advances have led to products that have been commercialized or are in clinical development, as well as to the foundation of companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and consumer product spaces including CRISPR Tx (Nasdaq:CRSP), Living Proof, Sigilon and Olivo Labs.
Daniel Anderson, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Verseau
Professor, Applied Biology, Koch Institute, MIT
Dr. Daniel Anderson is a Co-Founder of Verseau and has served as a board member since March 2017. He is a leading researcher in the field of nanotherapeutics and biomaterials. He is appointed in the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology at MIT. The research done in his laboratory is focused on developing new materials for medicine. He has pioneered the development of smart biomaterials, and his work has led to advances in a range of areas, including medical devices, cell therapy, drug delivery, gene therapy and material science. Dan received a B.A. in mathematics and biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of California at Davis. Dan’s work has resulted in the publication of over 400 papers, patents and patent applications. These advances have led to products that have been commercialized or are in clinical development, as well as to the foundation of companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and consumer product spaces including CRISPR Tx (Nasdaq:CRSP), Living Proof, Sigilon and Olivo Labs.
Jong Chang
Founder & Chairman, InHarv Partners
Jong Chang has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2017. He is the Founder and Chairman of InHarv Partners Ltd., a hybrid of VC and private equity based in Seoul, Korea whose strategic stance is to raise capital in South Korea for investment in cutting edge tech startups overseas, linking those startups to the Korean industries. He was previously Lead Partner of Booz Allen Hamilton, a global general management consultancy in the U.S., and a Senior Vice President and founding member of KBRI (now Moody’s Korea Inc.), the first credit rating agency in Seoul. As a previous corporate finance manager of the Korea Merchant Bank Corporation, a joint venture with Lazard Brothers U.K., Jong specialized in international mega-project financing and cross border M&As. He served as Junior Economist of the Korea Development Bank and as a member of The National Economic Counsel to Mr. President of South Korea. Jong also held positions as an independent board member of LG Chemical Co. of the LG Group based in Seoul and as an independent board member of Saint-Gabain Korea, a leading flat glass maker. Presently, Jong is the Chairman of the Board of ToolGen, Inc. a world leading DNA editing company based in Seoul Korea. Jong graduated cum laude with a B.A. from So-Gang University in South Korea and holds his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jong Chang
Founder & Chairman, InHarv Partners
Jong Chang has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2017. He is the Founder and Chairman of InHarv Partners Ltd., a hybrid of VC and private equity based in Seoul, Korea whose strategic stance is to raise capital in South Korea for investment in cutting edge tech startups overseas, linking those startups to the Korean industries. He was previously Lead Partner of Booz Allen Hamilton, a global general management consultancy in the U.S., and a Senior Vice President and founding member of KBRI (now Moody’s Korea Inc.), the first credit rating agency in Seoul. As a previous corporate finance manager of the Korea Merchant Bank Corporation, a joint venture with Lazard Brothers U.K., Jong specialized in international mega-project financing and cross border M&As. He served as Junior Economist of the Korea Development Bank and as a member of The National Economic Counsel to Mr. President of South Korea. Jong also held positions as an independent board member of LG Chemical Co. of the LG Group based in Seoul and as an independent board member of Saint-Gabain Korea, a leading flat glass maker. Presently, Jong is the Chairman of the Board of ToolGen, Inc. a world leading DNA editing company based in Seoul Korea. Jong graduated cum laude with a B.A. from So-Gang University in South Korea and holds his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jong Chang
Founder & Chairman, InHarv Partners
Jong Chang has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2017. He is the Founder and Chairman of InHarv Partners Ltd., a hybrid of VC and private equity based in Seoul, Korea whose strategic stance is to raise capital in South Korea for investment in cutting edge tech startups overseas, linking those startups to the Korean industries. He was previously Lead Partner of Booz Allen Hamilton, a global general management consultancy in the U.S., and a Senior Vice President and founding member of KBRI (now Moody’s Korea Inc.), the first credit rating agency in Seoul. As a previous corporate finance manager of the Korea Merchant Bank Corporation, a joint venture with Lazard Brothers U.K., Jong specialized in international mega-project financing and cross border M&As. He served as Junior Economist of the Korea Development Bank and as a member of The National Economic Counsel to Mr. President of South Korea. Jong also held positions as an independent board member of LG Chemical Co. of the LG Group based in Seoul and as an independent board member of Saint-Gabain Korea, a leading flat glass maker. Presently, Jong is the Chairman of the Board of ToolGen, Inc. a world leading DNA editing company based in Seoul Korea. Jong graduated cum laude with a B.A. from So-Gang University in South Korea and holds his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Wen Chen
Senior Vice President, Tigermed Co. Ltd.
Wen Chen has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2017. He is the Senior Vice President of Tigermed Co. Ltd., a publicly traded company located in China. Tigermed is a leading contract research organization in China, Asia Pacific dedicated to providing professional clinical development services to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Wen represents Yonghua Capital, a leading private equity and venture capital investment firm from China that has invested in Verseau Therapeutics. Wen received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN and a master’s degree in immunology and oncology and business administration from Washington University in St. Louis and Durham University, respectively. He then worked at Amgen research before returning to work in the China biotechnology industry since 2000.
Wen Chen
Senior Vice President, Tigermed Co. Ltd.
Wen Chen has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2017. He is the Senior Vice President of Tigermed Co. Ltd., a publicly traded company located in China. Tigermed is a leading contract research organization in China, Asia Pacific dedicated to providing professional clinical development services to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Wen represents Yonghua Capital, a leading private equity and venture capital investment firm from China that has invested in Verseau Therapeutics. Wen received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN and a master’s degree in immunology and oncology and business administration from Washington University in St. Louis and Durham University, respectively. He then worked at Amgen research before returning to work in the China biotechnology industry since 2000.
Wen Chen
Senior Vice President, Tigermed Co. Ltd.
Wen Chen has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2017. He is the Senior Vice President of Tigermed Co. Ltd., a publicly traded company located in China. Tigermed is a leading contract research organization in China, Asia Pacific dedicated to providing professional clinical development services to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Wen represents Yonghua Capital, a leading private equity and venture capital investment firm from China that has invested in Verseau Therapeutics. Wen received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN and a master’s degree in immunology and oncology and business administration from Washington University in St. Louis and Durham University, respectively. He then worked at Amgen research before returning to work in the China biotechnology industry since 2000.
Robert Langer, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Verseau
David H. Koch Professor, Koch Institute, MIT
Dr. Robert Langer is a Co-Founder of Verseau and has served as a board member since March 2017. He is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has written over 1,200 articles, which have been cited over 90,000 times; his h-index of 148 is the highest of any engineer in history. He has 815 issued and pending patents worldwide. His patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 250 companies. He served as Chairman of the FDA’s Science Board (its highest advisory board) from 1999-2002. His over 220 awards include both the United States National Medal of Science and the United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation, as well as the Charles Stark Draper Prize (considered the engineering Nobel Prize), Albany Medical Center Prize, the Wolf Prize for Chemistry, the Millennium Technology Prize, the Priestley Medal (highest award of the American Chemical Society), the Gairdner Prize and the Lemelson-MIT prize, for being “one of history’s most prolific inventors in medicine.” He holds 20 honorary doctorates, including honorary degrees from Harvard University and Yale University. Dr. Langer is one of the few individuals ever to have been elected to the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors.
Robert Langer, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Verseau
David H. Koch Professor, Koch Institute, MIT
Dr. Robert Langer is a Co-Founder of Verseau and has served as a board member since March 2017. He is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has written over 1,200 articles, which have been cited over 90,000 times; his h-index of 148 is the highest of any engineer in history. He has 815 issued and pending patents worldwide. His patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 250 companies. He served as Chairman of the FDA’s Science Board (its highest advisory board) from 1999-2002. His over 220 awards include both the United States National Medal of Science and the United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation, as well as the Charles Stark Draper Prize (considered the engineering Nobel Prize), Albany Medical Center Prize, the Wolf Prize for Chemistry, the Millennium Technology Prize, the Priestley Medal (highest award of the American Chemical Society), the Gairdner Prize and the Lemelson-MIT prize, for being “one of history’s most prolific inventors in medicine.” He holds 20 honorary doctorates, including honorary degrees from Harvard University and Yale University. Dr. Langer is one of the few individuals ever to have been elected to the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors.
Robert Langer, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Verseau
David H. Koch Professor, Koch Institute, MIT
Dr. Robert Langer is a Co-Founder of Verseau and has served as a board member since March 2017. He is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has written over 1,200 articles, which have been cited over 90,000 times; his h-index of 148 is the highest of any engineer in history. He has 815 issued and pending patents worldwide. His patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 250 companies. He served as Chairman of the FDA’s Science Board (its highest advisory board) from 1999-2002. His over 220 awards include both the United States National Medal of Science and the United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation, as well as the Charles Stark Draper Prize (considered the engineering Nobel Prize), Albany Medical Center Prize, the Wolf Prize for Chemistry, the Millennium Technology Prize, the Priestley Medal (highest award of the American Chemical Society), the Gairdner Prize and the Lemelson-MIT prize, for being “one of history’s most prolific inventors in medicine.” He holds 20 honorary doctorates, including honorary degrees from Harvard University and Yale University. Dr. Langer is one of the few individuals ever to have been elected to the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors.
Anna Turetsky, Ph.D.
Principal, Venture Investments, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Dr. Anna Turetsky has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2021 and was previously a board observer. Anna Turetsky joined The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (MFCR) as Principal, Venture Investments in November 2019 to launch and lead the foundation’s venture arm. She currently represents MFCR on the boards of Verseau, Accent Therapeutics, C2i Genomics, and Interius BioTherapeutics. Prior to this, Anna was a Vice President at Lightstone Ventures, a global, early-stage venture fund investing in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors. She played a major role in the firm’s investments in Tizona Therapeutics, Gemini Therapeutics (NASDAQ:GMTX), Disarm Therapeutics (acquired by Eli Lilly), Locanabio, and Cyteir Therapeutics, and served as board observer for these companies. Anna’s additional work experience includes internships and strategic consulting for corporate venture funds and biotech companies. Anna holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and a B.A. in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Vagelos Science Scholar.
Anna Turetsky, Ph.D.
Principal, Venture Investments, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Dr. Anna Turetsky has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2021 and was previously a board observer. Anna Turetsky joined The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (MFCR) as Principal, Venture Investments in November 2019 to launch and lead the foundation’s venture arm. She currently represents MFCR on the boards of Verseau, Accent Therapeutics, C2i Genomics, and Interius BioTherapeutics. Prior to this, Anna was a Vice President at Lightstone Ventures, a global, early-stage venture fund investing in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors. She played a major role in the firm’s investments in Tizona Therapeutics, Gemini Therapeutics (NASDAQ:GMTX), Disarm Therapeutics (acquired by Eli Lilly), Locanabio, and Cyteir Therapeutics, and served as board observer for these companies. Anna’s additional work experience includes internships and strategic consulting for corporate venture funds and biotech companies. Anna holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and a B.A. in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Vagelos Science Scholar.
Anna Turetsky, Ph.D.
Principal, Venture Investments, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Dr. Anna Turetsky has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2021 and was previously a board observer. Anna Turetsky joined The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (MFCR) as Principal, Venture Investments in November 2019 to launch and lead the foundation’s venture arm. She currently represents MFCR on the boards of Verseau, Accent Therapeutics, C2i Genomics, and Interius BioTherapeutics. Prior to this, Anna was a Vice President at Lightstone Ventures, a global, early-stage venture fund investing in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors. She played a major role in the firm’s investments in Tizona Therapeutics, Gemini Therapeutics (NASDAQ:GMTX), Disarm Therapeutics (acquired by Eli Lilly), Locanabio, and Cyteir Therapeutics, and served as board observer for these companies. Anna’s additional work experience includes internships and strategic consulting for corporate venture funds and biotech companies. Anna holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and a B.A. in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Vagelos Science Scholar.
Seung Min Yang, Ph.D.
Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery Research at Dong-A ST
Dr. Seung Min Yang has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2021. He is the head of drug discovery research at Dong-A ST, a leading pharmaceutical company in Korea, making strategic plans for all research projects of the institute and directing alliances and collaborations with external organizations to facilitate open innovation. After he joined Dong-A as a senior scientist and a leader of research projects in 2012, he helped set up various biochemical, biophysical, and cellular assays to develop pre-clinical candidate compounds and implemented a fragment-based drug discovery system for hit finding. While working as a head of the translational chemistry team later in 2016, he made a contribution to out-licensing MERTK inhibitors, investigational immuno-oncology drug candidates, to AbbVie for $525 million. Presently, he also serves as a board member of Korea Drug Research Association, which is a prestigious non-profit organization of over 340 members including drug developing companies, academic institutes, and funded research institutes in Korea. He received his B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from Seoul National University, and Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University, where he studied DNA solution structure using kinetics combined with Monte Carlo simulation. As a post-doc and research scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he worked on epigenetic events linked to H1 linker histones, publishing several papers in top-tier journals.
Seung Min Yang, Ph.D.
Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery Research at Dong-A ST
Dr. Seung Min Yang has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2021. He is the head of drug discovery research at Dong-A ST, a leading pharmaceutical company in Korea, making strategic plans for all research projects of the institute and directing alliances and collaborations with external organizations to facilitate open innovation. After he joined Dong-A as a senior scientist and a leader of research projects in 2012, he helped set up various biochemical, biophysical, and cellular assays to develop pre-clinical candidate compounds and implemented a fragment-based drug discovery system for hit finding. While working as a head of the translational chemistry team later in 2016, he made a contribution to out-licensing MERTK inhibitors, investigational immuno-oncology drug candidates, to AbbVie for $525 million. Presently, he also serves as a board member of Korea Drug Research Association, which is a prestigious non-profit organization of over 340 members including drug developing companies, academic institutes, and funded research institutes in Korea. He received his B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from Seoul National University, and Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University, where he studied DNA solution structure using kinetics combined with Monte Carlo simulation. As a post-doc and research scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he worked on epigenetic events linked to H1 linker histones, publishing several papers in top-tier journals.
Seung Min Yang, Ph.D.
Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery Research at Dong-A ST
Dr. Seung Min Yang has served as a board member of Verseau since March 2021. He is the head of drug discovery research at Dong-A ST, a leading pharmaceutical company in Korea, making strategic plans for all research projects of the institute and directing alliances and collaborations with external organizations to facilitate open innovation. After he joined Dong-A as a senior scientist and a leader of research projects in 2012, he helped set up various biochemical, biophysical, and cellular assays to develop pre-clinical candidate compounds and implemented a fragment-based drug discovery system for hit finding. While working as a head of the translational chemistry team later in 2016, he made a contribution to out-licensing MERTK inhibitors, investigational immuno-oncology drug candidates, to AbbVie for $525 million. Presently, he also serves as a board member of Korea Drug Research Association, which is a prestigious non-profit organization of over 340 members including drug developing companies, academic institutes, and funded research institutes in Korea. He received his B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from Seoul National University, and Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University, where he studied DNA solution structure using kinetics combined with Monte Carlo simulation. As a post-doc and research scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he worked on epigenetic events linked to H1 linker histones, publishing several papers in top-tier journals.
Zhenping Zhu, M.D., Ph.D.
President of Research & Development, Chief Scientific Officer, 3SBio Inc.
Dr. Zhenping Zhu has been President of Research & Development and Chief Scientific Officer at 3SBio Inc. since January 2017. Prior to joining 3SBio, Dr. Zhu served as Executive Vice President of Global Biopharmaceuticals and President of Kadmon China at Kadmon Corporation. Prior to joining Kadmon, Dr. Zhu served as Vice President and Global Head, Protein Sciences and Design, at Novartis, where he established and led research groups in Basel (Switzerland), Cambridge (U.S.), and Shanghai (China), and was responsible for the discovery, design and selection of novel biologic medicines globally. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Zhu worked for over 12 years at ImClone Systems as Vice President of Antibody Technology and Immunology and has successfully led research teams responsible for the discovery and early development of several FDA-approved novel antibody therapeutics for various oncology indications, including cetuximab (Erbitux®), ramucirumab (Cyramza®), necitumumab (Portrazza®), and olaratumab (Lartruvo®). Dr. Zhu is the inventor of both ramucirumab and necitumumab, and was a major contributor to cetuximab and olaratumab. From 1996 to 2006, Dr. Zhu held an adjunct professorship at the Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Dr. Zhu has been working in the biopharmaceutical industry for over 26 years and has published over 190 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Dr. Zhu earned his Medical Degree from Jiangxi Medical College (Nanchang, China), passed USMLE and is certified by U.S. ECFMG. He received his M.Sc. in pharmacology from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (Beijing, China), and his Ph.D. in immunology and pathology from Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada). Dr. Zhu performed his postdoctoral work in antibody/protein engineering at Genentech, Inc.
Zhenping Zhu, M.D., Ph.D.
President of Research & Development, Chief Scientific Officer, 3SBio Inc.
Dr. Zhenping Zhu has been President of Research & Development and Chief Scientific Officer at 3SBio Inc. since January 2017. Prior to joining 3SBio, Dr. Zhu served as Executive Vice President of Global Biopharmaceuticals and President of Kadmon China at Kadmon Corporation. Prior to joining Kadmon, Dr. Zhu served as Vice President and Global Head, Protein Sciences and Design, at Novartis, where he established and led research groups in Basel (Switzerland), Cambridge (U.S.), and Shanghai (China), and was responsible for the discovery, design and selection of novel biologic medicines globally. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Zhu worked for over 12 years at ImClone Systems as Vice President of Antibody Technology and Immunology and has successfully led research teams responsible for the discovery and early development of several FDA-approved novel antibody therapeutics for various oncology indications, including cetuximab (Erbitux®), ramucirumab (Cyramza®), necitumumab (Portrazza®), and olaratumab (Lartruvo®). Dr. Zhu is the inventor of both ramucirumab and necitumumab, and was a major contributor to cetuximab and olaratumab. From 1996 to 2006, Dr. Zhu held an adjunct professorship at the Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Dr. Zhu has been working in the biopharmaceutical industry for over 26 years and has published over 190 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Dr. Zhu earned his Medical Degree from Jiangxi Medical College (Nanchang, China), passed USMLE and is certified by U.S. ECFMG. He received his M.Sc. in pharmacology from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (Beijing, China), and his Ph.D. in immunology and pathology from Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada). Dr. Zhu performed his postdoctoral work in antibody/protein engineering at Genentech, Inc.
Zhenping Zhu, M.D., Ph.D.
President of Research & Development, Chief Scientific Officer, 3SBio Inc.
Dr. Zhenping Zhu has been President of Research & Development and Chief Scientific Officer at 3SBio Inc. since January 2017. Prior to joining 3SBio, Dr. Zhu served as Executive Vice President of Global Biopharmaceuticals and President of Kadmon China at Kadmon Corporation. Prior to joining Kadmon, Dr. Zhu served as Vice President and Global Head, Protein Sciences and Design, at Novartis, where he established and led research groups in Basel (Switzerland), Cambridge (U.S.), and Shanghai (China), and was responsible for the discovery, design and selection of novel biologic medicines globally. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Zhu worked for over 12 years at ImClone Systems as Vice President of Antibody Technology and Immunology and has successfully led research teams responsible for the discovery and early development of several FDA-approved novel antibody therapeutics for various oncology indications, including cetuximab (Erbitux®), ramucirumab (Cyramza®), necitumumab (Portrazza®), and olaratumab (Lartruvo®). Dr. Zhu is the inventor of both ramucirumab and necitumumab, and was a major contributor to cetuximab and olaratumab. From 1996 to 2006, Dr. Zhu held an adjunct professorship at the Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Dr. Zhu has been working in the biopharmaceutical industry for over 26 years and has published over 190 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Dr. Zhu earned his Medical Degree from Jiangxi Medical College (Nanchang, China), passed USMLE and is certified by U.S. ECFMG. He received his M.Sc. in pharmacology from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (Beijing, China), and his Ph.D. in immunology and pathology from Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada). Dr. Zhu performed his postdoctoral work in antibody/protein engineering at Genentech, Inc.