Leadership

Proven success from molecule to market

Management

Upendra Marathi, PhD, MBA

CEO, Co-founder, and Director

Upendra is the founder, investor, and an inventor of 7HP technology. He has led the development of three novel pain and cardiovascular drugs, including one which has recently been approved by the FDA. He co-developed one of the first genetically modified stem cells to improve bone marrow function in chemotherapeutic patients. As a venture capitalist, he was involved in the founding and launch of several biotechnology companies. He has helped raise over $50 million in equity financing. Upendra was a post-doctoral fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and earned a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Loyola University Chicago. Upendra has an M.B.A. from Rice University and has served as a faculty member.

Rob Bent, MA, MBA

Chief Financial Officer

Rob is an experienced entrepreneur and operational leader. He holds BS and MS degrees in Food Science from the University of Florida and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. After completing graduate research characterizing a novel inhibitor of enzymatic browning in fruits and vegetables, Rob joined Virginia Dare, a leader in the flavor industry, as a wet lab product developer. After completing his MBA, Rob moved out of the lab to manage Virginia Dare’s beverage business. Rob later co-founded and served as Chief Product Officer for Som Sleep, developing its flagship dietary supplement from concept and spearheading its commercial scale-up and successful nationwide launch.

Siddhartha De, PhD

Senior Director of Development

Siddhartha has been deeply involved with the preclinical development of the 7 Hills drug portfolio and its preparation for clinical readiness. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 2001 from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, during which he elucidated the role of different H1 histone variants in the architecture of chromatin in the cell nucleus, and the functional consequence of this chromatin organization on nuclear processes, such as transcription, replication, and recombination. After his Ph.D., he worked at the University of Virginia for his post-doctoral research work, where he focused on the role of estrogen and androgen receptors in cancer, and at Luna Innovations to kick-start different Department of Defense (DoD)-funded programs to address homeland defense and counter bioterrorism. For the next several years, he worked for the drug discovery and development operations at Eurofins Advinus, where he headed in vitro Pharmacology and the CNS therapeutic area, and led several programs to clinical candidacy. Additionally, he has extensive experience in Project Management and Business Development, representing outlicensing strategy, partnerships, and contract services.

Robert W Strozier, PhD, JD

Co-founder and Patent Counsel

Robert has over 33 years of experience in private practice, during which he has prepared, filed, and prosecuted over 400 patent applications that have matured into issued patents covering a broad array of technologies. He has been involved in the invention and prosecution of patents covering novel pain and cardiovascular drugs approved by the FDA. He has prepared, filed, and prosecutes 7 Hills patent applications and is a co-inventor of certain 7 Hills technology. He has successfully prosecuted several 7 Hills patent applications, resulting in four issued United States Patents and numerous foreign counterparts covering key aspects of 7 Hills’s integrin activating technology including applications in vaccination, antibody therapy, checkpoint blockade therapy, and stem cell transplantation. Robert earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from the University of Akron.

Nancy Ladner

Controller

Nancy has over thirty years’ experience in accounting, and business administration in biotech, furniture manufacturing, insurance/brokerage, international steel distribution and financial management industries. Her expertise includes the establishment and management of administrative and accounting functions in both start up and existing operations. She also has extensive experience with DAPRA, CPRIT, SBIR and NIH grant accounting.

Lionel Lewis, MA, MB BCh, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Lionel is an experienced solid tumor trialist who has worked on 40 Phase I trials, and led 10 first-in-human studies including immune checkpoint inhibitors. Currently he leads the Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) Phase-I group, and is Director of the Dartmouth Cancer Center Clinical Pharmacology Shared Resource. He is also the current Executive Director of the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology and the vice chair of the Pharmacogenetics and Population Pharmacology (PPP) committee of the Alliance of Clinical Trials in Oncology, an NCI intergroup. He has served on and chaired several DOD and NIH study section panels. He has published more than 190 peer reviewed manuscripts in the field of clinical pharmacology and has edited/co-authored several textbooks in the field.

Bill has extensive experience as a development, clinical and regulatory scientist and biopharmaceutical industry executive. He is a former clinical reviewer for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has served in senior roles in global clinical and regulatory functions with Abbvie Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., and has held executive management positions at a number of biotech companies. He has designed and successfully executed drug development plans resulting in the acceptance of global dossiers for investigational products, including approval of more than 20 drug and medicinal products across multiple therapeutic areas. He also established the procedures and managed operations of a Phase 1 clinic unit as well as coordinated efforts at academic and commercial research centers for implementation of new drug development and new drug regulatory and quality assurance programs.

Nicole Gallegos, MBA, PMP

Senior Director of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs

Nicole has over 25 years of industry experience in Clinical Operations, Regulatory, Program Management, and Clinical Data Management bringing extensive expertise from working with large pharma, small to midsize biotech, and contract research companies over her career. She contributed significantly to several successful oncology approval submissions, including approvals in both adult and pediatric leukemias, adult melanoma, and head and neck cancers. Over the past 16 years she has led global clinical operations, primarily in early phase oncology and rare disease. Nicole is an experienced leader with strong knowledge of clinical operations, regulatory data requirements, clinical trial process, and quality management. She received her MBA from Belmont University in Nashville, TN with a concentration in Health Care Management, and received her certificate in Project Management in 2002. Prior to her graduate work she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in pre-medicine from the University of Texas San Antonio.

Additionally, Nicole has served on the non-profit boards of Boerne Education Foundation and San Antonio Tech Boosters, both non-profit organizations supporting education fundraising, entrepreneurial mentoring, and educational initiatives within the south-central Texas community.

Nada Elsayed, PhD, MBA

Director of Manufacturing

Nada is an experienced professional holding several graduate degrees including a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering, both from the University of South Florida and most recently a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Louisiana State University Shreveport. She has over a decade of diverse experience in pharmaceutical drug product research and development as a scientist and project manager focusing on small molecules starting with formulation through commercial GMP drug product supply. Additionally, Nada has experience in hospital turnkey management leading several multimillion-dollar projects.

William Schary, PhD

VP Clinical and Regulatory Affairs

Board of Directors

Joseph Bailes, MD

Director and Advisor

Joseph is a medical oncologist with substantial experience in legislation, public policy and advocacy, as well as the business aspects of the practice of oncology and medicine. Dr. Bailes has served in various executive leadership capacities for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), including terms as President, Interim Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, and Chair of the ASCO Government Relations Council. He has also served as the Executive Vice President of Clinical Affairs for US Oncology, Inc. Dr. Bailes received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas.

Kala Marathi, MBA

Co-founder and Director

Kala is the Managing Director of the Cougar Venture Fund, a Lecturer in Venture Capital Investing at the University of Houston, and COO of Skypoint Capital, an investment firm that focuses on income producing assets. She has more than 20 years of operating and financial experience.

In her role as Managing Director of the Houston Angel Network, Kala has facilitated over $30M in investments in 85 deals and co-founded the Texas Halo Fund. Kala was a founding member of Reliant Energy Net Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Reliant Energy. At Reliant, she led several smart grid pilots and technology initiatives, and launched a subsidiary called Texas Star Energy. She also has extensive experience in strategy and corporate finance with such firms as Continental Airlines and Chase.

Kala has served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Lyceum and the National Association of Women MBAs (Houston Chapter), and served as co-chair of the HX Cybersecurity Technology Committee. Kala has B.A. in Japanese and Economics from Wellesley College, and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Stephen A. Bent

Director

Steve is a retired partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. He was a member of the Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practice and the Health Care and Nanotechnology Industry Teams. He is the founder and a former co-chair of the Life Sciences Industry Team. Stephen counseled clients on intellectual property disputes and the legal issues associated with pharmaceutical and biotechnology asset valuation and management, venture capital, licensing and technology transfer, and corporate acquisitions. He was a principal in the firm’s China initiative.

Upendra Marathi, PhD, MBA

CEO, Co-founder, and Director

Scientific Advisory Board

Darren Woodside, PhD

SAB Chairman, Co-founder, Collaborator

Darren is a co-founder, investor, and an inventor of 7HP technology. He is an experienced pharmaceutical executive and immunologist. As the Associate Director of Drug Discovery, Biological Sciences at Encysive Pharmaceuticals, he directed drug discovery efforts targeting cell adhesion molecule signaling and function. Dr. Woodside is an author of numerous peer reviewed publications, and has been a Principal Investigator on a number grants from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Woodside has served on a number of Editorial Review Boards, including Nature Journal Genes and Immunity, and review panels for the NIH. He has a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Jeffrey K. Actor, PhD

Advisor

Jeff is a Professor and Master Educator at the McGovern Medical School of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, TX. He has high expertise in immunology of tuberculosis disease, designing vaccines and therapeutics to reduce Tubercuolsis related pathology. He received multiple grant awards from the National Institutes of Health focusing on molecules to modify inflammation. Dr. Actor has authored immunology texts, and over 100 peer reviewed publications examining immune response to pathogenic infections. He serves on NIH vaccine review panels, and on journal Editorial Boards, including Frontiers (Immunology) and International Immunopharmacology. He earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts, and completed post-doctoral training at NIAID. He has been a scientific advisor for biotech since 1995.

Robert Kramer, PhD

Advisor

Robert has 24 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is the former Head of Oncology Discovery Research at both Bristol-Myers Squibb and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, part of the Johnson & Johnson group of companies. He has been responsible for enabling the transition of 35 drugs from discovery into the clinic. Rob championed immunotheraphy at Bristol-Myers Squibb, resulting in the acquisition of Medarex, Inc. in 2009 and its portfolio of immune therapeutics that included Ipilimumab and Nivolumab. He received his PhD in pharmacology from the University of Vermont and undertook his post doctorate studies at the US National Cancer Institute. Rob held an Assistant Professorship at the Harvard Medical School.

Peter Vanderslice, PhD

Co-founder, Collaborator

Peter is a co-founder, investor, and an inventor of 7HP technology. He is an experienced pharmaceutical executive that has identified and developed four clinical stage compounds, managed joint ventures, and helped raise $100 million in equity financing at Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He has translated numerous approaches targeting cell adhesion molecules into pharmaceutical development programs. Dr. Vanderslice has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications focusing on the biological function and therapeutic targeting of cell adhesion and trafficking. The extensive experience in cell adhesion is critical to validating the 7HP lead compounds for use in hematologic cancers, and stem cell transplant and other indications. He has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Michael S. Perry, DVM, PhD

Advisor

Mike brings extensive experience across the global pharmaceutical value chain for healthcare products spanning diverse therapeutic areas. In his career, he has been materially involved in the successful development and commercial launch of more than 30 prescription products, 14 of which achieved blockbuster status. Dr. Perry is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Avita Medical (NASDAQ:RCEL and ASX:AVH) and has previously served in a variety of pharmaceutical executive roles, including as Chief Scientific Officer of Novartis’ Cell and Gene Therapy Unit from 2014-2017 and Vice President and Global Head of Stem Cell Therapy for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. from 2012-2014. He also served as President and Chief Medical Officer of Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Chief Development Officer at VIA Pharmaceuticals, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Extropy Pharmaceuticals, Global Head of Research and Development for Baxter’s BioScience Division, President and Chief Executive Officer of both SyStemix Inc. and Genetic Therapy Inc., and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Novartis Pharma. Additionally, he served in executive roles at Syntex Corporation (now Roche) and at Schering-Plough (now Merck). Dr. Perry holds a BSc in Physics, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and a PhD in Biomedical Pharmacology from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is also a graduate of the International Management Program at Harvard Business School and serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine.

Mary Laughlin, MD

Advisor

Mary is a Board Certified Hematologist / Oncologist with expertise in immune based cancer therapeutics including development, conduct and filing of global early and late stage hematology and solid tumor malignancies clinical trials, with focus on innovative advanced biologics and cellular immuno-oncology therapeutics including antibody drug conjugates (ADC), T cell redirecting bispecific antibodies, autologous / allogeneic CAR-T and TCR engineered innate (NK, gamma delta) and adaptive (T cell) products. She established the Cleveland Cord Blood Center in 2008 in conjunction with the growing role of stem-cell rich umbilical cord blood for transplantation in patients with life-threatening disorders such as leukemia, lymphoma and immune system disorders. Dr. Laughlin, who performed one of the world’s first successful umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants on an adult leukemia patient in 1995, launched the public cord blood bank with the commitment to serve the unmet needs of a diverse population.