Our co-founders Dr. Joe Loscalzo and Dr. Albert-Laszlo Barabasi pioneered the building of the map of human biology – the Human Interactome – that explains how proteins expressed from genes interact to cause specific disease phenotypes, providing the wiring diagram needed to interpret dynamic molecular data from patients to determine an individual’s unique disease biology.
Science PublicationsIngo Chakravarty is an Operating Partner at Northpond Ventures. He has 30 years of experience in building, scaling and leading high-performance teams and companies in the diagnostics and precision medicine sectors. Ingo was recently President and CEO of Mesa, which he successfully sold to Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2021. Prior to Mesa, Ingo held multiple executive roles in the diagnostics and precision medicine sectors, including CEO of Navican Genomics, SVP and GM of GenMark Diagnostics, (acquired by Roche), VP and GM of Gen-Probe (acquired by Hologic), and various leadership roles at Ventana Medical Systems (acquired by Roche). He received a degree in electrical engineering from the Friedrich Heacker School in Germany.
Slava has been named one of the Top 100 AI Leaders in Drug Discovery and Advanced Healthcare and is a frequent speaker at some of the most prolific industry events. Slava is the inventor of several issued and pending patent applications and has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in computational biology, artificial intelligence, and molecular biology.
Slava’s experience includes developing data-driven technologies for target discovery and precision medicine and launching multiple commercial diagnostic products at Berg and GNS Healthcare. Slava started his career working for Genzyme Genetics where he developed novel statistical approaches for high-throughput “omics” data. Dr. Akmaev holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Bobby brings 20+ years of experience in commercial pharmaceuticals and diagnostics to Scipher Medicine. Through his leadership roles at Eli Lilly and Myriad Genetics he has taken products from inception through commercialization and growth. Bobby leads with a people-first mindset counting on the collaboration from his team to drive strategies forward and deliver results. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University.
Sam brings robust experience as a leading life sciences attorney in various leadership positions with EQRx, Inc. Goodwin Procter LLP and Mcdermott, Will & Emery LLP. Prior to joining Scipher, Sam was Associate General Counsel, Vice President Legal Affairs at EQRx, Inc, where he led all legal matters, including private and public financings, multiple global license and collaborations, and payer partnerships.
Dr. Benjamin served as the 18th U.S. Surgeon General from 2009 to 2013. She was also chair of the National Prevention Council, composed of 17 cabinet-level heads of federal agencies that released the first-ever National Prevention Strategy, whose goal was to change our healthcare system from one based on sickness and disease, to one of wellness and prevention. Dr. Benjamin serves on the boards of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan, Ascension Health, and 3 publicly traded healthcare companies. As a family physician, and Founder of BayouClinic, Inc, Dr. Benjamin is one of the nation’s leading voices on population and preventive health issues.
Byerwalter is Chairman Emeritus of the SRI International. She serves on the Stanford Health Care Board of Directors, where she was Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2006 through 2013, and served as the Interim President and CEO of Stanford Health Care in 2016. Byerwalter also sits on the Board of Directors of Pacific Life, Franklin Resources, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. She holds a B.A. degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Dr Elliott is a physician-scientist, drug developer and early-stage life science investor. His early scientific work at the University of Adelaide and at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne focused on the biology and receptor interactions of the hemopoietic growth factors, GM-CSF and IL-3.
At the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London, he worked on the earliest clinical trials of anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid arthritis and was first author on several acclaimed publications that provided clinical validation for this (at the time) radical new approach to treatment. Dr Elliott has authored many other peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters in the field of cytokine immunology and protein therapeutics.
His pharmaceutical and biotech career spans 25 years, including 17 years at Centocor/Janssen/Johnson & Johnson. At Centocor, he held the position of senior vice president immunology, and led the clinical development of Centocor’s protein therapeutics in immune and inflammatory disorders, including the anti-TNF mAb infliximab developed for rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory indications, and the follow-on anti-TNF mAb, golimumab, developed in a range of rheumatic diseases. His group also led clinical development of the first in class anti-IL-12/23 mAb, ustekinumab for the treatment of psoriasis.
Dr Elliott now works to support the life science ecosystem in New England. He is Founder and President of Immunology Advisors, LLC, a firm providing guidance to the biotech industry, with particular focus on autoimmune and inflammatory disease.
He earned his medical degree (MBBS) and PhD in Immunology from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
Blackburn is the chief executive officer, Azurity Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held specialist pharmaceutical company. Blackburn has worked in the medicines industry for over three decades including time with Sterling-Winthrop, Sanofi, Parke-Davis and Pfizer, where he was global president for Inflammation and Immunology, leading a multi-billion dollar business focused on providing solutions for patients suffering with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Previously, Blackburn led Pfizer businesses with responsibilities across United States, Europe, Africa, Middle-East and developed Asia. Earlier in his career, he held sales and marketing roles across multiple therapeutic areas and at all stages of product lifecycles. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Durham University and is certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
