Richard Daly

Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Daly joins the company with more than 25 years of experience leading business and commercial operations for major pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Executive Vice President at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and as President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary. Most recently, Mr. Daly served as CEO, President, and Chairman of Neuralstem, Inc. Mr. Daly currently serves on the boards of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals and Opiant Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Daly was instrumental in building Takeda North America from 14 people to more than 3,000 employees and $5 billion in sales in less than seven years. During his 13-year tenure, he served as Executive Vice President for the U.S., where he was responsible for business development for the Americas and expanding the company’s commercial footprint across North and South America and into new therapeutic areas, including oncology. As President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary, Mr. Daly led commercial initiatives that transformed the Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Diabetes Alliance into the fastest-growing diabetes franchise in the U.S. in less than 12 months.

Mr. Daly earned an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and holds a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Notre Dame.

Lan Huang, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Huang brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Chinese and U.S. biotechnology industries. In 2010, Dr. Huang founded Wanchun Biotech, the former holding company of BeyondSpring’s U.S. subsidiary. In 2007, Dr. Huang co-founded Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., where she served as CEO in 2010 and continues to hold a directorship. The rights related to the development and marketing of the peptide drug in China, which drug Dr. Huang designed while at Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., were sold to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2010. Additionally, in 2008, Dr. Huang co-founded Paramax International Inc., a CRO that conducts clinical trials for global biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Paramax International Inc. was acquired by ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. in 2009. Dr. Huang was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 to 2002, where her research in cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation was published in Science. Her translational research in cancer signaling pathways involving RAS was published in two Nature papers. She has invented and holds patents for a number of biotech products for oncology and dermatology indications.

Dr. Huang received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lawrence University, where she served as a trustee from 2012 to 2015. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the international-level Women’s Opportunity Award given by Soroptimist International. She also studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Gregg Davis

Vice President of Corporate Development
Mr. Davis has nearly 30 years of experience in life sciences companies and has held roles of increasing responsibility including new product strategy and launch, marketing and business development. For the last 20 years, he has been focused on business and corporate development activities and has led the evaluation of over 100 deals ranging from research collaborations to marketing alliances to billion-dollar acquisitions, divestments and licensing agreements. Dozens of these transactions have closed including some of the pharmaceutical industries largest and most creative partnering deals.

Mr. Davis has worked with small, entrepreneurial companies in operational roles, as a venture capitalist and as co-founder of a cancer therapeutics company. He also has experience with large, multi-national companies. Mr. Davis joins Seed Therapeutics after serving as Senior Vice President of Business Development for AskBio where has closed gene therapy deals including R&D collaborations, company acquisitions, and licensing deals for several therapeutics and platform technologies. Prior to AskBio, he was Vice President of Corporate and Business development at Avadel Pharmaceuticals, headed Corporate Development at Patheon (now Thermo Fisher) and spent over 8 years leading transactions on GSK’s Worldwide Business Development team.

Gregg graduated with honors from Kenan Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina where he previously received his BA in Economics.

James Tonra, Ph.D.

Lan Huang, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Huang brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Chinese and U.S. biotechnology industries. In 2010, Dr. Huang founded Wanchun Biotech, the former holding company of BeyondSpring’s U.S. subsidiary. In 2007, Dr. Huang co-founded Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., where she served as CEO in 2010 and continues to hold a directorship. The rights related to the development and marketing of the peptide drug in China, which drug Dr. Huang designed while at Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., were sold to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2010. Additionally, in 2008, Dr. Huang co-founded Paramax International Inc., a CRO that conducts clinical trials for global biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Paramax International Inc. was acquired by ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. in 2009. Dr. Huang was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 to 2002, where her research in cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation was published in Science. Her translational research in cancer signaling pathways involving RAS was published in two Nature papers. She has invented and holds patents for a number of biotech products for oncology and dermatology indications.

Dr. Huang received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lawrence University, where she served as a trustee from 2012 to 2015. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the international-level Women’s Opportunity Award given by Soroptimist International. She also studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Richard Daly

Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Daly joins the company with more than 25 years of experience leading business and commercial operations for major pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Executive Vice President at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and as President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary. Most recently, Mr. Daly served as CEO, President, and Chairman of Neuralstem, Inc. Mr. Daly currently serves on the boards of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals and Opiant Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Daly was instrumental in building Takeda North America from 14 people to more than 3,000 employees and $5 billion in sales in less than seven years. During his 13-year tenure, he served as Executive Vice President for the U.S., where he was responsible for business development for the Americas and expanding the company’s commercial footprint across North and South America and into new therapeutic areas, including oncology. As President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary, Mr. Daly led commercial initiatives that transformed the Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Diabetes Alliance into the fastest-growing diabetes franchise in the U.S. in less than 12 months.

Mr. Daly earned an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and holds a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Notre Dame.

Gregg Davis

Vice President of Corporate Development
Mr. Davis has nearly 30 years of experience in life sciences companies and has held roles of increasing responsibility including new product strategy and launch, marketing and business development. For the last 20 years, he has been focused on business and corporate development activities and has led the evaluation of over 100 deals ranging from research collaborations to marketing alliances to billion-dollar acquisitions, divestments and licensing agreements. Dozens of these transactions have closed including some of the pharmaceutical industries largest and most creative partnering deals.

Mr. Davis has worked with small, entrepreneurial companies in operational roles, as a venture capitalist and as co-founder of a cancer therapeutics company. He also has experience with large, multi-national companies. Mr. Davis joins Seed Therapeutics after serving as Senior Vice President of Business Development for AskBio where has closed gene therapy deals including R&D collaborations, company acquisitions, and licensing deals for several therapeutics and platform technologies. Prior to AskBio, he was Vice President of Corporate and Business development at Avadel Pharmaceuticals, headed Corporate Development at Patheon (now Thermo Fisher) and spent over 8 years leading transactions on GSK’s Worldwide Business Development team.

Gregg graduated with honors from Kenan Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina where he previously received his BA in Economics.

Lan Huang, Ph.D.

Dr. Huang brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Chinese and U.S. biotechnology industries. In 2010, Dr. Huang founded Wanchun Biotech, the former holding company of BeyondSpring’s U.S. subsidiary. In 2007, Dr. Huang co-founded Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., where she served as CEO in 2010 and continues to hold a directorship. The rights related to the development and marketing of the peptide drug in China, which drug Dr. Huang designed while at Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., were sold to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2010. Additionally, in 2008, Dr. Huang co-founded Paramax International Inc., a CRO that conducts clinical trials for global biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Paramax International Inc. was acquired by ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. in 2009. Dr. Huang was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 to 2002, where her research in cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation was published in Science. Her translational research in cancer signaling pathways involving RAS was published in two Nature papers. She has invented and holds patents for a number of biotech products for oncology and dermatology indications.

Dr. Huang received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lawrence University, where she served as a trustee from 2012 to 2015. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the international-level Women’s Opportunity Award given by Soroptimist International. She also studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Ning Zheng, Ph.D.

Dr. Zheng is a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and was trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Research in Dr. Zheng’s group seeks to understand the intricate interactions and coordinated functions of proteins and signaling molecules found in all kingdoms of life. Using a structural biology approach, Dr. Zheng and his team conduct studies that span several interwoven research areas, including protein ubiquitination, transcription regulation, plant hormone signaling, and ion channel functions. In the past two decades, the Zheng lab has elucidated various regulatory mechanisms governing specific substrate recognition by ubiquitin ligases. He raised the concept of “molecular glue” for the first time based on his discovery of the mechanism of action of auxin, a master plant hormone targeting a ubiquitin ligase-substrate interface. The overarching goal of his studies is to apply the biological principles they learn from basic research to the development of novel therapeutics and the balancing of the planet’s ecological systems. Additional information on The Zheng Lab at UW can be found at https://depts.washington.edu/zhenglab/.

Michele Pagano, M.D.

Dr. Pagano is the chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and the May Ellen and Gerald Jay Ritter professor of Oncology at the New York University School of Medicine. Since 2008, he is also an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Pagano received his doctorate in Medicine and a specialty diploma in Molecular Endocrinology in 1990 from the University of Naples Federico II University in his native Napoli, Italy. He was subsequently a post-doctoral fellow at EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany from 1990 to 1992, and at Mitotix Inc., a biotech company that he cofounded and that pioneered the concept of CDK inhibitors as anti-cancer agents from 1992 to 1996. He joined the NYU School of Medicine in September 1996 and was tenured in 2003. Dr. Pagano has received many prestigious grants, including a Merit Award from the National Cancer Institute (2006-2017) and a NIGMS MIRA Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cell and cancer biology. Dr. Pagano has published more than 200 leading papers, has been issued 7 patents, and has been invited to present more than 180 seminars at conferences, universities, and research institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Pagano’s research focuses on the ubiquitylating enzymes that control cell proliferation and how deregulation of these machineries contribute to malignant transformation. His long-term goal is to help develop new anticancer therapies. In particular, his laboratory is working towards the identification of small molecule glues able to promote the proteolysis of untargetable oncoproteins. Additional information on The Pagano Laboratory can be found at https://paganolab.org.

Avram Hershko, M.D., Ph.D.

A winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 and co-winner of the Lasker Award in 2000, Dr. Hershko was the first researcher to describe the ubiquitin system responsible for the regulated degradation of proteins within the cell. This discovery represented a breakthrough in research on cancer, degenerative diseases in the brain, and many other disorders. He is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel and has been an adjunct professor of Pathology at the NYU School of Medicine since 2002. Additional information on Dr. Hershko can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avram_Hershko.

James Tonra, Ph.D.

Scientific Advisor
Dr. Tonra has worked for 24 years in biotechnology, leading and utilizing in-house, contracted and sponsored research efforts to generate definitive data packages that enable the advancement of research projects to investigational new drug (IND) filing and guide clinical development at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, ImClone Systems/Eli Lilly, Kadmon Holdings and BeyondSpring.

Dr. Tonra has collaborated with and led multidisciplinary project teams to develop biologic and small-molecule drug candidates for disease indications including oncology, CNS disorders, inflammation and diabetes. He has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on numerous use-patents. In the nearly 10 years Dr. Tonra spent at ImClone/Eli Lilly, his efforts were critical in the validation and IND filing for 10 preclinical assets, including Cyramza®, Portrazza®, and Lartruvo®. Moreover, Dr. Tonra’s work at ImClone/Eli Lilly demonstrated synergy between the combination of agents such as Cyramza® and Tarceva®, recently shown to have meaningful clinical benefit in a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer patients. As the Chief Scientific Officer at BeyondSpring, Dr. Tonra was instrumental in advancing the company’s immune-oncology strategy and ubiquitination platform. He was part of the team that discovered plinabulin’s differentiated mechanism of action and was instrumental in expanding plinabulin’s clinical indications through outsourced nonclinical research and collaborations with leading academic experts. Dr. Tonra is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Evrys Bio and serves as a Scientific Advisor for BeyondSpring.

Dr. Tonra received his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from SUNY at Stony Brook and a B.S. in Physics, Summa Cum Laude, from SUNY at Stony Brook.

Lan Huang, Ph.D.

Dr. Huang brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Chinese and U.S. biotechnology industries. In 2010, Dr. Huang founded Wanchun Biotech, the former holding company of BeyondSpring’s U.S. subsidiary. In 2007, Dr. Huang co-founded Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., where she served as CEO in 2010 and continues to hold a directorship. The rights related to the development and marketing of the peptide drug in China, which drug Dr. Huang designed while at Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., were sold to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2010. Additionally, in 2008, Dr. Huang co-founded Paramax International Inc., a CRO that conducts clinical trials for global biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Paramax International Inc. was acquired by ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. in 2009. Dr. Huang was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 to 2002, where her research in cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation was published in Science. Her translational research in cancer signaling pathways involving RAS was published in two Nature papers. She has invented and holds patents for a number of biotech products for oncology and dermatology indications.

Dr. Huang received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lawrence University, where she served as a trustee from 2012 to 2015. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the international-level Women’s Opportunity Award given by Soroptimist International. She also studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Ning Zheng, Ph.D.

Dr. Zheng is a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and was trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Research in Dr. Zheng’s group seeks to understand the intricate interactions and coordinated functions of proteins and signaling molecules found in all kingdoms of life. Using a structural biology approach, Dr. Zheng and his team conduct studies that span several interwoven research areas, including protein ubiquitination, transcription regulation, plant hormone signaling, and ion channel functions. In the past two decades, the Zheng lab has elucidated various regulatory mechanisms governing specific substrate recognition by ubiquitin ligases. He raised the concept of “molecular glue” for the first time based on his discovery of the mechanism of action of auxin, a master plant hormone targeting a ubiquitin ligase-substrate interface. The overarching goal of his studies is to apply the biological principles they learn from basic research to the development of novel therapeutics and the balancing of the planet’s ecological systems. Additional information on The Zheng Lab at UW can be found at https://depts.washington.edu/zhenglab/.

Michele Pagano, M.D.

Dr. Pagano is the chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and the May Ellen and Gerald Jay Ritter professor of Oncology at the New York University School of Medicine. Since 2008, he is also an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Pagano received his doctorate in Medicine and a specialty diploma in Molecular Endocrinology in 1990 from the University of Naples Federico II University in his native Napoli, Italy. He was subsequently a post-doctoral fellow at EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany from 1990 to 1992, and at Mitotix Inc., a biotech company that he cofounded and that pioneered the concept of CDK inhibitors as anti-cancer agents from 1992 to 1996. He joined the NYU School of Medicine in September 1996 and was tenured in 2003. Dr. Pagano has received many prestigious grants, including a Merit Award from the National Cancer Institute (2006-2017) and a NIGMS MIRA Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cell and cancer biology. Dr. Pagano has published more than 200 leading papers, has been issued 7 patents, and has been invited to present more than 180 seminars at conferences, universities, and research institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Pagano’s research focuses on the ubiquitylating enzymes that control cell proliferation and how deregulation of these machineries contribute to malignant transformation. His long-term goal is to help develop new anticancer therapies. In particular, his laboratory is working towards the identification of small molecule glues able to promote the proteolysis of untargetable oncoproteins. Additional information on The Pagano Laboratory can be found at https://paganolab.org.

Avram Hershko, M.D., Ph.D.

A winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 and co-winner of the Lasker Award in 2000, Dr. Hershko was the first researcher to describe the ubiquitin system responsible for the regulated degradation of proteins within the cell. This discovery represented a breakthrough in research on cancer, degenerative diseases in the brain, and many other disorders. He is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel and has been an adjunct professor of Pathology at the NYU School of Medicine since 2002. Additional information on Dr. Hershko can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avram_Hershko.

James Tonra, Ph.D.

Scientific Advisor
Dr. Tonra has worked for 24 years in biotechnology, leading and utilizing in-house, contracted and sponsored research efforts to generate definitive data packages that enable the advancement of research projects to investigational new drug (IND) filing and guide clinical development at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, ImClone Systems/Eli Lilly, Kadmon Holdings and BeyondSpring.

Dr. Tonra has collaborated with and led multidisciplinary project teams to develop biologic and small-molecule drug candidates for disease indications including oncology, CNS disorders, inflammation and diabetes. He has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on numerous use-patents. In the nearly 10 years Dr. Tonra spent at ImClone/Eli Lilly, his efforts were critical in the validation and IND filing for 10 preclinical assets, including Cyramza®, Portrazza®, and Lartruvo®. Moreover, Dr. Tonra’s work at ImClone/Eli Lilly demonstrated synergy between the combination of agents such as Cyramza® and Tarceva®, recently shown to have meaningful clinical benefit in a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer patients. As the Chief Scientific Officer at BeyondSpring, Dr. Tonra was instrumental in advancing the company’s immune-oncology strategy and ubiquitination platform. He was part of the team that discovered plinabulin’s differentiated mechanism of action and was instrumental in expanding plinabulin’s clinical indications through outsourced nonclinical research and collaborations with leading academic experts. Dr. Tonra is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Evrys Bio and serves as a Scientific Advisor for BeyondSpring.

Dr. Tonra received his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from SUNY at Stony Brook and a B.S. in Physics, Summa Cum Laude, from SUNY at Stony Brook.

Lan Huang, Ph.D.

Dr. Huang brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Chinese and U.S. biotechnology industries. In 2010, Dr. Huang founded Wanchun Biotech, the former holding company of BeyondSpring’s U.S. subsidiary. In 2007, Dr. Huang co-founded Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., where she served as CEO in 2010 and continues to hold a directorship. The rights related to the development and marketing of the peptide drug in China, which drug Dr. Huang designed while at Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., were sold to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2010. Additionally, in 2008, Dr. Huang co-founded Paramax International Inc., a CRO that conducts clinical trials for global biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Paramax International Inc. was acquired by ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. in 2009. Dr. Huang was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 to 2002, where her research in cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation was published in Science. Her translational research in cancer signaling pathways involving RAS was published in two Nature papers. She has invented and holds patents for a number of biotech products for oncology and dermatology indications.

Dr. Huang received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lawrence University, where she served as a trustee from 2012 to 2015. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the international-level Women’s Opportunity Award given by Soroptimist International. She also studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Ning Zheng, Ph.D.

Dr. Zheng is a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and was trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Research in Dr. Zheng’s group seeks to understand the intricate interactions and coordinated functions of proteins and signaling molecules found in all kingdoms of life. Using a structural biology approach, Dr. Zheng and his team conduct studies that span several interwoven research areas, including protein ubiquitination, transcription regulation, plant hormone signaling, and ion channel functions. In the past two decades, the Zheng lab has elucidated various regulatory mechanisms governing specific substrate recognition by ubiquitin ligases. He raised the concept of “molecular glue” for the first time based on his discovery of the mechanism of action of auxin, a master plant hormone targeting a ubiquitin ligase-substrate interface. The overarching goal of his studies is to apply the biological principles they learn from basic research to the development of novel therapeutics and the balancing of the planet’s ecological systems. Additional information on The Zheng Lab at UW can be found at https://depts.washington.edu/zhenglab/.

Michele Pagano, M.D.

Dr. Pagano is the chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and the May Ellen and Gerald Jay Ritter professor of Oncology at the New York University School of Medicine. Since 2008, he is also an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Pagano received his doctorate in Medicine and a specialty diploma in Molecular Endocrinology in 1990 from the University of Naples Federico II University in his native Napoli, Italy. He was subsequently a post-doctoral fellow at EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany from 1990 to 1992, and at Mitotix Inc., a biotech company that he cofounded and that pioneered the concept of CDK inhibitors as anti-cancer agents from 1992 to 1996. He joined the NYU School of Medicine in September 1996 and was tenured in 2003. Dr. Pagano has received many prestigious grants, including a Merit Award from the National Cancer Institute (2006-2017) and a NIGMS MIRA Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cell and cancer biology. Dr. Pagano has published more than 200 leading papers, has been issued 7 patents, and has been invited to present more than 180 seminars at conferences, universities, and research institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Pagano’s research focuses on the ubiquitylating enzymes that control cell proliferation and how deregulation of these machineries contribute to malignant transformation. His long-term goal is to help develop new anticancer therapies. In particular, his laboratory is working towards the identification of small molecule glues able to promote the proteolysis of untargetable oncoproteins. Additional information on The Pagano Laboratory can be found at https://paganolab.org.

Avram Hershko, M.D., Ph.D.

A winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 and co-winner of the Lasker Award in 2000, Dr. Hershko was the first researcher to describe the ubiquitin system responsible for the regulated degradation of proteins within the cell. This discovery represented a breakthrough in research on cancer, degenerative diseases in the brain, and many other disorders. He is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel and has been an adjunct professor of Pathology at the NYU School of Medicine since 2002. Additional information on Dr. Hershko can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avram_Hershko.

James Tonra, Ph.D.

Scientific Advisor
Dr. Tonra has worked for 24 years in biotechnology, leading and utilizing in-house, contracted and sponsored research efforts to generate definitive data packages that enable the advancement of research projects to investigational new drug (IND) filing and guide clinical development at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, ImClone Systems/Eli Lilly, Kadmon Holdings and BeyondSpring.

Dr. Tonra has collaborated with and led multidisciplinary project teams to develop biologic and small-molecule drug candidates for disease indications including oncology, CNS disorders, inflammation and diabetes. He has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on numerous use-patents. In the nearly 10 years Dr. Tonra spent at ImClone/Eli Lilly, his efforts were critical in the validation and IND filing for 10 preclinical assets, including Cyramza®, Portrazza®, and Lartruvo®. Moreover, Dr. Tonra’s work at ImClone/Eli Lilly demonstrated synergy between the combination of agents such as Cyramza® and Tarceva®, recently shown to have meaningful clinical benefit in a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer patients. As the Chief Scientific Officer at BeyondSpring, Dr. Tonra was instrumental in advancing the company’s immune-oncology strategy and ubiquitination platform. He was part of the team that discovered plinabulin’s differentiated mechanism of action and was instrumental in expanding plinabulin’s clinical indications through outsourced nonclinical research and collaborations with leading academic experts. Dr. Tonra is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Evrys Bio and serves as a Scientific Advisor for BeyondSpring.

Dr. Tonra received his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from SUNY at Stony Brook and a B.S. in Physics, Summa Cum Laude, from SUNY at Stony Brook.

Richard Daly

Mr. Daly has served on the Board of Directors of Seed Therapeutics, Inc. since October 2020.

Mr. Daly joins the company with more than 25 years of experience leading business and commercial operations for major pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Executive Vice President at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and as President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary. Most recently, Mr. Daly served as CEO, President, and Chairman of Neuralstem, Inc. Mr. Daly currently serves on the boards of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals and Opiant Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Daly was instrumental in building Takeda North America from 14 people to more than 3,000 employees and $5 billion in sales in less than seven years. During his 13-year tenure, he served as Executive Vice President for the U.S., where he was responsible for business development for the Americas and expanding the company’s commercial footprint across North and South America and into new therapeutic areas, including oncology. As President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary, Mr. Daly led commercial initiatives that transformed the Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Diabetes Alliance into the fastest-growing diabetes franchise in the U.S. in less than 12 months.

Mr. Daly earned an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and holds a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Notre Dame.

Lan Huang, Ph.D.

Dr. Huang has served on the Board of Directors of Seed Therapeutics, Inc. since October 2020.

Dr. Huang brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Chinese and U.S. biotechnology industries. In 2010, Dr. Huang founded Wanchun Biotech, the former holding company of BeyondSpring’s U.S. subsidiary. In 2007, Dr. Huang co-founded Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., where she served as CEO in 2010 and continues to hold a directorship. The rights related to the development and marketing of the peptide drug in China, which drug Dr. Huang designed while at Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., were sold to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2010. Additionally, in 2008, Dr. Huang co-founded Paramax International Inc., a CRO that conducts clinical trials for global biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Paramax International Inc. was acquired by ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. in 2009. Dr. Huang was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 to 2002, where her research in cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation was published in Science. Her translational research in cancer signaling pathways involving RAS was published in two Nature papers. She has invented and holds patents for a number of biotech products for oncology and dermatology indications.

Dr. Huang received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lawrence University, where she served as a trustee from 2012 to 2015. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the international-level Women’s Opportunity Award given by Soroptimist International. She also studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Elizabeth Czerepak

Ms. Czerepak has over 30 years of experience in big pharma, biotechnology and venture capital. At Merck & Co., Hoffmann-La Roche and BASF Pharma she held leadership positions in finance and business development, including playing a key role in the Roche $5.4B acquisition of Syntex and the $6.9B sale of BASF to Abbott. Later, Ms. Czerepak was a Managing Director at JPMorgan and Bear Stearns, while serving as a General Partner of the BSHI venture fund. At BSHI, she led investments in thirteen biotech companies and served on six of the boards. She and her partners helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the portfolio and achieved most exits through IPO and acquisition. Most recently, Ms. Czerepak has served as CFO of four biotech companies, including two start-ups, Isarna Therapeutics and Genevant Sciences, and two which she took public, Cancer Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CGIX) and Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALT).

Ms. Czerepak currently serves on the Board of Directors of DelCath Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:DCTH) and Scilex Pharmaceuticals.

Ms. Czerepak holds an MBA from Rutgers University and a B.A. magna cum laude from Marshall University. She was a FINRA (previously NASD) Series 7 and Series 63 Registered Representative from 2001 to 2008. Ms. Czerepak recently earned a Corporate Director Certificate from Harvard Business School.

Linus S Lin

Dr. Linus S. Lin is the Managing Director of Lilly Chorus, a full-service, autonomous R&D unit within Lilly that specializes in lean to clinical Proof of Concept (POC). Previously at Lilly, he held the positions of Site Head & General Manager, Lilly China Research and Development Center (LCRDC), a diabetes focused R&D center based in Shanghai, and Head, Lilly China Innovation Partnerships (LCIP), an externally focused organization to engage biotech and academic collaborators in China.

Prior to Lilly, Dr. Lin led the Chemistry Service Unit at WuXi AppTec, the top discovery CRO brand in the industry. He started his industry career as a medicinal chemist at Merck Research Laboratories. Over a 15-year span at Merck, he led multiple drug discovery teams delivering 9 preclinical candidates, including 4 completing PhI studies and one completing PhIII studies.

Dr. Lin received his BS in Chemistry from Peking University, obtained his PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed his NIH postdoctoral Fellowship with Nobel laureate Prof. E. J. Corey at Harvard University. His scientific contributions included 120+ peer-reviewed manuscripts and published patents.

Director

Director

Lan Huang, Ph.D.

Dr. Huang has served on the Board of Directors of Seed Therapeutics, Inc. since October 2020.

Dr. Huang brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in the Chinese and U.S. biotechnology industries. In 2010, Dr. Huang founded Wanchun Biotech, the former holding company of BeyondSpring’s U.S. subsidiary. In 2007, Dr. Huang co-founded Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., where she served as CEO in 2010 and continues to hold a directorship. The rights related to the development and marketing of the peptide drug in China, which drug Dr. Huang designed while at Wuxi MTLH Biotechnology Co. Ltd., were sold to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2010. Additionally, in 2008, Dr. Huang co-founded Paramax International Inc., a CRO that conducts clinical trials for global biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Paramax International Inc. was acquired by ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. in 2009. Dr. Huang was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1998 to 2002, where her research in cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation was published in Science. Her translational research in cancer signaling pathways involving RAS was published in two Nature papers. She has invented and holds patents for a number of biotech products for oncology and dermatology indications.

Dr. Huang received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lawrence University, where she served as a trustee from 2012 to 2015. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the international-level Women’s Opportunity Award given by Soroptimist International. She also studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Richard Daly

Mr. Daly has served on the Board of Directors of Seed Therapeutics, Inc. since October 2020.

Mr. Daly joins the company with more than 25 years of experience leading business and commercial operations for major pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Executive Vice President at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and as President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary. Most recently, Mr. Daly served as CEO, President, and Chairman of Neuralstem, Inc. Mr. Daly currently serves on the boards of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals and Opiant Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Daly was instrumental in building Takeda North America from 14 people to more than 3,000 employees and $5 billion in sales in less than seven years. During his 13-year tenure, he served as Executive Vice President for the U.S., where he was responsible for business development for the Americas and expanding the company’s commercial footprint across North and South America and into new therapeutic areas, including oncology. As President of AstraZeneca’s U.S. Diabetes subsidiary, Mr. Daly led commercial initiatives that transformed the Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Diabetes Alliance into the fastest-growing diabetes franchise in the U.S. in less than 12 months.

Mr. Daly earned an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and holds a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Notre Dame.

Elizabeth Czerepak

Ms. Czerepak has over 30 years of experience in big pharma, biotechnology and venture capital. At Merck & Co., Hoffmann-La Roche and BASF Pharma she held leadership positions in finance and business development, including playing a key role in the Roche $5.4B acquisition of Syntex and the $6.9B sale of BASF to Abbott. Later, Ms. Czerepak was a Managing Director at JPMorgan and Bear Stearns, while serving as a General Partner of the BSHI venture fund. At BSHI, she led investments in thirteen biotech companies and served on six of the boards. She and her partners helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the portfolio and achieved most exits through IPO and acquisition. Most recently, Ms. Czerepak has served as CFO of four biotech companies, including two start-ups, Isarna Therapeutics and Genevant Sciences, and two which she took public, Cancer Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CGIX) and Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALT).

Ms. Czerepak currently serves on the Board of Directors of DelCath Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:DCTH) and Scilex Pharmaceuticals.

Ms. Czerepak holds an MBA from Rutgers University and a B.A. magna cum laude from Marshall University. She was a FINRA (previously NASD) Series 7 and Series 63 Registered Representative from 2001 to 2008. Ms. Czerepak recently earned a Corporate Director Certificate from Harvard Business School.

Director

Director

Director

Director

Linus S Lin

Dr. Linus S. Lin is the Managing Director of Lilly Chorus, a full-service, autonomous R&D unit within Lilly that specializes in lean to clinical Proof of Concept (POC). Previously at Lilly, he held the positions of Site Head & General Manager, Lilly China Research and Development Center (LCRDC), a diabetes focused R&D center based in Shanghai, and Head, Lilly China Innovation Partnerships (LCIP), an externally focused organization to engage biotech and academic collaborators in China.

Prior to Lilly, Dr. Lin led the Chemistry Service Unit at WuXi AppTec, the top discovery CRO brand in the industry. He started his industry career as a medicinal chemist at Merck Research Laboratories. Over a 15-year span at Merck, he led multiple drug discovery teams delivering 9 preclinical candidates, including 4 completing PhI studies and one completing PhIII studies.

Dr. Lin received his BS in Chemistry from Peking University, obtained his PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed his NIH postdoctoral Fellowship with Nobel laureate Prof. E. J. Corey at Harvard University. His scientific contributions included 120+ peer-reviewed manuscripts and published patents.