Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors consists of seasoned pharmaceutical industry executives and venture investors known for their track record of building successful life science companies.
Jean-Jacques Bienaimé (Chairman)
CEO, BioMarin
Jean-Jacques Bienaimé has served as a member of our Board of Directors since February 2004. Since May 2005, Mr. Bienaimé has served as Chief Executive Officer and director of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., a publicly-held biopharmaceutical company. From November 2002 to April 2005, Mr. Bienaimé served as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Genencor International, a biotechnology company acquired by Danisco A/S. From June 1998 to October 2002, Mr. Bienaimé was Chief Executive Officer and President of SangStat Medical, a biotechnology company. From October 1992 to May 1998, Mr. Bienaimé held various management positions, most recently as Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Business Development, and Vice President and General Manager of the advanced therapeutic and oncology division of Rhône-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals (now The Sanofi-Aventis Group), a pharmaceutical company. Mr. Bienaimé received a B.S. in economics from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Anthony DiTonno
CEO, NeurogesX
Anthony A. DiTonno joined us as Chief Operating Officer in April 2003, and has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since August 2003. From October 2000 to November 2002, Mr. DiTonno served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Enteric Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device company. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. DiTonno served as Chief Executive Officer of LifeSleep Systems, Inc., a medical device company. From 1989 to 1997, Mr. DiTonno held various positions at Oclassen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, most recently as its Vice President and General Manager. Mr. DiTonno received a B.S. in business administration from St. Joseph’s University and an M.B.A. from Drexel University.
Bradford Goodwin
President and CEO, Keren Pharmaceutical
Bradford S. Goodwin has served as a member of our Board of Directors and Audit Committee chairman since August 2009. Since 2006, Mr. Goodwin has served as president and CEO of Keren Pharmaceutical, a company focused on exploiting a novel, Nobel Prize winning method of gene silencing. Previously, Mr. Goodwin was CEO and a director of Novacea, Inc. from 2001 to 2006. He has held various executive positions, including 12-year tenure at Genentech, as well as nonexecutive chairman positions at Cotherix and PDL BioPharma. Mr. Goodwin is currently nonexecutive chairman of Facet Biotech Corp, and a director Rigel, Inc. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and received a bachelor of science in administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
Neil Kurtz, M.D.
President and CEO, Golden Living
Neil M. Kurtz, M.D. has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January 2006. Since August 2008, Dr. Kurtz has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Living, a healthcare services company. From April 2002 to August 2008, Dr. Kurtz has served as President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. From September 1999 to April 2002, Dr. Kurtz was President of World-Wide Clinical Trials, a healthcare solutions company. Dr. Kurtz received a B.A. in psychology from New York University and an M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Robert Nelsen
ARCH Ventures
Robert T. Nelsen has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2000. Since July 1994, Mr. Nelsen has served as a senior principal of venture capital funds associated with ARCH Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. From April 1987 to July 1994, Mr. Nelsen served as Senior Manager of ARCH Development Partners LLC, a venture capital fund. Mr. Nelsen is also a director of Adolor Corporation, a publicly-held pharmaceutical company. Mr. Nelsen received a B.S. in biology and economics from the University of Puget Sound and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
John Orwin
President and COO, Affymax, Inc.
John A. Orwin has served as a member of our Board of Directors since November 2009. In April 2010, Mr. Orwin became President and COO of Affymax, Inc. From 2005 to 2010 he was at Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group, where he had served as Senior Vice President, BioOncology Business Unit, since 2007. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Orwin achieved increasing responsibility at Johnson & Johnson, up to Franchise Vice President, Oncology Franchise at Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Centocor Ortho Biotech Products, L.P. Previous positions include Senior Director, Oncology Marketing at Alza Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Johnson & Johnson); Vice President, Marketing at Sangstat Medical Corporation; Marketing Director, Asthma at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals; and Product Manager, Schering Oncology/Biotech at Schering-Plough Corporation. Mr. Orwin received a B.A. in economics from Rutgers University and an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business, New York University.