TEAM
PAUL GREGOR, Ph.D.,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Paul Gregor is an entrepreneur and inventor with expertise in drug discovery, chemical biology and human therapeutics. He received his Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science (Rehovot, Israel) and was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD). For his post-doctoral work, Dr. Gregor received a NIDA Special Recognition Award. Dr. Gregor has co-authored seven patent families and published more than 30 manuscripts including articles in prestigious journals Nature and Science. Dr. Gregor’s industrial experience spans over 15 years in pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including as Research Scientist and Laboratory Head in metabolic disorders drug discovery at Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. (West Haven, CT), Head of R&D at Insight Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (Israel).and founder and CEO of Rimonyx Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Israel). Dr. Gregor founded Gismo Therapeutics Inc. based on his innovative drug discovery concept, Glycosaminoglycan-Interacting Small Molecule (GISMO) compounds. Dr. Gregor has an established track record in securing investments and grant awards, and in forming and managing industry and academia collaborations.
BRUCE F. O’HARA, Ph.D.,
Director, Research Operations
Bruce O’Hara is Professor of Biology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, and is Director of the University’s Rodent Behavior Core Facility. Prof. O’Hara’s expertise is in the neurosciences, sleep and circadian rhythms, genetics and genomics. Dr. O’Hara has been involved in multiple start-up companies, and co-founded and currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer at Signal Solutions, LLC, a company developing non-invasive technology for sleep research. Dr. O’Hara has extensive experience directing and participating in large international collaborations comprised of engineers and biomedical researchers. He has recently studied sleep aberrations in Alzheimer’s Disease model mice and traumatic brain injury, as well as investigated a variety of potential sleep/wake therapeutics using this novel high-throughput technology. Prof. O’Hara received his Ph.D. Degree from The Johns Hopkins University, and was a post-doctoral fellow at the NIDA/NIH, and a Senior Research Scientist at Stanford University. Prof. O’Hara has published over sixty peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters and has consulted for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
MYUNG-HEE KIM, PhD.,
Principal Scientist
Myunghee Kim is a highly experienced scientist and formerly Research Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky, Department of Internal Medicine (Lexington, KY). Dr. Kim received her Ph.D. from Department of Biology, Sangmyung University (Seoul, Korea). She received post-doctoral training at the University of Indiana School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (Indianapolis, IN) and at the University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY). Dr. Kim published a number of research articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented her work at international scientific meetings. Dr. Kim is a group leader at the company, managing a research team with focus on amyloid neurodegenerative diseases.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD (SAB)
DENNIS CHOI, M.D., Ph.D.
Dennis Choi is Chair of the Department of Neurology, Director of the Institute for Advanced Neurosciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Long Island, New York 11794. Dr. Choi is a distinguished scientist and neurologist who has enjoyed a very broad career in research, academia and industry. Dr. Choi was Executive Vice President for neuroscience at Merck Research Labs from 2001-2006 and served as vice president for Academic Health Affairs at Emory University and Executive Vice President of the Simons Foundation in New York. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and its Board on Health Sciences Policy, the Executive Committee of the Dana Alliance for Brain Research, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A former president of the Society for Neuroscience, Dr. Choi served as head of the neurology department at Washington University School of Medicine from 1991 until 2001 and as neurologist-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Choi previously served as chairman of the U.S. National Committee to the International Brain Research Organization, vice-president of the American Neurological Association, and founding co-editor of the research journal, Neurobiology of Disease. He is the recipient of several awards recognizing his research on mechanisms of brain and spinal cord injury, including the Silvio O. Conte Decade of the Brain Award, the Wakeman Award for Neurosciences Research, the Christopher Reeve Research Medal and the Ho-Am Prize in Medical Science. Dennis received his Medical Degree from the combined Harvard University / Massachusetts Institute of Technology joint Health Sciences and Technology Program, as well as a PhD in Pharmacology from Harvard.
BRUCE F. O’HARA, Ph.D.,
Bruce O’Hara is Professor of Biology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, and is Director of the University’s Rodent Behavior Core Facility. Prof. O’Hara’s expertise is in the neurosciences, sleep and circadian rhythms, genetics and genomics. Dr. O’Hara has been involved in multiple start-up companies, and co-founded and currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer at Signal Solutions, LLC, a company developing non-invasive technology for sleep research. Dr. O’Hara has extensive experience directing and participating in large international collaborations comprised of engineers and biomedical researchers. He has recently studied sleep aberrations in Alzheimer’s Disease model mice and traumatic brain injury, as well as investigated a variety of potential sleep/wake therapeutics using this novel high-throughput technology. Prof. O’Hara received his Ph.D. Degree from The Johns Hopkins University, and was a post-doctoral fellow at the NIDA/NIH, and a Senior Research Scientist at Stanford University. Prof. O’Hara has published over sixty peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters and has consulted for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
MARK A. FINDEIS, Ph.D.,
Mark Findeis has over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, starting and leading projects in areas focused on Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration and is a well recognized investigator in the field. Dr. Findeis is a broadly experienced start-up and small company scientist and manager, and has established a series of industrial research laboratories and programs that have demonstrated repeated success at achieving technical and business success. As the founder of Satori Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Findeis was instrumental in the raising of seed capital and syndicated venture funding and led a program developing novel gamma secretase modulators based on derivatives of a plant steroid natural product. Dr. Findeis has particular expertise working at the interface of medicinal chemistry, (glyco)protein structure-function, and drug discovery. Dr. Findeis helped to start TargeTech Incorporated where he developed practical approaches to the use of glycoproteins and glycopeptides for targeted drug delivery. After the acquisition of TargeTech by The Immune Response Corporation, he joined Praecis Pharmaceuticals where he co-directed the program that put the amyloid aggregation inhibitor ApanTM into clinical development and also supported the development program of the LHRH antagonist PlenaxisTM which received FDA approval. Dr. Findeis is a graduate of M.I.T., received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University and was a postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University.
BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD
HARVEY COHEN (In Memoriam)
Harvey Cohen is a private investor and Observer on Gismo Therapeutics Inc.’s Board of Directors. Mr. Cohen is an investor in several start-up companies and has substantial board room experience. At a young age, he bypassed University to enter straight into articles in firm of Chartered accountants and qualified at age 21 at first attempt and started own small practice. This grew into a 10 partner firm with 50 staff of which he was senior partner until retirement in 1995. Concurrently he formed a private banking and financial services company and in 1970 became chairman and chief executive of the company which was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1985. Mr. Cohen retired to Israel in 1999 and continues his interest in investing in small start up companies.
CHAD E. BEYER, Ph.D., MBA
Chad Beyer is the President & CEO of Promentis Pharmaceuticals, Inc and is a Board of Directors member at Promentis. He is a pharmaceutical professional with nearly 20 years experience in the research, discovery and business development of medications aimed to treat CNS and neurological disorders. For more than a decade, Dr. Beyer worked in the Discovery Neuroscience group at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Princeton, NJ, holding positions of increasing responsibility including serving as the Head of Neurochemistry and leading the Psychiatry Task Force. During his career at Wyeth, Dr. Beyer led several early-stage drug discovery teams, managed a group responsible for contributing to the submission of more than 30 INDs and provided supporting data for the commercialization and life-cycle management of two blockbuster medications: Effexor® and Pristiq®. Dr. Beyer holds a Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology from LSU Medical Center and an MBA from the Rutgers Business School. Notably, Dr. Beyer has authored more than 70 manuscripts, 3 patents, co-edited “Next Generation Antidepressants” and is co-founder of the journal “Technology Transfer & Entrepreneurship.” Dr. Beyer is also an adjunct faculty member at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia where he teaches “Bioventure Management” and the business of doing science.