The Role of the CMO in BD and M&A Partnering with Pharma

Dr. Howard Rutman is the CMO of Xalud Therapeutics where he oversees the development of plasmid-DNA based therapies for inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. Since joining Xalud in April 2021, Dr Rutman has been responsible for the development program for XT-150, an IL-10 based transgene therapy that has completed 5 clinical trials for arthritic conditions. The clinical neuroinflammation program targeting ALS has recently begun with an ongoing Phase 1 study. Dr Rutman serves as the scientific face of Xalud in discussions with investors and potential partners. He has appeared on numerous biotech panels related to gene therapy development programs. Prior to joining Xalud, Dr Rutman was VP of Medical Affairs for Daiichi Sankyo US. In that role, he led the Medical Affairs group across all therapeutic areas to enhance the awareness of Daiichi Sankyo approved and clinical stage products through the generation, interpretation and exchange of high quality medical and scientific information for internal and external stakeholders. While at Daiichi Sankyo he had a leadership role in launches across multiple therapeutic areas including cardiovascular thrombosis, pain and oncology. Previously, Dr Rutman was at Pfizer as Global Medical Affairs lead for multiple monoclonal antibody biosimilars that were developed in oncology and immunology. Dr Rutman began his career as a New York-based academic cardiologist with a focus on managing patients with chronic congestive heart failure. He received a BA in Biochemical Sciences and Molecular Biology from Harvard, an MD from Johns Hopkins and an MBA from NYU-Stern. Dr Rutman completed his medical residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and his cardiology fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He remains on the teaching faculty of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Simon Cooper is the Chief Medical Officer of LifeMine Therapeutics.  He is an accomplished leader in drug development with an extensive background in translational medicine and clinical development. Over the course of his career, he has worked across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas from first-in-human studies through FDA submissions and approvals of highly successful therapeutics.Prior to joining LifeMine, Simon was CMO of Morphic Therapeutic (acquired by Eli Lilly). Earlier, he served as Chief Medical Officer of Keros Therapeutics, Kadmon Holdings and Anokion, where he drove significant advances in program development and built key functional areas to support clinical development for assets in the autoimmune, inflammatory, and immuno-oncology areas.  Earlier in this career, Simon held roles of increasing responsibility at research and development organizations including Wyeth Research, Roche, Human Genome Sciences, Novartis, Sanofi and AbbVie.

Dr. Randall Kaye has over 30 years of experience in the medical field and has served as Chief Medical Officer since March 2022. Prior to joining Longboard, Dr. Kaye was Chief Medical Officer of Neurana Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of neuromuscular conditions.  He previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Click Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in digital healthcare innovation, where he was involved in the development of software as a prescription medical treatment for a number of chronic debilitating conditions. Prior to Click, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of SSI Strategy Holdings LLC, where he oversaw clinical development, medical affairs and pharmacovigilance. In conjunction with his role at SSI Strategy, he was Chief Medical Officer of Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. Earlier in his career, Dr. Kaye held the positions of Chief Medical Officer of Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.) and Vice President, Medical Affairs of Scios Inc. (acquired by Johnson & Johnson) and InterMune, Inc. (acquired by Roche Holding AG). He also held clinical development and medical affairs positions at Pfizer Inc. Dr. Kaye earned an M.D., M.P.H. and B.S. at George Washington University, completed his pediatric training at UMASS Medical Center and finished his academic training as a postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School.

Yaping Shou, M.D., Ph.D., is the Founder and CEO of Wells Therapeutics, Inc. and a Venture Partner at Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV). Yaping has over 20 years of global clinical development experience in both pharma (GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Takeda) and biotech (Trillium) companies. Yaping was the chief medical officer of Trillium Therapeutics, and prior to that, the executive medical director with Takeda Pharmaceuticals. She has made critical contributions to the development and approval of multiple oncology drugs including lapatinib, pazopanib, nilotinib, sonidegib, and ixazomib. She also led significant clinical progress at Trillium in recent years which formed the strong basis for Pfizer's $2.3b acquisition of Trillium in 2021. In her current role at LAV, Yaping leverages her development expertise to support investment decisions. She also provides strategic guidance to help businesses achieve clinical development success, financial growth, and optimal organizational performance. She founded Wells Therapeutics Inc. in June 2022 with the goal to accelerate globalization of regionally sourced therapeutics for the benefit of patients worldwide. Yaping holds a MD degree from Zhejiang University School of Medicine and a PhD degree in cellular and molecular biology from Drexel University. She also received post-doctoral fellowship training at the Genetic Branch of NCI. As a female executive, Yaping graduated from a 12-month woman leadership program for high-potential women led by WOMAN Unlimited, Inc., and received leadership training at SAID Business School of Oxford and MIT Sloan School of Management.

Qing Yu Christina Weng, MD is a physician-scientist and Chief Medical Officer of Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a regenerative medicine company developing innovative treatments for hair loss by targeting stem cell metabolism. She is also a board-certified dermatologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Weng brings a background in business development and corporate startup strategy as Head of Business Development & Strategy of Kira Pharmaceuticals, a global company developing complement therapeutics. She co-founded Mymiel, a high-performance clean skincare line, where she served as Chief Strategy Officer. She is on the Board of Directors for the Dermatology Innovation Forum and the Dermatology Summit. She is on the Advisory Board for Immunis, a regenerative medicine company developing secretomes for age-related dysfunction. Dr. Weng holds an undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology, MD Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, and she completed dermatology residency, postdoctoral training, and fellowship at Harvard. She has received research grants and awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, American Skin Association, American Dermatological Association, and National Institutes of Health.