CSO
Altis Biosystems
I am formally trained as a cell biologist with an emphasis on epithelial biology. I completed my PhD in the Cell Biology Department at UNC Chapel Hill working on the underlying mechanisms of disease-causing mutations in cystic fibrosis. I completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the UNC Cystic Fibrosis center where I helped to translate basic biologic findings into therapeutic strategies to treat muco-obstructive pulmonary diseases. I have spent the last 15 years in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, currently serving as the Chief Scientific Officer at Altis Biosystems, a contract research organization focused on the development of novel cell-based models to support drug development. In this capacity, I oversee the development of Altis’ pipeline of innovative new model systems and applications. I previously served as VP of Research at Parion Sciences, a company focused on the development of small molecule drugs for a range of epithelial diseases. At Parion, I was responsible for managing pharmacology, medicinal and analytical chemistry, toxicology, and regulatory activities spanning the earliest stages of drug development. I advanced projects from target identification and proof-of-concept, through IND-enabling studies and first-in-human clinical trials.
I have authored 17 funded grant applications that collectively raised >$20M in non-dilutive funding, which not only supported by the development of new cell-based models, but also enabled FDA IND-submissions and established strong industry, academic, and government collaborations. I have led teams that were able to leverage this strong science and NIH funding to build programs that we ultimately partnered with larger pharmaceutical companies that led to >$120M in additional funding to advance R&D and clinical development. Collectively, this experience taught me the value of building innovative science through multi-institutional collaborations, including academic labs, medical key opinion leaders, CROs, disease foundations, government, and large pharma. I am a strong advocate for the training of young scientists and an active member of the scientific community, serving on NIH study sections for SBIR grants and training grants to provide career-growth opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.