Omnitura Therapeutics Inc. was founded in March 2001 as a subsidiary of Genyous Biomed International Inc. Omnitura’s mission is to commercialize Multifunctional Multitargeted (MFMT™) oncology pharmaceuticals, a new class of cancer therapies discovered by Genyous Biomed. MFMT therapies address the fundamentally heterogeneous nature of cancer. In 2004 Omnitura spun out of Genyous Biomed and now operates as an independent affiliate. Through a licensing & joint development agreement, Omnitura has exclusive world-wide rights to produce, market and sublicense Aneustat™ (OMN54) and first right of refusal for rights to market Genyous’ MFMT™ oncology pipeline.
Omnitura is based in Henderson, Nevada with operations in Nevada and California.
Board of Directors
James Dao, Chairman
James Dao is a successful high tech inventor and entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley with over 35 years of experience in managing, inventing, developing, and commercializing advanced technologies and innovative applications.
As founder and CEO of entrepreneurial companies, Mr. Dao is known for commercializing visionary business concepts and innovative products that stimulated paradigm shifts in their industries. These companies (in instrumentation, semiconductors and software) reached market capitalizations of US$2.7 billion and US$750 million respectively.
Mr. Dao’s technical accomplishments include developing next generation scanning electron beam microscopes that overcame previous limitations and allowed cancer research to progress since the 1970s. He also participated in the design of a pioneering machine that used radiation to treat cancer (now Varian’s medical instrument division).
Mr. Dao and friends realized the need for new diagnostics combined with heterogeneous pharmaceuticals to fight lung cancer, a devastating chronic disease. Mr. Dao co-founded Genyous Biomed International Inc. in 2000 to implement this vision of addressing cancer with a strategy based on systems biology that lead to the invention of MFMT therapies. Omnitura Therapeutics Inc. is the second company to spin out from Genyous.
David Alberts, MD, Director
Dr. David Alberts currently serves as director of the Arizona Cancer Center at the University of Arizona and is a recognized leader in research in the prevention of cancer. He is a Regents Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, Nutritional Sciences, Public Health, and BIO5 Institute, the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Alberts has been funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) yearly since 1971 for laboratory and clinical research related to the clinical pharmacology of cancer chemotherapy and chemopreventive agents, as well as the development of research strategies for the prevention of breast, cervix, colon, prostate and skin cancers.
Dr. Alberts has authored or co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, has served as editor and co-editor of four books and has served on several editorial boards. Dr. Alberts also serves as Omnitura’s Chief Clinical Science Officer and plays a leadership role in shaping Omnitura’s clinical development programs.
Thomas Kalinske, Director
Thomas Kalinske has extensive experience serving as the top executive of numerous dynamic multi-billion dollar international businesses. Mr. Kalinske currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Leapfrog Enterprises Inc. He has served as Leapfrog’s CEO and on its Board of Directors since September 1997 and Chairman of the Board of Directors from September 1997 to February 2004. From 1996 to February 2004, Mr. Kalinske served as the President of Knowledge Universe LLC (now renamed Krest LLC), a private company focused on building leading companies in areas relating to education, technology and career management and the improvement of individual and corporate performance. From 1990 to 1996, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sega of America. Prior to that, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Universal Matchbox Group from 1987 to 1990. Prior to that, Mr. Kalinske served as President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Mattel, Inc.
Mr. Kalinske also served for 20 years on the Board of the Milken Family Foundation, which is dedicated to improving health, finding cures for prostate and breast cancers, and improving education. He also served on the RAND Advisory Board for Education and Health issues.
David Korbin, Director
Mr. David Korbin presently works as a management and financial consultant. He is a director of E-Comm Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia. He has been Chairman of E-Comm's board of directors since 2004 and was Chairman of the audit committee from 2002 to 2003. From 1992 to 2000, he was a director of the Vancouver General Hospital and then the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, serving as Chairman of the Vancouver General Hospital audit committee from 1993 to 1994 and Chairman of the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre from 1995 to 1998. Mr. Korbin qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1966, and from 1990 to 1992 he was a managing partner of Deloitte Touche LLC. Mr. Korbin also is a director of Ivanhoe Mines (NASDAQ: IVN) and Seaspan Corporation (NYSE: SSW), and is Chairman of Seaspan's Audit Committee. Mr. Korbin became a director of Omnitura in November 2007 and is a member of Omnitura's Audit Committee.
Jerry Norskog, Director
Jerry Norskog has over thirty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Norskog held numerous senior management positions for various divisions of Johnson & Johnson in North America and throughout Asia Pacific. His Asia experience includes serving as President of Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., a Johnson & Johnson joint venture with the Chinese Government, which was ranked among the top ten best ventures in China since 1991. Mr. Norskog also served as President of Johnson & Johnson China Development. Mr. Norskog’s most recent engagement was as President of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the division of Johnson & Johnson that markets Tylenol. Mr. Norskog is Chairman emeritus of the Chinese Foreign Pharmaceutical Investment Association. As a member of the board of directors, Mr. Norskog provides valuable insight on the global pharmaceutical markets and guidance on the cultivation of joint ventures and manufacturing & distribution alliances. Mr. Norksog also serves as President and COO of Vitala Therapeutics, a Genyous affiliate dedicated to the commercialization of pharmaceuticals for early intervention and supportive care of chronic diseases.
Simon Sutcliffe, MD, Director
Simon Sutcliffe, M.D. was trained in England at St. Bartholomew Hospital, Hammersmith Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Oxford, and in the U.S. at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and Tulane University in New Orleans in the areas of internal medicine, surgery, medical oncology and radiation oncology. His broad medical career includes research in microbiology and immunology, and clinical research in oncology. He was a Professor of Radiology at the University of Toronto, and was the President and CEO of the Ontario Cancer Institute/Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
Dr. Sutcliffe has published extensively in the area of radiation and medical oncology as applied to the treatment of lymphoma, leukemia and endocrine malignancies, fertility and gonadal functions in cancer patients, and cellular immuno-deficiency and immuno-modulation in cancer.
From 2000 through 2008 Dr. Sutcliffe served as President of the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The Agency’s mandate is to provide a population-based cancer control and care program for the public of British Columbia. BCCA’s patient care is deployed through four hospitals and over 60 outreach centres. BCCA’s Cancer Research and Genomic Science Centres have won over $75 million of competitive R&D grants from Canadian and U.S. National Cancer Institutes.
Dr. Sutcliffe is a recognized leader and has served in the Canadian National Cancer Control community for many years. He currently serves as Chairman - Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, with responsibility for implementing objectives of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control with a five-year budget of $250 million. Dr. Sutclife also serves as Director, International Cancer Control Congress Association and Chair of the International Steering Committee, ICCC. He also serves as Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of British Columbia.
In January 2009, Dr. Sutcliffe became Chief Medical Officer of Omnitura. In this capacity he provides leadership in the development of the Company’s clinical development strategy and oversight of the Company’s clinical programs and medical ethical practices.
Health Policy Advisors
Thought leaders on medical science and health policy in their region—provide counsel on issues/trends/needs and strategy regarding how to affect change as relates to Omnitura’s strategy to change the paradigm for cancer management.
Prof. Heinrich Becker, MD |
ThoraxKlinik, Germany / President, European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology |
Dr. Guang-Wei Xu, MD |
President, Chinese Anti-Cancer Society, China |
Dr. Lin Lin Soong, MD |
President, Cancer Survivors Association, China |
Medical Oncology Advisory Panel
Dr. Nam Dang, MD, PhD |
Nevada Cancer Institute |
Dr. Mario Eisenberger, MD |
Johns Hopkins University
|
Dr. David Ettinger, MD |
Johns Hopkins University
|
Dr. Kenneth Foon, MD |
Nevada Cancer Institute |
Dr. Emil Frei III, MD |
Dana Farber Cancer Institute |
Dr. Waun Ki Hong, MD |
University of Texas,
|
Dr. Mark Pegram, MD |
University of Miami
|
Dr. Dan Von Hoff, MD |
Translational Genomics Research Institute (Tgen) / Omnitura Clinical Research Strategy Advisor |
Operating Management
James Dao, Chairman of the Board & CEO
See above.
David Alberts, MD, Chief Clinical Science Officer
See above.
Larry Goldenberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer-Urology
Dr. Goldenberg is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urologic Sciences at UBC, Director of Clinical Research at the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health sciences. He is a co-founder of the Canadian Urologic-Oncology Group, and past-president of both the Canadian Urological Association and the Western section of the American Urological Association.
Through his vision and leadership, the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital has developed into one of the top prostate research, education and healthcare delivery programs in the world.
Dr. Larry Goldenberg was a pioneer in the use of intermittent hormone withdrawal for the management of prostate cancer, which is now used worldwide as a treatment option for this disease. His book, Prostate Cancer - All You Need to Know to Take an Active Part in Your Treatment, is considered one of the best reference sources for men with prostate disease in North America.
Stephen Lam, MD, Chief Medical Officer-Pulmonology
Dr. Lam is a world leader in clinical research on early detection, treatment, and prevention of lung cancer, and has spent more than seventeen years in this area. Dr. Lam's research includes developing a comprehensive approach for the management of lung cancer by early detection, localization, and treatment based on novel technologies, including computer-assisted image analysis of sputum cells, a highly sensitive fluorescence bronchoscopy method to detect and localize pre-invasive lung cancers, and the development of innovative endobronchial treatments of early lung cancer, such as photo dynamic therapy. Dr. Lam is a doctor of pulmonary medicine and is also Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Lam also serves as Chairman of the Lung Tumour Group at the BC Cancer Agency.
Simon Sutcliffe, MD, Chief Medical Officer
See above.
Jeffrey Dao, President & COO, Co-Founder
Jeffrey Dao has over twenty years of experience in the creation and management of emerging technology and new business development. Mr. Dao began his career as an application engineer at Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC), a leading developer of pattern recognition technologies. Over a period of 10 years, Mr. Dao became CIC’s head of marketing and sales and contributed to the company’s successful IPO on Nasdaq. Mr. Dao also served as Senior Director of Business Development for Oracle Corporation where he helped to build strategic alliances to support the company’s CRM and e-Business objectives. Mr. Dao also served as Vice President of Business Development at Nokia Inc., where he managed acquisitions and built strategic alliances to support the company’s Internet-communications objectives.
Mr. Dao is a co-founder of Genyous Biomed. He has served as President & COO of Genyous Biomed from 2005-2007. As President and COO of Omnitura, Mr. Dao oversees key aspects of the company’s operations including product clinical development, regulatory affairs, organization development, strategic alliance formation, and product management.
Jack Troia, CFO
Jack Troia was a partner at Deloitte & Touche for fourteen years and in public accounting for over twenty-five years. Mr. Troia was a National Director of the Financial Services Practice and responsible for the financial services practices in the local offices of Deloitte & Touche in Washington, DC and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has significant experience in accounting and auditing for public and private companies, mergers and acquisitions, initial and secondary public offerings, financial management, and general business matters. Over the years he has worked with a significant number of businesses, in all aspects of financial management, business planning, accounting, and information systems.
After retiring from Deloitte & Touche, Mr. Troia asssumed a temporary position at Georgetown University as an adjunct professor. For over five years Mr. Troia was involved with dynamic growing companies as both COO and CFO. He was responsible for all financial and operating aspects including accounting, treasury, human resources, management information systems, and operations.
As CFO of Omnitura, Mr. Troia serves to lead the Company’s financial planning, control, and related strategies.
Francis Dane, Esq, Corporate Secretary/Treasurer, Co-Founder
Francis Dane brings a unique combination of legal and public accounting perspective and experience to Omnitura. Mr. Dane has spent more than twenty five years serving companies, in numerous capacities, at various stages of their development from start-up to public offering. Mr. Dane’s other experiences include serving at various times as the Chief Legal Officer, Vice President, Human Resource Executive, Health & Infectious Disease Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC) from 1988 to present. He also served on the board of directors of CIC Japan and currently serves on the board of CIC’s Chinese joint venture. Prior to CIC, Mr. Dane also spent over a decade with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, completing his tenure with that company as the Senior Manager of Entrepreneurial Services based in the Silicon Valley office in San Jose, California.