Board of Directors

Gilla Kaplan, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of Gilrose Therapeutics and a Senior Advisor of Medicine Development for Global Health. Before Gilrose, Dr. Kaplan was Senior Advisor at the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) and the Director of the Global Health Program, Tuberculosis of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation (BMGF). She has spent her career as an academic research scientist leading a laboratory in investigations focusing on human disease, exploring novel experimental medicine approaches that modulate the immune response for disease control. She was a recipient of multiple grants from the NIH-NIAID and other funding organizations for her research. Dr. Kaplan currently serves on the board of directors of Cerecor. She previously served on the board of directors at Celgene for 20 years. Dr. Kaplan received a Bachelor of Science degree from Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Cellular Immunology from University of Tromso, Norway.

Isan Chen, M.D. is the Chief Executive Officer at MBrace Therapeutics. Dr. Chen is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology with more than 20 years of experience in oncology and clinical trials from first-in-humans through global registration studies. Before MBrace, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Development Officer of Mirati Therapeutics. Prior to Mirati, he was the Chief Medical Officer of Aragon Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson, and prior to Aragon, he served as Vice President of Tumor Strategy in the oncology business unit at Pfizer. Before joining Pfizer, Dr. Chen practiced medicine as a staff physician at City of Hope Medical Center and later as an assistant professor at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Chen is currently a member of the board of directors of Treadwell Therapeutics. He holds an M.D. from University of San Paulo and completed his fellowship in Hematology and Oncology from the University of California, San Diego.

Jake Simson, Ph.D. is a Partner at RA Capital Management, a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in healthcare and life science companies developing drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics. Dr. Simson works on both public and private investments and serves as a Board Director for Xenikos, B.V, Janux, AavantiBio, and DiCE Molecules. He holds a B.S. in materials science and engineering from MIT and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. In his doctoral research, he investigated clinically translatable treatments for musculoskeletal tissue repair using injectable hydrogels.

Melissa McCracken, Ph.D., is a Principal at Nextech Invest Ltd., where she manages investments in companies pursuing emerging cancer therapies. Dr. McCracken currently serves as a board observer of IconOvir, and previously served as a board member of ImaginAb and a board observer of Silverback Therapeutics. Prior to Nextech, she was a senior associate at Third Rock Ventures. Prior to that, Dr. McCracken completed multiple internships in research and development at Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN). She holds a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from University of California, Davis, and a Ph.D. in molecular and medical pharmacology from University of California, Los Angeles, where her research focused on engineered immunity for cancer. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University where her research focused on immuno-oncology.

Nina Kjellson is a General Partner at Canaan. Nina invests in biopharma and digital health companies that serve unmet therapeutic and access needs. As a leader of Canaan’s Women of Venture program, Nina is a vocal advocate for women entrepreneurs and investors. She serves as a mentor to Blueprint Health and Springboard Life Sciences and on the boards of Essential Access Health, the California Leadership Council for The Nature Conservancy and the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Center. Nina is also a 2018 Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow. Previously, Nina was a General Partner at Interwest Partners. She holds a B.A. in human biology from Stanford University.

Rehan Verjee served as President of EMD Serono and Global Head of the Innovative Medicine Franchises for Merck KGaA until March 2021. At Merck KGaA Rehan led the North American biopharmaceutical business across the U.S. and Canada in addition to leading the global oncology and neurology & immunology specialty medicine franchises for the healthcare business. Prior to this role, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, leading the global franchises of oncology, neurology & immunology, and infertility, in addition to global business development, market access, strategy and portfolio management, marketing operations and the medical device and services unit. Prior to this, he led the Canadian operations as Managing Director of EMD Serono Canada. Rehan is currently a member of the board of directors of Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. He holds a master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford in the U.K.

Robert More is a Managing Director at Alta Partners, a healthcare focused venture capital firm. Bob currently manages investments in and serves on the board of Affinivax, eGenesis, Qihan Biopharmaceuticals, and Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR). He was a founding board member of the Kauffman Fellows Program and is on the board of BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization). Before joining Alta, Bob was a Senior Advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to that, Bob spent 5 years as a General Partner at Frazier Healthcare Ventures and 13 years at Domain Associates. He received his B.A. from Middlebury College and an M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia.

Siddarth Subramony, Ph.D. is Vice President for Boxer Capital, where he is responsible for conducting due diligence of public and private investments in healthcare. Prior to joining Boxer, Dr. Subramony was a Vice President at H.I.G. Capital, where he was a member of the investment team for the firm’s dedicated healthcare fund, evaluating public and private investment opportunities in the life sciences and representing H.I.G. on the board of Leiters Pharmacy. Prior to joining H.I.G., Dr. Subramony was a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and served as a member of the firm’s healthcare practice. Dr. Subramony received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Economics, summa cum laude, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University, where he was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow.

Todd Harris is Chief Executive Officer of Tyra which he co-founded in August 2018. Prior to co-founding Tyra, Todd co-founded Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (SNNA) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company where he was Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors. Todd started his career at as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in the Health Care Practice Division. Todd currently serves on the board of directors of Primmune Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the second arm, innate immune system. Todd holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young, a M.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.