Dr. Sardesai founded Geneos after building Inovio Pharmaceuticals into a Phase III cancer and infectious disease immunotherapy company serving as its Chief Operating Officer. He held positions of increasing responsibility after joining the company in 2006 where he helped formulate the company’s product development and growth strategies and reorganized the company into a DNA vaccine and immunotherapies company. For Inovio, Dr. Sardesai drove multiple M&A and licensing transactions to consolidate key technologies, establish the corporate footprint, and develop its immunotherapies platform and product pipeline. He led the strategic out-licensing of Inovio’s pipeline products to secure major licensing deals totaling over $1 Bn with pharma partners.

Dr. Sardesai was previously the founder and President of NVision Consulting Inc., a firm providing strategic counsel to entrepreneurial life sciences companies. He served as Director of Research and Development at Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., where he oversaw the expansion of the company’s oncology portfolio. Products developed under his leadership include groundbreaking new tests for mesothelioma (MESOMARK^TM), bladder cancer and a multi-marker test for ovarian cancer (HE4).

Dr. Sardesai received a PhD in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the recipient of the Shils-Zeidman Award in Entrepreneurship. He was awarded fellowships at the Scripps Research Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Sardesai received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Dr. Sardesai has authored over 120 peer-reviewed manuscripts and was recognized by PharmaVoice magazine as one of the top 100 most influential and inspirational leaders across the life sciences industry (2015).

Joann Peters joined Geneos after a successful 19-year career working in the Contract Research Organization (CRO) industry where she supported the growth strategy of companies and effectively led oncology focused study teams.  She is bringing her strong oncology clinical operations experience to Geneos and will play a pivotal role in the company’s growth by leading the execution of the clinical and development strategy.  She leads all facets of Geneos Clinical and Business Operations, providing oversight to clinical trials and implementing operations strategy and structure.

Prior to joining Geneos, Joann served in roles of increasing responsibility at PRA, Chiltern and INC Research.  Most recently, Joann served as the Vice President of Clinical Operations and Project Delivery at Linical Accelovance.  At Linical Accelovance, she held  multiple leadership roles spanning global, operational and investigative site relationship responsibilities with a focus in immuno-oncology, solid tumor and hematology.  She was responsible for the design and clinical implementation of 30+ protocols spanning Phase I-IV clinical studies and ensuring that projects were delivered effectively and with transparency.

Joann received her B.S. from Iowa State University in Dietetics and a Master’s in Health Care Administration at Webster University.

Alfredo Perales-Puchalt joined Geneos as Director of Research & Development bringing his experience in Immuno-Oncology and DNA-based therapeutics in both the scientific and the clinical development space. He led, in collaboration with Geneos, the preclinical development of DNA-encoded neoantigen-targeting vaccines at the Wistar Institute. Prior to joining Geneos, Dr. Perales-Puchalt was leading clinical development of DNA-encoded CD3 bispecific antibodies for oncology, of which he is also co-inventor. His extensive preclinical training, focused on the research of novel immunotherapies, along with his clinical work as physician and director of clinical development in pharmaceutical industry has equipped Dr. Perales-Puchalt to become a translational scientist in the field of tumor immunology and specifically in the development and implementation of immunotherapies for cancer.

Dr. Perales-Puchalt received his MD with honors from the University of Valencia and completed residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at La Fe University Hospital (Spain). He received his PhD with honors from the University of Valencia, developing at the Wistar Institute a novel adoptive T cell transfer immunotherapy for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Three of the immunotherapies that he has invented have been licensed and are currently in clinical development, including chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bispecific antibodies, and cancer vaccines. Dr. Perales-Puchalt has authored over 42 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has received grants and awards from funding bodies such as the Department of Defense, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and Fundación Alonso Martin Escudero. He also holds a Bachelors Degree in Statistics in Health Sciences, a Masters Degree in Methodology in Research in Health Sciences, and a Masters Degree in Human Reproduction. He also served as Clinical Research Fellow at the PennState Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Freddi is leading the finance operations at Geneos. Presently she is President of CFO’Brien Consulting, LLC for which she provides executive level strategic and financial consulting services. Freddi has held the roles of Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Controller and Director of Financial Reporting and has been integral in the growth and financing of both private and public companies ranging from preclinical through commercial stage.  Collaborating with the Genova Group, a boutique accounting advisory firm, Freddi manages the technical accounting and financial reporting functions of Geneos.

Freddi’s corporate experience includes senior leadership roles at several life sciences companies including Complexa Inc., Cerecor Inc., Cervilenz Inc., Cardiokine Inc., Barrier Therapeutics, Inc. and at Infonautics, Inc., a technology company. Freddi currently serves on the Board of Directors of TELA Bio, Inc. where she also chairs the Audit Committee. Before specializing in life sciences and technology, Freddi spent over a decade in professional service accounting firms, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she was focused on high growth companies in multiple industries.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Rutgers University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Samuel Broder is the former head of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the largest and most important Agency for cancer research in the world. President Ronald Reagan appointed Dr. Broder to serve as Director of the NCI in 1989, and he held the position for six years.  While at the NCI, he also oversaw the development of numerous anti-cancer therapeutic agents, such as TAXOL^®. As NCI Director, Dr. Broder helped launch a number of large-scale clinical trials related to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, and he inaugurated the highly successful SPORE Program. 

Dr. Broder joined the Celera Corporation at its founding in 1998, as the Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, and helped advance the human genome project, i.e., the elucidation of the 3 billion letters of code that make up human DNA. His most recent operational position was as SVP, Health Sector, Intrexon Corp, with responsibilities for gene therapy and synthetic biology.  He has served on numerous BODs and SABs.

Dr. Broder spent his entire career in translational medicine, and his laboratory interests have included antiretroviral therapy, the relationship between immunodeficiency disorders and cancer, the human genome, and the proteomics of cancer cells. In the mid-1980s, in response to the AIDS pandemic, he focused his attention on HIV-1/AIDS.  His laboratory played a major role in developing the first 3 agents approved by FDA specifically to treat the AIDS virus. These are the novel nucleosides Retrovir^® (AZT), Videx^® (ddI), and HIVID^® (ddC).

Dr. Samuel Broder graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor in 1970. He did an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford University in Palo Alto, and then did subspecialty training in medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda. He is the author or co-author of over 340 scientific publications, and is an inventor on many patents. He has received numerous scientific awards related to his research in cancer and AIDS. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1993.

Casey Cunningham, MD is the Chief Scientific Officer of Santé Ventures. Dr. Cunningham received his fellowship training in oncology and hematology at the Harvard Medical School, where he subsequently served on the faculty for a number of years. In 1999, he became the Associate Director of the Mary Crowley Cancer Research Institute in Dallas, Tx. The MCMRI performs early phase clinical trials in oncology and Dr. Cunningham had a particular focus on gene and immune approaches. During his time at MCMRI, Casey also provided consulting services to biotech and pharma companies, advising them on early stage drug development. Dr. Cunningham joined Santé Ventures in 2008 as CSO but has also served in operating roles for several of the fund’s portfolio companies.

James Eadie, MD received his MD from Harvard Medical School, an MBA from the University of Texas McCombs School Of Business, and a BS in bioengineering, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Michigan. He is board certified in emergency medicine and completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Previously, James served in the Air Force and was the medical director and Vice-Chair of Emergency Medicine at Wilford Hall Medical Center, a level-one trauma center in San Antonio. He completed two tours in Iraq as a critical care transport team chief and as the emergency department commander. He separated honorably as a Major in 2008.

J. Joseph Kim, PhD, entrepreneur, immunologist, and health policy leader, is co-founder and chief executive officer of Inovio, a biotechnology company leading the world in developing novel immunotherapies – medicines that attack a broad array of cancers and challenging infectious diseases by training the body’s immune system to identify and fight disease. He previously developed vaccines for Merck & Co.

An immunologist by training, Joseph holds an MIT undergraduate degree, a PhD in biochemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from The Wharton School. He has published more than 100 scientific papers, holds numerous patents, and sits on editorial boards and scientific review panels. In 2015, Dr. Kim was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Life Sciences by Ernst and Young in the Philadelphia region. He also serves on the board of the International Vaccine Institute and the Council of Korean Americans. The World Economic Forum selected Dr. Kim as a member of its Global Agenda Council and named him a Technology Pioneer as well as one of its Young Global Leaders.

He is a frequent guest on CNBC’s Fast Money and other financial programs, where he comments on Inovio’s breakthroughs and the pharmaceutical landscape. MIT’s Technology Review magazine called him “one of the world’s top innovators.” Joseph is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Health Innovators Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network where he is working with a team to develop a vision of tomorrow’s healthcare system.

Mr. Lee is Head of Korea Investment Partners (KIP’s) US office based in Silicon Valley and actively explores cross-border investments to contribute to the global expansion of Korea Investment Partners.  He is currently managing over 12 companies in his investment portfolio and participates actively on more than 7  boards. Portfolio companies range from biotech/healthcare companies such as Enlivex, Prokarium, PDC Line, Atrogi and KAHR to IT/Fintech companies such as Pavilion Data Systems and SecuLetter.

Before his career in Venture Capital, Mr. Lee spent 18 years in diverse positions and companies including his 12 years of entrepreneur experience in the IT industry including Samsung Electronics, Dasan networks, Neomtel and Polidigm. In the latter two, he cofounded the companies and led the teams as top management officer. The image compression algorithm for cell phone of Neomtel was de facto standard in Korea at early 2000s and the company went on to IPO at 2007.

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Dr. David Weiner directs a translational research laboratory at The Wistar Institute in the area of Molecular Immunology. His group is one of the pioneering research teams in establishing the field of DNA vaccines and immunotherapies. Important reports from his lab include the first DNA vaccine studied for HIV as well as for cancer immunotherapy, the early development of DNA encoded genetic adjuvants including the particularly relevant IL-12, advances in gene optimization, and advances in electroporation (EP) technologies resulting in improved gene delivery among others. His group worked with collaborators to become the first to move DNA technology into human study. His laboratory’s work helped revitalize the field through advancement of new synthetic DNA design and modification of EP delivery approaches resulting in potent immune induction as well as the first successful Phase IIb DNA efficacy study (for HPV immunotherapy) in humans.

Dr. Weiner is the recipient of numerous honors including election as a fellow to both the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2011 and the International Society for Vaccines in 2012. He is the recipient of the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award and received the Vaccine Industry Excellence Award for Best Academic Research Team in 2015 at the World Vaccine Congress. Weiner was honored with the prestigious Hilleman Lectureship in 2015 at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Grand Rounds session and received a Stone Family Award from Abramson Cancer Center for his groundbreaking work on DNA vaccines for cancer immunotherapy. In 2019, Dr. Weiner was honored with the Scientific Achievement Award from Life Sciences PA (LSPA).

Dr. Weiner returned to Wistar in 2016 from his position at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine as professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. From 1990 to 1993, Weiner held a joint position as assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Weiner is a co-founder of Inovio Pharmaceuticals and is a member of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Weiner graduated with a B.S. in biology from SUNY at Stony Brook, N.Y., a M.S. in biology from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. in developmental biology from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Dr. Dang is Scientific Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and professor at The Wistar Institute. He is a physician-scientist, who served as Director of the Division of Hematology and then as Vice Dean for Research at Johns Hopkins. He then served as Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn before assuming his current positions. Dr. Dang is celebrated for his contributions to the understanding of the function of the Myc oncogene, commonly altered in many cancers. He was first to establish a mechanistic link between Myc and cellular energy metabolism, which sparked the concept that genetic alterations could lead to metabolic reprogramming within tumors. His research provided evidence that aberrant cancer cell signaling pathways stimulated by various mutations exhibit dependence for specific nutrients to drive further proliferation. These observations have been heralded for helping to explain the “Warburg Effect” observed in cancer cells and have led to subsequent studies dedicated to the targeted disruption of aberrant cell metabolic pathways to inhibit cancer progression. 

Dr. Dang served on the Biden Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel and is Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Research, Chair of the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Association of American Physicians, and the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Shawn Cline Tomasello joined Kite Pharma in 2015 as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) with over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotech industries. She was a key executive in the Kite/Gilead acquisition for $11.9 Billion in August 2017. Prior to joining Kite Pharma, Ms. Tomasello was the CCO of Commercial and Medical Affairs at Pharmacyclics. While leading the commercial and medical affairs teams at Pharmacyclics, the market cap increased from $8 Billion to $19 Billion culminating in an acquisition by AbbVie for $21 Billion. Ms. Tomasello has extensive strategic experience in building world class organizations encompassing commercial, compliance, regulatory, pricing, and medical affairs functions.  She is also accomplished at representing corporations with investors and analysts. 

Ms. Tomasello is the former President of the Americas, Hematology and Oncology, for Celgene Corporation where she managed over $4B in revenue. She had been with Celgene since 2005, where she was responsible for all aspects of the commercial organization encompassing multiple brands spanning 11 indications. In addition, she was instrumental in strategic decision making regarding global expansion and M&A evaluations which led to the acquisition and integration of Pharmion Corporation, Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Abraxis Biosciences, Inc.  

Prior to joining Celgene, Ms. Tomasello was the National Director of Hematology for Rituxan® at Genentech, where she was responsible for over $1.7B in revenue and all in-line and new indications for the hematology commercial sales organization. Earlier in her career, she held positions at Pfizer Laboratories, Miles Pharmaceuticals and Proctor & Gamble.

Ms. Tomasello received her B.S. in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati and her M.B.A. from Murray State University, KY. She currently serves on the board of directors for Diplomat Specialty, Centrexion Therapeutics, Urogen Pharma, Mesoblast, Clementia Pharmaceuticals, and Oxford BioTherapeutics   She has served on the board of BIONJ and has been a member of the advisory board for Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA).