Scientific Advisors

Shawn Tomasello, MBA

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).

Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD

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.

David B. Weiner, PhD

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.