LEADERSHIP TEAM
David Giljohann, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
David has over a decade of industry experience. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Exicure where he led the company in developing spherical nucleic acid (SNA) constructs. Giljohann was named to Crain's Chicago Business magazine's 2019 Class of “40 Under 40” list, and Endpoints News’ 2018 “Under-40s” BioPharma Executives list. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University where he developed DNA and RNA-modified nanoparticles.
Greg Barrett
Chief Operating Officer
Greg has nearly 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry. He was President of the US commercial division of Daiichi Sankyo (a Japan multinational with 2,500 US employees). He has also served as the head of commercial operations, marketing, managed markets, and operations. He has launched over 10 brands across multiple therapeutic classes. Chaired multiple co-development and co-marketing partnerships with organizations like Eli Lilly, Forest, AstraZeneca, and Parke-Davis. Earlier in his career, he managed various franchises in the Global and US divisions of Schering-Plough. He also worked in Biologics R&D, Clinical Development, Sales at Lederle Laboratories.
Dr. James Moon is the John Gideon Searle Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is also a member of the University of Michigan Immunology Graduate Program and Rogel Cancer Center. His translational research program aims to improve vaccines and immunotherapies. He has received numerous awards, AAPS Emerging Leader Award, Emerald Foundation Distinguished Investigator Award, NSF CAREER Award, and DOD Career Development Award. Dr. Moon received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. from Rice University, and he completed his postdoctoral training at MIT.
James Moon, PhD
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Anna Schwendeman, PhD
Co-Founder and Vice President of Preclinical Development
Dr. Anna Schwendeman is a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She spent 12 years in pharmaceutical industry at Cerenis Therapeutics (Fierce 15 biotech), Pfizer, and Esperion Therapeutics. She was involved in the discovery and translation of several HDL therapies to Phase II clinical trials.
Her efforts led to the development of a kilo-scale recombinant Apolipoprotein A-I process and highly homogeneous and safe HDL particles. She successfully submitted FDA INDs for six different products, including nanoparticles, liposomes, proteins, peptides and small molecules.
Wes has over a decade of biotech experience, specializing in preclinical and early clinical development of innovative immune-modulating and genetically-targeted nanomedicines. Prior to his current position, he held positions of increasing responsibility within Exicure. His research has yielded over 100 patents, patent filings and scientific publications, and has been highlighted by media outlets such as The New York Times. Wes earned his Ph.D. at Northwestern University.
Weston Daniel, PhD
Chief Development Officer
Bill has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry focused in new product planning, corporate development, business development and licensing.
He was president of AlphaCore Pharma prior to the company’s acquisition by Astra Zeneca in March 2013. He was co-founder and chief operating officer of Cerenis Therapeutics from 2005 to 2011. Previously he was vice president of business development at Esperion Therapeutics, overseeing all strategic partnering activities prior to the company’s acquisition by Pfizer.
Prior to joining Esperion, he oversaw U.S. business development, market planning and sales operations for Sankyo, a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company (now Daiichi Sankyo).