Timothy J. Pelura, Ph.D., President and CEO
Dr. Pelura has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries and has been pivotal in the development of several new drugs spanning numerous therapeutic areas. As Chief Technology Officer at Kereos Dr. Pelura was responsible for all R&D activities for their oncology, cardiology, and molecular imaging programs. Prior to joining Kereos, he served as President and COO of Provasis Therapeutics, a developer of interventional neurosurgical devices. Dr. Pelura held executive R&D positions at Neuron Therapeutics and Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp. Earlier, Dr. Pelura worked in various R&D capacities at KabiVitrum and Pharmacia. Dr. Pelura holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Rutgers University.
David P. Hesson, Ph.D., Vice President of Product Development
Dr. Hesson has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has led discovery research and development of new drugs in the oncology, neurology, cardiovascular and, infectious disease therapeutic areas. As Director of Project Management and In-Licensing at GPC Biotech, he was responsible for worldwide development of oncology therapeutics from preclinical to commercialization. Dr. Hesson has held executive R&D positions at startup companies such Neuron Therapeutics and Symphony Pharmaceuticals, as well as large pharmaceutical companies such as DuPont Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hesson holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a NIH Post-Doctoral fellow at Harvard University.
Mark L. Lupher, Jr., Ph.D., Vice President of Drug Discovery
Dr. Lupher has wide-ranging experience in the discovery and development of both biologic and small molecule drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. As Associate Director of Drug Discovery at ICOS Corporation, he pioneered the discovery of novel anti-fibrotic therapeutics and the development of the fibrotic disease therapeutic area. In addition, Dr. Lupher was responsible for a new Evaluation and Alliance group within Research to initiate and manage research licensing and collaborations with peer biotechnology companies. Dr. Lupher has held various R&D positions at biopharmaceutical companies such as ICOS Corporation and Immunex. Dr. Lupher holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard University and was a Post-Doctoral fellow at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.
John A. Getsy, D.M.D., D.O., VICE PRESIDENT OF Clinical Research and Development
Dr. Getsy has extensive experience in clinical pharmacology, experimental and translational medicine, and clinical drug development of biologics and small molecules and was pivotal in the filings of several NDA’s and BLA’s. He has developed drugs in multiple therapeutic areas including : immunology, transplant, CNS, ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiovascular, metabolism, allergy/immunology, and pulmonary therapeutic areas. In his most recent position at Centocor, he was head of the clinical pharmacology trial design and management and the experimental and translational medicine groups. Dr. Getsy holds a D.M.D. degree from Temple University and his medical degree from Des Moines University. He is boarded in internal medicine, rheumatology, and clinical pharmacology.