Our Team
We are scientists, entrepreneurs and drug developers with a goal to develop ELOVL2 based therapeutics to slow or halt aging-related disorders.
Management
William Pedranti
President and CEO
An attorney by training, Mr. Pedranti has almost twenty years of experience in the pharma industry. He is a Co-Founder of PENG Life Science Ventures, an independent and forward-thinking healthcare and life sciences venture firm that holds five, private biotech companies in its portfolio in the areas of ophthalmology, oncology, nephrology, neurology and infectious disease. Mr. Pedranti has led and/or assisted with capital raises of an aggregate of over $375 million and negotiated transactions with over $1 billion in total deal value for several companies, including the sale or products and companies. He has taken a biotech company from its initial founding through FDA product approval and subsequent commercial launch.
Martin Emanuele, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer
Dr. Emanuele is a pharmaceutical executive / entrepreneur with 30+ years experience. He has served as a senior executive / corporate officer at CytRx Corp., Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Kemia, Inc. and DaVita, Inc. He cofounded SynthRx, Inc. (acquired by Mast Therapeutics now Savara, Inc. NASDAQ) and is currently a member of the BOD at Artelo Biosciences (NASDAQ). Dr. Emanuele is a named inventor on over 20 patents, has been the principal investigator for multiple NIH and FDA grant awards, and played key leadership roles in IND’s and new drug approvals. He also developed R&D partnerships with GSK, Merck, Novartis and Astra Zeneca where he served on those partnership executive steering committees. He earned a PhD (Pharmacology / Experimental Therapeutics) from Loyola University of Chicago School of Medicine and an MBA from the University of Colorado.
Christopher Chavez, Ph.D.
VP, Head of Synthetic Biology
Christopher Chavez is a synthetic biologist and gene therapy development specialist. He received his Ph.D. from University of California, Santa Cruz in Genetics and completed Post-Doctoral training at Stanford University developing the non-viral PhiC31 integrase system for hemophilia and muscular dystrophy. Dr. Chavez lead the synthetic biology teams at Avalanche/Adverum Biotechnologies, Adicet Bio, and Beeline Therapeutics, developing novel cell and gene therapies for ocular diseases, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.
Scientific Co-Founders
Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, Ph.D.
Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk is a biochemist and molecular biologist. She received her MSc in Molecular Biology at the University of Warsaw, Poland, and Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Her primary research interest is in gene expression regulation and the impact of global changes in the nuclear organization on cellular programs with a particular emphasis on aging using the eye as a model system. Dr. Skowronska- Krawczyk is the co-inventor of the technology licensed to Visgenx. She is currently Assistant Professor of Physiology & Biophysics and Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine.
Daniel L. Chao, M.D., Ph.D.
Daniel Chao is a vitreoretinal surgeon, clinician scientist and entrepreneur. He completed his MD and Ph.D. in Neurosciences at Stanford University, ophthalmology residency at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, vitreoretinal fellowship at University of California San Francisco, and held faculty positions at the Shiley Eye Institute at UCSD. He has published over 30 peer reviewed publications. He is a co-inventor of the technology licensed to Visgenx. Dr Chao is currently employed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Board Of Directors
Arthur Becker (Chairman)
Arthur Becker is a serial entrepreneur and business executive. His business career started at Bear Stearns, Inc where he later became a Director. He has founded or developed multiple successful businesses including NaviSite, a software application management company where he was the company’s chief executive officer until its sale to Time Warner Cable. Mr. Becker was also Chairman and CEO of Zinio, the world’s largest digital magazine distributor. More recently he has become an active investor in New York real estate and more than 10 biotechnology companies. Mr. Becker earned his Bachelor of Arts from Bennington College in Vermont and attended the Amos Tuck Graduate School of Business at Dartmouth.
Eric Carter, M.D., Ph.D.
Eric Carter, Ph.D., M.D., has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer and Global Head of Clinical and Non-clinical Development of Allergan, Inc. Dr. Carter also held senior leadership positions at Alder Biopharmaceuticals, King Pharmaceuticals and GSK. Dr. Carter is currently the CMO of IACTA Pharmaceuticals and serves as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of AEON Biopharma. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, England and his M.D. from the University of Miami, FL.
Elaine J. Heron, Ph.D.
Dr. Heron has over 40 years experience in life sciences. She currently serves on the boards of multiple biopharmaceutical companies including: Biomarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NASDAQ:BMRN), Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., DropWorks, Inc., and Palvella Therapeutics, Inc. Her executive management experience includes roles as Chief Executive Officer at Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Labcyte, Inc. She also held senior executive positions at the Applied Biosystems Group of Applera Corporation, including the position of General Manager and Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Dr Heron is also an active member of Life Science Angels, a prominent angel investor group. Dr. Heron earned her B.S. in chemistry with highest distinction, a Ph.D. in analytical biochemistry from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University
Thomas Meier, Ph.D.
Dr Meier is an experienced life-science entrepreneur / pharmaceutical executive. He founded MyoContract AG , which merged into Santhera Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharma company listed on the Swiss stock exchange. He was CSO and CEO at Santhera where he led multiple mergers, acquisitions, and licensing partnerships. Since 2020 Thomas has been Managing Partner at Viopas Venture Consulting GmbH in Switzerland and Partner at Board Advisors Deutschland AG in Germany. He serves on the Board of Directors for several biotech/pharma companies, both private and public. Dr. Meier holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Basel with post-doctoral training at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Biozentrum, University of Basel, where he became group leader and lecturer in Neurosciences before joining the industry.
Santosh Vetticaden, M.D., Ph.D.
A biotech/pharmaceutical industry leader with over 25 years of experience within pharma and biotech. Dr. Vetticaden has served as a corporate officer for multiple public companies including Interim CEO for Insys Therapeutics and as Chief Medical Officer for Depomed Inc, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Maxygen Inc., Mast Therapeutics and Insys Therapeutics. He has also held key leadership positions at global pharmas including Johnson & Johnson and Aventis (now Sanofi) where he led the development, in-licensing and acquisition of multiple “blockbuster” products. Dr. Vetticaden is a co-founder of Visgenx. He earned an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, an MD from the University of Maryland with a residency in internal medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Martin Emanuele, Ph.D.
Dr. Emanuele is a pharmaceutical executive / entrepreneur with 30+ years experience. He has served as a senior executive / corporate officer at CytRx Corp., Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Kemia, Inc. and DaVita, Inc. He cofounded SynthRx, Inc. (acquired by Mast Therapeutics now Savara, Inc. NASDAQ) and is currently a member of the BOD at Artelo Biosciences (NASDAQ). Dr. Emanuele is a named inventor on over 20 patents, has been the principal investigator for multiple NIH and FDA grant awards, and played key leadership roles in IND’s and new drug approvals. He also developed R&D partnerships with GSK, Merck, Novartis and Astra Zeneca where he served on those partnership executive steering committees. He earned a PhD (Pharmacology / Experimental Therapeutics) from Loyola University of Chicago School of Medicine and an MBA from the University of Colorado.
William Pedranti
An attorney by training, Mr. Pedranti has almost twenty years of experience in the pharma industry. He is a Co-Founder of PENG Life Science Ventures, an independent and forward-thinking healthcare and life sciences venture firm that holds five, private biotech companies in its portfolio in the areas of ophthalmology, oncology, nephrology, neurology and infectious disease. Mr. Pedranti has led and/or assisted with capital raises of an aggregate of over $375 million and negotiated transactions with over $1 billion in total deal value for several companies, including the sale or products and companies. He has taken a biotech company from its initial founding through FDA product approval and subsequent commercial launch.
Mission In Focus.
Learn more about our goal to develop ELOVL2 based therapeutics to slow or halt aging-related disorders.