Next generation targeted protein therapeutics
Sanjay Khare, PhD
President and CEO, Chairman of the Board
Prior to founding ImmunGene, Dr. Sanjay Khare was Scientific Director at Amgen Inc. He joined Amgen in 1999 and led several inflammation drug discovery programs. Dr. Khare received his Ph.D. in Immunology at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. With his passion in Immunology research, Dr. Khare joined as postdoctoral fellow in the Immunology department at the Mayo Clinic and studied humanized mouse model systems. He is recipient of ASHI scholar award in 1997. Dr. Khare coauthored more than 35 scientific papers, edited a book on TNF superfamily and presented seminars in scientific conferences. Dr. Khare has several patents and led research teams at Amgen and his team delivered several clinical candidates. He has served as consultant to start-up biotech companies for their R&D activities.
Iqbal S. Grewal, PhD, DSc, FRCPath
Chief Scientific Officer, ImmunGene Board Member
Most recently Dr. Iqbal S. Grewal has served as a Vice President of Preclinical Therapeutics at Seattle Genetics for about 6 years. He has extensive experience of discovering and developing innovative protein-based biotherapeutics in many disease areas, and has translated some of his findings into key drug candidates for the treatment of autoimmune disease and cancers. At Seattle Genetics, he managed preclinical translational research functions for development of monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates as therapeutics in the areas of autoimmunity and oncology. Dr. Grewal’s career also includes over 6 years of discovery research and preclinical development of biologics at Genentech, where he identified and validated several novel molecules as therapeutic candidates for cancers and autoimmune diseases. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Grewal held various research positions at Yale University School of Medicine and at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Grewal has authored over 100 scientific publications, 80 abstracts, 100 world-wide patent applications. Dr. Grewal is also serving on editorial board of research journals and has edited books on biologics and therapeutic targets. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, London and member of several distinguished societies. Dr. Grewal holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from UCLA and D.Sc. degree from University of Aberdeen. He has completed his post-doctoral fellowship in Richard Flavell’s lab at Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Yale University School of Medicine.
Raj Sachdev, PhD Chief Operating Officer, ImmunGene Board Member
Dr. Raj K. Sachdev received his PhD, in Chemical Engineering from Biochemical Engineering Research Center, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi in 1979. After post doctoral work at various institutions: Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Health, Maryland, and Drexel University, Philadelphia, Raj joined Amgen Inc. as a Process Development Research Scientist in Dec. 1984. He gained extensive experience in Microbial Fermentation/Mammalian Cell Culture Process Development, Scale up, Yield Improvement, Optimization, Technology Transfer and Manufacturing Technical Support at Amgen with increasing responsibilities. Raj joined Baxter Bioscience in 1999 as Manager of the Technical Operations Group that provided manufacturing support for Factor-VIII production, including Cell culture, Purification, and Formulation and Lyophilization unit operations. He moved to Shire HGT in Cambridge MA, and joined as Senior Director of Manufacturing Technical Support. Raj has two process patents and is coauthor of several publications/presentations.
Mike Gresser, PhD
Chief Scientific Consultant and SAB Member
Mike Gresser received his Ph.D in Biochemistry in 1976 from Brandeis University. He did postdoctoral studies at the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA under the supervision of Paul D. Boyer. In 1980 Mike joined the Department of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and progressed to Professor of Chemistry. While there Mike received the Excellence in Teaching Award, and did research on the biochemistry of Vanadium V, and on the mitochondrial ATPase. In 1988 Mike Joined the Merck Frosst Center for Therapeutic Research in Kirkland, Quebec as Director of Biochemistry. Over the next twelve years Mike progressed through the ranks of Senior Director, then Executive Director of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Mike’s team worked on a variety of small molecule drug discovery programs, resulting in the introduction of numerous molecules into clinical trials. Two of these molecules, Singulair and Vioxx, became products. In 2000 Mike joined Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks, California, as Vice President of Research for Inflammation, where he remained until April, 2006. For two years Mike served as Head of Neuroscience Research as well as Inflammation Research. Mike’s team at Amgen worked on taking many molecular targets, introducing numerous small molecules, human antibodies and other proteins into development. Currently Mike is a Visiting Scholar at the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA, and works as a consultant with Clarity Therapeutics Consulting.
Linda Pullan, PhD
Consultant Chief Business Officer
Linda Pullan has over 20 years of drug industry experience beginning in drug discovery at what is now Pfizer, becoming a project team leader at what is now AstraZeneca (contributing to the development of Seroquel the multi-billion dollar anti-psychotic. Linda then switched to licensing, and subsequently joined Amgen as head of oncology and hematology licensing, leaving to become VP of business development at Kosan Biosciences and for the last 3 years, a biotech business development consultant.
President and CEO, Chairman of the Board
Prior to founding ImmunGene, Dr. Sanjay Khare was Scientific Director at Amgen Inc. He joined Amgen in 1999 and led several inflammation drug discovery programs. Dr. Khare received his Ph.D. in Immunology at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. With his passion in Immunology research, Dr. Khare joined as postdoctoral fellow in the Immunology department at the Mayo Clinic and studied humanized mouse model systems. He is recipient of ASHI scholar award in 1997. Dr. Khare coauthored more than 35 scientific papers, edited a book on TNF superfamily and presented seminars in scientific conferences. Dr. Khare has several patents and led research teams at Amgen and his team delivered several clinical candidates. He has served as consultant to start-up biotech companies for their R&D activities.
Iqbal S. Grewal, PhD, DSc, FRCPath
Chief Scientific Officer, ImmunGene Board Member
Most recently Dr. Iqbal S. Grewal has served as a Vice President of Preclinical Therapeutics at Seattle Genetics for about 6 years. He has extensive experience of discovering and developing innovative protein-based biotherapeutics in many disease areas, and has translated some of his findings into key drug candidates for the treatment of autoimmune disease and cancers. At Seattle Genetics, he managed preclinical translational research functions for development of monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates as therapeutics in the areas of autoimmunity and oncology. Dr. Grewal’s career also includes over 6 years of discovery research and preclinical development of biologics at Genentech, where he identified and validated several novel molecules as therapeutic candidates for cancers and autoimmune diseases. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Grewal held various research positions at Yale University School of Medicine and at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Grewal has authored over 100 scientific publications, 80 abstracts, 100 world-wide patent applications. Dr. Grewal is also serving on editorial board of research journals and has edited books on biologics and therapeutic targets. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, London and member of several distinguished societies. Dr. Grewal holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from UCLA and D.Sc. degree from University of Aberdeen. He has completed his post-doctoral fellowship in Richard Flavell’s lab at Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Yale University School of Medicine.
Raj Sachdev, PhD Chief Operating Officer, ImmunGene Board Member
Dr. Raj K. Sachdev received his PhD, in Chemical Engineering from Biochemical Engineering Research Center, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi in 1979. After post doctoral work at various institutions: Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Health, Maryland, and Drexel University, Philadelphia, Raj joined Amgen Inc. as a Process Development Research Scientist in Dec. 1984. He gained extensive experience in Microbial Fermentation/Mammalian Cell Culture Process Development, Scale up, Yield Improvement, Optimization, Technology Transfer and Manufacturing Technical Support at Amgen with increasing responsibilities. Raj joined Baxter Bioscience in 1999 as Manager of the Technical Operations Group that provided manufacturing support for Factor-VIII production, including Cell culture, Purification, and Formulation and Lyophilization unit operations. He moved to Shire HGT in Cambridge MA, and joined as Senior Director of Manufacturing Technical Support. Raj has two process patents and is coauthor of several publications/presentations.
Mike Gresser, PhD
Chief Scientific Consultant and SAB Member
Mike Gresser received his Ph.D in Biochemistry in 1976 from Brandeis University. He did postdoctoral studies at the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA under the supervision of Paul D. Boyer. In 1980 Mike joined the Department of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and progressed to Professor of Chemistry. While there Mike received the Excellence in Teaching Award, and did research on the biochemistry of Vanadium V, and on the mitochondrial ATPase. In 1988 Mike Joined the Merck Frosst Center for Therapeutic Research in Kirkland, Quebec as Director of Biochemistry. Over the next twelve years Mike progressed through the ranks of Senior Director, then Executive Director of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Mike’s team worked on a variety of small molecule drug discovery programs, resulting in the introduction of numerous molecules into clinical trials. Two of these molecules, Singulair and Vioxx, became products. In 2000 Mike joined Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks, California, as Vice President of Research for Inflammation, where he remained until April, 2006. For two years Mike served as Head of Neuroscience Research as well as Inflammation Research. Mike’s team at Amgen worked on taking many molecular targets, introducing numerous small molecules, human antibodies and other proteins into development. Currently Mike is a Visiting Scholar at the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA, and works as a consultant with Clarity Therapeutics Consulting.
Linda Pullan, PhD
Consultant Chief Business Officer
Linda Pullan has over 20 years of drug industry experience beginning in drug discovery at what is now Pfizer, becoming a project team leader at what is now AstraZeneca (contributing to the development of Seroquel the multi-billion dollar anti-psychotic. Linda then switched to licensing, and subsequently joined Amgen as head of oncology and hematology licensing, leaving to become VP of business development at Kosan Biosciences and for the last 3 years, a biotech business development consultant.