VIRSCIO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Research Operations
Ben has four decades of preclinical operations management experience in top tier GLP and AAALAC-accredited facilities. As the Director of Research Operations, Ben is responsible for the scheduling of all projects, which includes the provision of animal resources, directing technical staff, and vivarium logistics. Ben and the veterinary team ensure that Virscio meets the rigorous animal care standards of AAALAC at our St. Kitts testing facility, which has successfully achieved multiple cycles of program re-accreditation. Residing full time on St. Kitts, Ben serves as a central point of contact for all Study Directors. Ben holds a bachelor's degree in Management and Organizational Development.
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Co - Founder and Life Sciences Executive
Chris is a Virscio co-founder and life sciences executive and entrepreneur with over fifteen years of experience in financing, building, operating and supporting companies developing and commercializing biomedical research innovations. Chris oversees corporate strategy, business development, financing and investing activities associated with the development and commercialization of Virscio's translational R&D platform. Under Chris' leadership, Virscio has executed a finance and commercial plan that has positioned the company for significant and sustainable organic growth without the need for institutional financing. Prior to co-founding Virscio, Chris held positions at Accenture within the Corporate Transaction Services group where he focused on evaluating and structuring complex outsourcing, joint-venture, and equity investment transactions, and was an analyst in the Global Markets Group at JPMorgan Chase. Chris received his BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
John has over thirty years of experience in developing in vivo models of CNS diseases and evaluating novel strategies for their treatment. Disorders targeted include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, drug abuse, and exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors in studies that have involved biochemical, neurochemical, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and behavioral endpoints. John received his PhD and postdoctoral training at University of London, England, before being recruited to the faculty at Yale University, and joining the Virscio team.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Scientific Officer
- Co - Founder
Matt is a Virscio co-founder and is responsible for design and execution of Virscio's preclinical programs and associated alignment of team expertise and capabilities to ensure efficient translation of sponsor programs to meet development objectives. Matt has over thirty years of experience in nonhuman primate research and over fifteen years of experience designing, executing and leading industry and NIH funded R&D programs that leverage Virscio's translational platform to de-risk promising therapeutic candidates. Matt has been instrumental in the design and execution of preclinical programs for a wide range of academic groups, venture-backed start-ups, and publicly traded biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Matt received a BA in Biology and Geology from Harvard College, PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford University as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Predoctoral Fellow, and MD from Yale School of Medicine. Matt completed his internship in medicine at the University of Hawaii and ophthalmology residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and is an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist
- Study Director
Merissa is a diversely experienced Study Director. As a member of Virscio's surgical and clinical team Merissa oversees and is procedurally involved in studies from initiation through completion of in-life and finalization of reports, applying expertise in ophthalmic and physical evaluation, tissue dissection and surgical and diagnostic procedures. Experience spans CNS surgical modeling, VAP placement, laparotomies, laparoscopic procedures, femoral and coronary access, ECG interpretations, slit lamp biomicroscopy and ultrasound image acquisition and analysis and many further clinical and technical capabilities contributing to effective application of the Virscio platform. Merissa received her BS from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and her MD at the Medical University of the Americas.
Michael has over twenty years of experience in nonhuman primate translational model development. Michael has approached drug development within academic, pharmaceutical industry and contract research environments and brings this breadth of experience to each Virscio study. Michael received his PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology from the University of Chicago and completed post-doctoral positions at the Scripps Research Institute and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he was subsequently an Assistant Professor. Michael transitioned to leadership roles as Principal Scientist in discovery programs at Bristol Myers Squibb Neuroscience and Genetically Defined Disease departments prior to joining the Virscio team.
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer
- Principal Scientist
Rob is a diversely trained principal scientist with over 15 years of experience developing and advancing a wide array of preclinical programs. As Chief Technology Officer, Rob leads the design and implementation of Virscio's research platforms and manages IT, research, data management and operations teams. Rob directs Virscio's U.S. facility in New Haven, CT. Rob received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Surrey, England and completed postdoctoral appointments in neurobiology and neurovirology at the University of Kentucky and University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, respectively. Rob also brings direct pharmaceutical industry experience in pharmacology and drug metabolism and extensive experience in neuroscience, ophthalmology, virology and immunology. Rob additionally plays a key role in developing and advancing Virscio's preclinical service strategy and implementation of associated technologies.
Job Titles:
- Director of Scientific Execution
Shervin brings over fifteen years of experience in nonhuman primate research to his responsibilities coordinating translational test system advancement and application. Shervin's interests and experience span CNS, metabolic, cardiovascular and ophthalmic disease modeling and pharmacokinetic and safety assessments. He earned his BS in Biology at the Southern Connecticut State University and his PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine where his work focused on evaluating learning and memory mechanisms involved in addiction. As Director of Translation at Virscio, Shervin conducts and oversees studies related to the development, refinement and validation of translational models and their characterization.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Research and Safety Assessment
Sven has more than 25 years of experience as a Senior Study Director LabCorp's Early Development Services group, based in Münster, Germany. During his tenure, Dr. Korte oversaw sponsor engagement and study execution of more than 220 studies and has become a globally recognized key opinion leader in preclinical safety assessment across a wide range of therapeutic modalities, with extensive expertise in antisense oligonucleotides and gene therapy products using nonhuman primates (NHP). Dr. Korte has participated in more than 110 professional publications and lectured at numerous research symposiums and congresses across the globe. In addition, he has contributed to several books on the role of NHPs in drug development and was the co-editor of "The Nonhuman Primate in Nonclinical Drug Development and Safety Assessment."