Who We Are

Rich Heyman

Chair of the Board

Richard A. Heyman, PhD, is a scientist and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in co-founding and building biotech and life science companies. Rich most recently served as Chairman of Vividion Therapeutics, which was purchased in August 2021 by Bayer Pharma and Amunix Pharma, which was purchased by Sanofi in December 2021. He is the co-founder and Chairman of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, which is developing drugs to overcome resistance in cancer. Previously, Rich was the co-founder and CEO of Aragon and Seragon Pharmaceuticals, which focused on therapeutics targeting hormone dependent cancers; J&J purchased Aragon in 2013 and Genentech purchased Seragon one year later. He has been involved in the discovery and development of multiple therapeutic agents approved by the FDA, including the prostate cancer drug, Erleada. Rich is a Venture Partner for Arch Ventures and serves as Chairman of PMV Pharma and Metacrine Inc, as well as serving on the BOD of Gritstone Bio and Enliven Therapeutics. In addition to his corporate experience, Rich is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Salk Institute, on the Board Foundation for the AACR, the BOD at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center and a founding member of both Life Science Cares, San Diego and Curebound. He has won numerous awards including Ernst and Young San Diego Regional Entrepreneur of the Year, Connect Hall of Fame Award and the Endocrine Society Outstanding Innovation Award. Earlier in his career he trained as an NIH postdoctoral fellow and staff scientist at the Salk Institute. Rich is the author or inventor on more than 125 publications and patents.

Carl Gordon

Managing Partner, OrbiMed

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D., CFA is a founding member, Managing Partner, and Co-Head of Global Private Equity at OrbiMed Advisors LLC, an investment firm.  Dr. Gordon currently serves on the boards of directors of several public and private companies.  He received a B.A. in Chemistry from Harvard College, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a Fellow at The Rockefeller University.

Helen S. Kim

Senior Managing Director, Vida Ventures

Helen S. Kim has over 35 years of experience in leadership roles in biotechnology. Most recently, Ms. Kim was a Partner at The Column Group. Prior, Ms. Kim served as Executive Vice President of Business Development at Kite Pharma, Inc. where she led all business and corporate development initiatives successfully selling Kite Pharma to Gilead in 2017.

Previously, Ms. Kim served as Strategic Advisor of NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. from January 2012 through November 2014. Ms. Kim served as the Chief Business Officer at NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. from August 2009 to January 2012. Prior to NGM, she was the Chief Executive Officer and President of Kosan Biosciences where she restructured and repositioned the company prior to successfully selling the company to Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2008. Ms. Kim’s additional industry experience includes executive positions at Affymax, Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Chiron Corporation. Ms. Kim received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Ms. Kim currently serves on the Board of Directors for Affini-T Therapeutics, ReCode Therapeutics, Inc., IconOVir Bio, Inc., Aktis Oncology, Protego Therapeutics, InduPro Labs and Prothena Corporation plc.

Melissa McCracken

Partner, Nextech Invest

Melissa McCracken, Ph.D., joined Nextech Invest Ltd. in 2019. Melissa is a scientist by training with a passion for emerging technologies in cancer therapies. In addition to Alterome Therapeutics, Melissa is a board member of TYRA Biosciences (NASDAQ: TYRA), Alpha-9 Oncology, K36 Therapeutics and Ambagon Therapeutics, board observer of IconOVir Bio, and a previous board member of ImaginAb and board observer of Silverback Therapeutics. Melissa recently completed the Kauffman Fellowship in the class of 25.

Prior to Nextech, Melissa was a senior associate at Third Rock Ventures focusing on scientific due diligence, partnership development and new company formation in oncology and immunology. Melissa helped build and launch Celsius Therapeutics, a company focused on discovering precision therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune. Melissa has also worked within larger biotech organizations completing multiple internships in research and development at Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN).

Melissa holds a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from University of California, Davis, a Ph.D. in molecular and medical pharmacology from University of California, Los Angeles with her research focused on engineered immunity for cancer. Melissa also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University where her research focused on immuno-oncology.

Dominic Piscitelli

Chief Financial Officer, ORIC Pharmaceuticals

Mr. Piscitelli brings over 20 years of industry experience, including debt and equity financings, in-licensing transactions, acquisitions, marketing partnerships and commercial product launches (XTANDI® and Tarceva®). Mr. Piscitelli currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, a NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company, a position he has held since September 2019. Prior to joining ORIC, Mr. Piscitelli was CFO of AnaptysBio, a NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company, where he helped raise over $500 million in an IPO and follow-on financings. Prior to AnaptysBio, Mr. Piscitelli was Vice President of Finance, Strategy and Investor Relations at Medivation and played a key role in its acquisition by Pfizer. Previously, he served as Senior Director of Collaborations and Operations Finance at Astellas Pharma. Prior to that, Mr. Piscitelli served in various roles of increasing responsibility culminating as the Vice President, Treasury & Management Finance at OSI Pharmaceuticals, and played a significant role in their acquisition by Astellas. Mr. Piscitelli began his career with KPMG and is a certified public accountant. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from Hofstra University. He currently serves on the board of directors of Celyad Oncology SA.

Josh Richardson

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Josh Richardson is currently a managing director in Growth Equity within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, focused on Life Sciences investing. Prior to joining the firm, Josh worked as a managing director at Longitude Capital, where he led investments in private and public biotechnology companies. Prior to that, he worked as a public equities analyst at HealthCor Management. Earlier in his career, Josh was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he worked in the Pharmaceutical and Private Equity practices. Josh earned his B.S. from the University of South Florida and his M.D. from the University of Virginia.

Ryan Corcoran

Co-Founder, SAB Chair

Dr. Ryan Corcoran is the Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center Program and the Scientific Director of the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Corcoran received his A.B. from Princeton University, and his M.D./Ph.D. from Stanford University. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and his fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Dana Faber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Dr. Corcoran directs a research laboratory focused on personalized cancer medicine: the development of therapeutic strategies that target the specific mutations driving individual patients’ tumors. His work focuses on understanding the molecular determinants of response or resistance to anti-cancer therapies. Dr. Corcoran’s laboratory is also studying new ways to utilize liquid biopsy, and specifically analysis of circulating tumor DNA, in the clinic to optimize how we deliver cancer care to individual patients. Dr. Corcoran is a member of the National Cancer Institute GI Steering Committee, and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).

Sundeep Agrawal

General Partner, Colt Ventures

Dr. Sundeep Agrawal is a General Partner at Colt Ventures, a leading US based private investment firm.  Sundeep has led the firm’s investments in Alterome Therapeutics, Odyssey Therapeutics, Erasca (NASDAQ: ERAS), Recode Therapeutics, and Silverback Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SBTX). He is a physician with extensive experience in healthcare investment banking, venture capital/private equity, clinical medicine and research. Previously, he was a Vice President at Longitude Capital, a $2 billion healthcare investment firm focused on public and private investments in life sciences, where he served on company boards and made investments. Prior to Longitude, he was an Executive Director in Healthcare Investment Banking at Oppenheimer & Co. where he worked on numerous public and private transactions in healthcare. Dr. Agrawal completed his clinical training at Lenox Hill Hospital. He has extensive clinical and basic science research experience with publications in leading journals and has been the recipient of several national research awards and grants. Dr. Agrawal holds an M.D. from the George Washington School of Medicine and a B.A. in Biology from George Washington University. He grew up in Dallas, TX and currently lives in New York City.

Aaron Davis

Co-Founder & CEO, Boxer Capital

Aaron Davis is co-founder and chief executive officer of Boxer Capital, LLC. In 2005, after joining Tavistock Group as portfolio manager, Aaron scaled Tavistock Group’s public healthcare investing activities and formed Boxer Capital. Aaron leads the firm’s research team, deal structuring and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Tavistock Group, Aaron worked in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking and Private Equity Group at UBS Warburg, LLC. During this period, Aaron led strategic transactions for public and private biotechnology and medical device companies throughout their growth, advising on financing and mergers and acquisitions. Having also served in various roles with biotechnology and venture capital firms, Aaron has extensive expertise in investment analysis and in overseeing in-licensing activities within the pharmaceutical sector.

Aaron is currently chairman of the board of CiVi Biopharma, is a member of the board of directors of iTeos Therapeutics, Mirati Therapeutics, Odonate Therapeutics and Sojournix, Inc., and serves as a board observer for Black Diamond Therapeutics, Inc. and REVOLUTION Medicines, Inc. From 2006 to 2008, he served as a director of Kalypsys, Inc.

Aaron holds an M.S.in biotechnology from Columbia University and a B.A. in business administration from Emory University.

Ryan Corcoran

SAB Chair, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Ryan Corcoran is the Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center Program and the Scientific Director of the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Corcoran received his A.B. from Princeton University, and his M.D./Ph.D. from Stanford University. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and his fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Dana Faber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Dr. Corcoran directs a research laboratory focused on personalized cancer medicine: the development of therapeutic strategies that target the specific mutations driving individual patients’ tumors. His work focuses on understanding the molecular determinants of response or resistance to anti-cancer therapies. Dr. Corcoran’s laboratory is also studying new ways to utilize liquid biopsy, and specifically analysis of circulating tumor DNA, in the clinic to optimize how we deliver cancer care to individual patients. Dr. Corcoran is a member of the National Cancer Institute GI Steering Committee, and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).

Benjamin Cravatt

The Scripps Research Institute

Benjamin F. Cravatt is a Professor and Gilula Chair of Chemical Biology at The Scripps Research Institute. His research group is interested in understanding the roles that enzymes play in physiological and pathological processes, especially as pertains to the nervous system and cancer. Dr. Cravatt obtained his undergraduate education at Stanford University, receiving a B.S. in the Biological Sciences and a B.A. in History. He then received a Ph.D. from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in 1996. Professor Cravatt joined the faculty at TSRI in 1997. Dr. Cravatt is a co-founder and scientific advisor of Activx Biosciences, Abide Therapeutics, and Vividion Therapeutics. His honors include a Searle Scholar Award, the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, a Cope Scholar Award, the ASBMB Merck Award, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences and Medicine.

Ben obtained his undergraduate education at Stanford University, receiving a B.S. in the Biological Sciences and a B.A. in History. He then received a Ph.D. from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in 1996 and joined the faculty at TSRI in 1997.

Keith Flaherty, MD

Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Keith Flaherty is Director of Clinical Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. As described in the more than 300 peer reviewed primary research reports he has authored or co-authored, Dr. Flaherty and colleagues made several seminal observations that have defined the treatment of melanoma when they established the efficacy of BRAF, MEK and combined BRAF/MEK inhibition in patients with metastatic melanoma in a series of New England Journal of Medicine articles for which Dr. Flaherty was the first author. Dr. Flaherty also has been a leader in assessing and identifying mechanisms of de novo and acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitor therapy and clinically evaluating next generation inhibitors, work that has had implications for resistance to targeted therapy regimens used to treat other malignant diseases. He is the principal investigator of the NCI MATCH trial, the first NCI-sponsored trial assigning patients to targeted therapy independent of tumor type on the basis of DNA sequencing detection of oncogenes. He serves as Deputy Chair for Biomarker Science. Dr. Flaherty joined the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors in 2018 and AACR Board of Directors in 2019. He serves as editor-in-chief of Clinical Cancer Research.

Eric Murphy

Co-Founder and Advisor

Eric Murphy, Ph.D., co-founded Alterome Therapeutics Inc. with Dr. Ryan Corcoran from Mass General Hospital. With over 20 years of drug discovery experience in small molecule oncology research across academia, CRO, biotech, and large pharma, Eric was previously co-Founder, CSO, and Board / SAB member at both Kinnate Biopharma Inc. (KNTE) and Fount Therapeutics LLC. Prior to that, Eric contributed to worldwide oncology research as the Global Head of Oncology R&D Strategy and External Innovations at Crown Biosciences prior to its acquisition by JSR. Eric and several Alterome team members have contributed to multiple approved oncology drugs and clinical stage oncology assets while at Novartis and Kinnate. Eric completed his postdoctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute with Dr. David Cheresh and holds a BS in biochemistry from the University of California at Davis and a PhD in biological sciences from the University of California at Irvine. Eric enjoys volunteering his time as a dedicated oncology patient empowerment advocate, mentor to early entrepreneurs and budding researchers, and San Diego community steward through non-profit organizations such as LifeScience Cares–San Diego. Onward!

Paul Workman

Institute of Cancer Research, London

Paul Workman is Harrap Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR). He is renowned for his research on the discovery and mechanistic investigation of cancer drugs and chemical probes – including inhibitors of protein kinases, PI3 kinases, molecular chaperones HSP90 and HSP70, and the Heat Shock Factor 1 pathway. He originated the concept of the Pharmacological Audit Trail for biomarker-led drug discovery and development. Paul’s work has received over 52,000 citations and in 2018 he was listed as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers (Clarivate). He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, Royal Society of Chemistry, Academy of Medical Sciences, European Academy of Cancer Sciences and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Life Fellow. Paul is also an elected Fellow of the Royal Society (the UK’s national academy) and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards, including the CRUK Translational Research Prize and the AACR Team Science Award (Team Leader). Paul previously served as Chief Executive of the ICR (2014-2021) during which time it was listed top of Times Higher Education table of academic research performance across the UK and won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its cancer drug discovery and development. He was also Deputy Chief Executive of ICR (2011-2014); and Director of the ICR’s CRUK Cancer Therapeutics Unit (1997-2016), where he led the discovery of twenty drug candidates, thirteen of which have progressed to clinical trials; and was Founding Director of the CRUK Convergence Science Centre at ICR and Imperial College and its predecessor (2016-2020). Earlier he held leadership positions at the CRUK Beatson Laboratories, University of Glasgow; the MRC Clinical Oncology Unit, Cambridge University; and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals (now AstraZeneca); and spent a sabbatical at Stanford University and SRI International, CA, USA. Paul is a serial entrepreneur – he was a co-founder of Chroma Therapeutics and Piramed Pharma (acquired by Roche); is a Science Partner at Nextech Invest; and is an adviser to several biotechnology companies. He also serves as Executive Director of the non-profit Chemical Probes Portal, a resource to inform the selection and use of high-quality small-molecule tools for biomedical research.