Directors
Dr. Mei Yee Koh
Dr. Koh is Founder/Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kuda Therapeutics. She has an established record of accomplishment in hypoxia and HIF signaling, and has contributed to the development of a number of novel cancer therapies such as PX478 (HIF-1α inhibitor) and PX-12 (thioredoxin inhibitor), all currently in clinical trials. Dr. Koh is a USTAR professor (Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative) at the University of Utah, and an Investigator at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She has previously served on the faculty of the SBP Medical Discovery Institute (La Jolla, CA), and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX). She received her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology at the University of Manchester, UK mentored by Professor Caroline Dive (University of Manchester) and Professor Paul Workman (Institute of Cancer Research, London). She completed her postdoctoral training at the Arizona Cancer Center, and at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Mr. Travis Ehlinger
Mr. Ehlinger is co-Founder/Director and Chief Financial Officer of Kuda Therapeutics. A seasoned business executive and risk management professional, Mr. Ehlinger has managed Kuda’s financial and legal affairs from its inception. He brings over 20 years’ experience in financial structuring and operations to the role. Mr. Ehlinger earned his BS-Eng from the University of Texas at Austin, and his MBA from Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Robert Lippert
Mr. Robert Lippert is an Independent Director of Kuda Therapeutics. Mr. Lippert has more than 30 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical and drug delivery industry. He possesses executive leadership and senior management experience as well as a deep functional understanding of corporate development, alliance management, product development, sales/marketing, and finance. In 2017, Mr. Lippert co-founded Permeatus, a pharmaceutical company focused on transdermal drug delivery. Previously, Mr. Lippert was CEO at ZARS Pharma, a Salt Lake City based pain management company. Prior to ZARS Pharma, Mr. Lippert held several senior management positions including CEO of Procertus BioPharm, and Sr. Vice President at Medeva PLC. Mr. Lippert began his career at Ohmeda/BOC where he worked in the finance, marketing, and business development departments. Mr. Lippert received a BA in Animal Biology and BBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters Business Administration from Marquette University.
Advisory Board
Dr. Hariprasad Vankayalapati
Dr. Vankalayapati is currently Chief Scientific Officer at Arrien Pharmaceuticals, and Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Center for Investigational Therapeutics of Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), where he leads drug discovery programs under the accelerator therapeutics initiative at the institute. He holds Ph.D., and M. Pharm degrees in Medicinal Chemistry from the Institute of Chemical Technology (formally UDCT) of University of Mumbai and University of Karnatak in India. He completed his Post-Doctoral training in Organic Chemistry from University of Sunderland in England and Medicinal Chemistry from University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson, AZ, USA.
Dr. Steven Warner
A biologist by training, Dr. Warner has extensive expertise in oncology drug development in the context of biotechnology startups, and a strong record of successful and productive research in the discovery and development of new cancer drugs. Dr. Warner has a broad background in molecular and cell biology as well as in assay development, high-throughput drug screening, and in the use of cell-based and animal models for drug development. Dr. Warner is an expert in the discovery and commercial development of novel anti-cancer agents and during the past 13 years, has led development and commercialization efforts at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), SuperGen, Inc and the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Dr. Warner’s leadership has contributed to the advancement of seven novel small molecules into clinical trials. He is currently Senior Vice President Head of Translational Research and Medicine at Sumitomo Pharma America. Dr. Warner received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Science from the University of Arizona and completed his postdoctoral training in pancreatic cancer at TGen.
Dr. Eric Jonasch
Dr. Jonasch is a Professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, at the U.T.M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, TX, where he is also Co-Chair of the Renal Cancer Program. Dr. Jonasch also serves as Director of the Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) Clinical Center in Houston, and is Vice Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) panel for kidney cancer. Dr. Jonasch holds numerous consultantships including as medical advisory board member for the VHL Family Alliance (Boston, MA), and board member of the International Kidney Cancer Coalition. Dr. Jonasch received his MD degree from the McGill Medical School in Montreal, Canada, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.
Dr. Dinesh Patel
Dr. Patel has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry spanning all stages of biotechnology drug development. Dr. Patel has founded or co-founded over ten pharma/biotech companies, including TheraTech, a pharmaceutical company which was acquired by Watson Pharmaceuticals (now Actavis) for $350 million. Dr. Patel is a co-founder of vSpring Capital (now Signal Peak Ventures), an early stage venture capital firm with $450 million under management. Dr. Patel is currently founding partner and managing director of Patel Family Investments. Dr. Patel earned his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Gujarat University, a master’s degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and his Ph.D. in pharmacy from the University of Michigan.