Chairman of the Board
Prior to founding Antigen Discovery, Inc., Dr. Felgner was Chief Scientific Officer and founder of Vical, Inc. (Nasdaq: VICL) where, he completed an initial public offering of common stock for $80 million. Vical has raised net proceeds of approximately $370 million from the sale of equity securities since its inception. Dr. Felgner has over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, including senior research positions at Syntex Research and the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Felgner currently holds 38 issued patents and 116 published scientific papers. For his numerous biotechnology innovations Dr. Felgner received the Southern California 1996 “Inventor of the Year” award. Dr. Felgner received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Neuroscience from Michigan State University and also completed Postdoctoral training in Biophysics at University of Virginia.
Board Member, President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Liang has over 17 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and has a distinguished career in developing and commercializing novel technology platforms in various aspects of molecular biology, cell biology, and proteomics. Before joining Antigen Discovery, Inc., Dr. Liang served as Lead Scientist of Biodefense Division at Life Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: LIFE), where he introduced and commercialized the first Multiplex-PCR based detection system for biothreat agents known as PathAlertTM. Prior to Life Technologies, Dr. Liang was the scientific co-founder and Departmental Manager of Molecular Biology at Gene Therapy Systems, where he was involved in the development of several novel tools for molecular and proteomic research, including the patented Transcriptionally Active PCR (TAP) system for high throughput gene expression. His prior experience also includes a senior research position at Vical, Inc. Under his leadership, Antigen Discovery, Inc. has quickly become a recognized industry leader in the use of high throughput proteomics for antigen and biomarker discovery. Dr. Liang received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from University of California, San Diego at the Salk Institute, his Postdoctoral training at University of California, Berkley, and executive training in Leadership and Strategy in Pharmaceuticals and Biotech at Harvard Business School.
Director, Product Development
Dr. Hermanson has 20 years of biotechnology experience in vaccine research, development, and manufacturing. Before joining Antigen Discovery, Inc., Dr. Hermanson held leadership roles in molecular biology, fermentation, GMP manufacturing, regulatory affairs, and vaccine development projects at Vical, Inc. Dr. Hermanson played a lead role in initiating human clinical trials for multiple vaccine candidates including, but not limited to, Anthrax, CMV, WNV and melanoma at Vical, Inc. Dr. Hermanson’s prior experience includes senior research and leadership roles at Epimmune and Cytel. He is an author of 30 publications and holds seven patents. Dr. Hermanson received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles and Postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute.
Associate Director, Proteomics
Dr. Molina joined Antigen Discovery, Inc. in 2004 and has played a major role in the development of Antigen Discovery, Inc.’s novel high-throughput screening platform. He has over 10 years of experience in the fields of proteomics and biomarker discovery. He is an author of 16 peer reviewed scientific articles and reference material on the use of high density protein microarrays for the discovery of disease associated molecules. In addition to being a leader in protein microarray research, he has extensive experience in molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology, genomics and protein science. Dr. Molina received his Ph.D. Biological Sciences from the interdisciplinary graduate program in Molecular Biology, Genetics and Biochemistry at University of California, Irvine.
Board Member, Chief Operating Officer
Ms. Yee brings over 15 years of financial and management experience to our organization. Prior to joining Antigen Discovery, Inc., she held a significant role in accounting and managed all functional departments for CoreValve, Inc., a “start-up”, medical device company, later acquired by Medtronic, Inc., (NYSE: MDT). She has held several financial management positions including Vice President of Finance at CETI and NTD technologies. She has been serving as a business consultant in the computer product distribution, market research, retail, and manufacturing industries. Most recently she was the Corporate Controller at Thuris Corporation, a medical device and pharmaceutical company. Ms. Yee earned her B.S. degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of California, Riverside.
Director, Sales and Marketing
Mr. Weiss joined Antigen Discovery, Inc. (ADI) to direct the expansion and management of its medical device and service businesses. He has a broad business experience in the diagnostics and life science industry. As an innovative leader with 15+ years of sales and marketing experience, he has a proven track record of building teams to deliver business critical results. Mr. Weiss came to ADI from Cellestis, Inc. where he served as a Vice President of Sales and he built sales, technical, and customer service teams. Prior to that from 1990 to 2005, Mr. Weiss held various sales and marketing positions at Dupont, Irvine Scientific, and CliniQA. He finished his career at CliniQA as the Marketing Manager. Mr. Weiss earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado.
ADVISORY BOARD
Advisor and Board Member
Chief Scientific Officer, Exiqon
Dr. French has a broad background as a scientific, technical, and business strategist with more than 15 years of proven performance in life science, in vitro diagnostics, and biotechnology. Dr. French has recently held the position of Vice President of Affymetrix’s clinical service laboratory business and laboratory research program. Dr. French has led research and product development programs at Quest Diagnostics, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Diagnostic Products Corporation, Reprogen and DuPont, focusing on commercialization of molecular and immuno-based diagnostic products and services. Dr. French received a Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine and conducted Postdoctoralwork in molecular genetics and vaccine development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
Advisor and Board Member
Chief Technical Officer, Aurora Biotechnologies
Mr. Coassin has over 27 years of experience in the invention, development and commercialization of various life science innovations and holds 38 issued patents in technology with numerous applications pending. Inventions include: Instrumentation and methods for automated peptide synthesis; DNA synthesis methods, including the synthesis of DNA arrays for human diagnostics and a new cyclo olefin microplate technology. Mr. Coassin held senior scientist and management positions at Milligen, Millipore, Beckman Coulter, Aurora Biosciences and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Coassin graduated from Tufts University with Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Biology.
