Management

Charles Stacey, MD

President & CEO

Dr. Stacey has over 15 years of experience in healthcare; working as a healthcare provider, executive, entrepreneur and investor. Prior to joining Cerecin, he was with Inventages, the Nestlé backed venture capital and private equity group, with $1.5Bn under management. Here he led the CNS interest as well as the funds interest in Asia. Prior to Inventages, Dr. Stacey ran an orthopedic medical device company and worked for a number of early stage healthcare companies.

Charles serves on the Board of Governors for the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs. Dr. Stacey received his medical degree from King’s College London and practiced as a trauma and reconstructive surgeon. His undergraduate degree and research were in the neurosciences at University of College London. Dr. Stacey also completed an MBA at the London Business School and the Wharton School.

Samuel Henderson, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Henderson brings more than 15 years of experience in neurodegenerative disease research. Previously, he investigated the genetics of aging at University of Colorado and was the Lead Scientist at GenoPlex, Inc. researching anti-aging technologies. Dr. Henderson received his PhD in molecular genetics and cell biology from the University of Chicago, and his BA in biology from Washington University.

Jerris Knaisch

VP, Finance & North American Operations

Ms. Knaisch has over 20 years of experience in corporate finance; in small to mid-sized growth companies, across multiple industries, including biotech, software, and sustainable development. Ms. Knaisch oversees financial management for Cerecin, and provides leadership in strategic business planning, accounting and budgeting models. Jerris holds an MBA and a BS in accounting.

Marc Cantillon

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Cantillon brings over 25 years of experience leading clinical development programs from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Merck. Most recently, he was Chief Medical Officer of Reviva Pharmaceuticals and prior to this, Chief Medical Officer of Green Valley Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Cantillon was also the founding Executive Medical Director of the CAMD (Coalition Against Major Diseases) at the FDA-partnership Critical Path Institute. He received his MD medical degree from Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, specialty training internal medicine, psychiatry and geriatrics at Cornell and Mount Sinai New York and neuropsychopharmacology at NIH. Dr. Cantillon completed Business Administration courses at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Milan Vinnola

General Counsel

Milan has over twenty years of multidisciplinary legal experience including intellectual property, transactional, corporate, and regulatory counseling, primarily working with companies on the cutting edge of life sciences technologies with specialization in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Prior to joining Cerecin, she was a partner at the law firm of Polsinelli PC, and previously worked at several other international law firms. Milan received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas, her M.S. in Engineering and Applied Physics in Biomedicine from the Johns Hopkins University, and her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Julie Liu

Vice President of R&D and CMC

Julie is a qualified Pharmacist who possesses 30+ years of extensive experience in pharmaceutical R&D Operations. Before joining Cerecin, she led the Drug Design, Science & Technology (in Australia) and Complex Formulation (in the USA) with Pfizer HBU R&D where she oversaw their Value Add and Complex Generic drug development. Prior to Pfizer, she was Senior Vice President, Innovation & Development (Mature & Emerging Markets) with Fresenius Kabi Germany where she managed FK’s Innovation & Development Centers located in China, Austria, India, Brazil and Indonesia, and also responsible for new product registration and for global markets. In Julie’s 5 years with Sandoz, she was Regional Head, APAC & MEA for Manufacturing Science & Technology based in Singapore and prior to this, she was the Head of Global Development & Regulatory, Oncology Injectable based in Austria. Julie is based in Melbourne, Australia.

Lilian Chow

Vice President of Clinical Operations and Regulatory Affairs

As Vice President of Clinical Operations and Regulatory Affairs at Cerecin, a brain health company, Lilian leads all clinical and regulatory operations for Cerecin, including the clinical development for migraine, infantile spasms, Alzheimer’s disease and other CNS indications. Lilian is also an integral part of Cerecin’s business growth as it aims to develop unique therapeutics for the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases.

Lilian has more than 20 years of experience in clinical research, drug development and regulatory affairs, including clinical operations expertise across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific for CNS and oncology indications.

Prior to Cerecin, Lilian was with ASLAN Pharmaceuticals as Vice President, Clinical Operations, Research & Development, where she was responsible for leading the advancement of several investigational compounds in various stages of development for different oncological indications. Prior to ASLAN, she was with Lundbeck, a CNS therapeutics leader, working on global registration studies.

Lilian is a qualified pharmacist and holds a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) degree with Honours from National University of Singapore. She graduated from Queensland University of Technology, Australia with a Master’s degree in Management in Research & Development.

Board Of Directors

Wolfgang Reichenberger

Mr. Reichenberger joined Inventages as general partner in 2005. At Inventages, he invests in innovative start-up and buy-out companies in the fields of prevention, nutrition, pharmaceutical and wellness. He was formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, where he had a successful 30 year career. He grew through international management positions in different countries, culminating in 5 years as global Chief Financial Officer, 2001-2005.

Claude Nash

Dr. Nash brings more than 25 years of executive management experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to Cerecin. Dr. Nash has served as the CEO of Bloodstone Ventures, Chairman of SelectX and a Director of Adolor Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he was the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of ViroPharma Inc. where he oversaw the development of several antiviral drugs. Prior to founding ViroPharma, Dr. Nash was Vice President of infectious disease and cancer research at the Schering-Plough Research Institute. Dr. Nash earned his PhD in microbial genetics and biochemistry from Colorado State University.

Charles Stacey, MD

Dr. Stacey has over 15 years of experience in healthcare; working as a healthcare provider, executive, entrepreneur and investor. Prior to joining Cerecin, he was with Inventages, the Nestlé backed venture capital and private equity group, with $1.5Bn under management. Here he led the CNS interest as well as the funds interest in Asia. Prior to Inventages, Dr. Stacey ran an orthopedic medical device company and worked for a number of early stage healthcare companies.

Charles serves on the Board of Governors for the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs. Dr. Stacey received his medical degree from King’s College London and practiced as a trauma and reconstructive surgeon. His undergraduate degree and research were in the neurosciences at University of College London. Dr. Stacey also completed an MBA at the London Business School and the Wharton School.

Hans-Juergen Woerle

Hans-Juergen is responsible for the company’s global research and development strategy including translational science, clinical development, regulatory affairs, market access and medical affairs. The portfolios on which he and his teamwork span from pediatric allergies, to oncology, to obesity and diabetes, to inborn errors of metabolism and more.

He is a board-certified physician and specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology holding an adjunct professorship at University of Ulm, where he held student seminars in internal medicine, bed-side teaching courses and lectured on diabetes/metabolic syndrome and its complications. He has authored more than 200 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals. With his experience in academic nutraceutical research and pharmaceutical drug development and more than 20 years in international healthcare, Hans-Juergen has progressed several preclinical molecules towards proof in humans and led eight new pharmaceutical products through international registration and launches.

With a dedication to fitness and sports, Hans-Juergen is passionate in his personal as well as professional life about the link between nutrition and good health.

Hans-Juergen earned his medical degree at Ludwig Maximilian University. He is originally from Munich, Germany is married and has two children.

Gurpreet Vohra

Gurpreet Vohra serves as CEO of Goodman Fielder and Head of Business Development at Wilmar International Limited Singapore. Gurpreet has vast experience in banking and finance industry having worked in Goldman Sachs for 10 years and Standard Chartered Bank for 7 years. At Standard Chartered Bank, Gurpreet led the mining and metals industry group for Asia advising and financing several companies in the sector. At Goldman Sachs, Gurpreet advised several companies in finance, telecom, retail and infrastructure on large mergers and acquisitions. Gurpreet also has experience as a principal investor in natural resources/commodities sectors during his time at Goldman Sachs. Gurpreet graduated with B.E. (Electrical), from Regional Engineering College, Surat, India (First Class) in 1996. He also holds an MBA (Finance) from S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai, India in 1999.

KiKab Kim

Mr. Kim is CEO and founder of K&T Partners, a cross-border financial services company specializing in IPO services. Before joining Cerecin’s board of directors, Mr Kim spent nearly 20 years as an investor and a leader of IPO advisory services. His firm, K&T Partners, guides companies looking to list publicly in Asian markets, providing fundraising and IPO related services to overseas biotech companies. Before establishing K&T partners in 2011, Mr. Kim held various roles at Citibank Korea and Woori Financial Securities. With the help of experience and knowledge gained in the industry, he served as an inviting instructor in the National Tax Service Investigation Bureau and Property Taxation Bureau for six years. Mr. Kim is also a published author of 5 books on finance.

Scientific Advisory Board

Dr Jeffrey Cummings

Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, ScD, is Director, Center for Neurodegeneration and Translational Neuroscience of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada and Professor of Medicine (Neurology), Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He was formerly Director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and Camille and Larry Ruvo Chair for Brain Health. Before coming to Cleveland Clinic. Dr Cummings was Augustus Rose Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at UCLA, Director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research at UCLA, and Director of the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA. He has authored or edited 43 books and published over 700 peer-reviewed papers. He is interested in clinical trials, developing new therapies for brain diseases, and the interface of neuroscience and society.

Dr Martin Farlow

Dr. Farlow is Professor, Department of Neurology at Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center. He has been involved in research and clinical care of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease (AD) and other dementing conditions, for almost 30 years. He has published in both clinical and basic science areas of AD and related dementias with emphasis on investigational drug trials, molecular genetics, and biological markers for AD. He was Principal Investigator for the described second family in the world with mutation-associated Alzheimer’s disease, and is co-holder for the first successful animal model for Alzheimer’s disease (the PD-APP Mouse). He is Associate Director of the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Associate Leader Clinical Core of the Indiana ADC. He serves on and Chairs numerous Data Safety Monitoring Boards and Advisory Boards to industry. He is a frequent lecturer locally and nationally. He is the Principal Investigator of the Indiana site of the AD Cooperative Study Unit investigating novel treatments of AD and the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. He is Co-PI for DISCOVER study and is Principal Investigator for of the Indiana Site for the Multi-Center Development of A Novel Diagnostic Test for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dr Michael Weiner

Dr. Weiner has been doing research for over 50 years and is the Principal Investigator of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, aimed at validating biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. He also launched BrainHealthRegistry.org, to accelerate development of effective treatments for brain diseases. His overall research goals are to participate in the development of effective treatments and methods for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders. In 1980, Dr. Weiner was one of the first investigators to use nuclear magnetic resonance to investigate the metabolism of organs inside a living animal. This technique subsequently became magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). In 1988, his group used MRS to show that the amino acid, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a marker of healthy nerve cells, is reduced in the epileptic focus in the brain. This marker is now used to help identify the epileptic focus prior to surgery in epilepsy patients.

In 2004, Dr. Weiner’s group reported that reduced NAA predicts development of Alzheimer’s disease in mildly impaired elderly subjects. They have also demonstrated that brain blood flow is reduced in Alzheimer’s disease and in patients with mild impairment. Dr. Weiner has over 800 published articles. In 2006, Dr. Weiner received the William S. Middleton Award, the highest scientific honor bestowed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2010, he was named one of the “Rock Stars of Science”. He also received the Gold Medal of Paul Sabatier University and the City of Toulouse, France. In 2011, he received the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Award from the Alzheimer’s Association. In 2012, he received the Potamkin Award from the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation.

Dr Bruno Vellas

Professor Vellas (MD, PhD) is currently Chairman of the Toulouse Gerontopole, Chief Of the Department Of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the Toulouse University Hospital, and Chief Of Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Research Centre, University of Toulouse and of INSERM (National Institute Of Medical Research) 1027 Unit on Aging. He is also Past-president of the IAGG (International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics). Professor Vellas obtained his medical degree (MD) and PhD from the Paul Sabatier University, Academy of Toulouse, and for more than 20 years has been involved in large trials in Alzheimer’s disease and in frailty. Professor Vellas has published over 637 articles in the field, particularly on Alzheimer’s and disease modifying treatment, frailty, and sarcopenia. Prof. Vellas is the founder of the E.A.D.C. (European Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium).

Dr Christopher Chen

Dr Christopher Chen studied pre-clinical medicine at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, where he majored in Physiology & Psychology. His clinical training was at the University of Oxford where he where he was a Research Fellow jointly with the Institute of Neurology, London. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore and Director of the Memory Aging and Cognition Centre, National University Health System. Since returning to Singapore in 1995, Dr Chen has developed a comprehensive multi-disciplinary dementia programme and encouraged collaborative research in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. His current focus is on developing a regional network for innovative trials into conditions prevalent and pertinent to Asia. In addition, he has developed a Trials Unit focusing on stroke and dementia with wide international collaborations. His major research and clinical interests are in neurochemistry, molecular biology and treatment of stroke and dementia. He is currently the Principal Investigator of several investigator initiated trials, as well as cohort studies investigating the natural history, risk factors and biomarkers and treatments to prevent cognitive impairment and dementia due to cerebrovascular disease and neurodegeneration.

Prof. Chua Nam-Hai

Professor Chua is Chief Scientific Advisor, Wilmar International Limited, Deputy Chairman, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory and Distinguished Visiting Professor, Biochemistry Department, National University of Singapore. Also a Fellow of the UK Royal Society, an Academician of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, and a Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Professor Chua has advised government organisations, institutions and MNCs worldwide, including Monsanto, DUPONT, Sumitomo Chemical Corporation, and biotechnology-related entities. He received his B.Sc. from University of Singapore; AM and Ph.D from Harvard University; and an honorary doctorate from Nanyang Technology University. He was awarded Public Administration Medal (Gold) by the Singapore Government in 2002.