About Us

Rana Al-Hallaq, Ph.D.
Pfizer Ventures

Rana Al-Hallaq, PhD is Executive Director and Partner at Pfizer Ventures. Rana leverages her preclinical, clinical, and business development experience to assess, invest in, and manage equity investments for Pfizer Ventures. She currently has responsibility for Pfizer’s investments in ReCode Therapeutics (Menlo Park, CA; Dallas, TX), Vivet Therapeutics (Paris, France), Mitokinin, Inc. (San Francisco, CA), Autifony Therapeutics Ltd. (Stevenage, UK), Blade Therapeutics (South San Francisco, CA), RefleXion Medical (Hayward, CA), Montis (Leuven, Belgium), Biograph55 (San Francisco, CA), Jnana Therapeutics (Boston, MA), Arkuda (Cambridge, MA), and the Dementia Discovery Fund (London, UK) among others. Prior to her current role, Rana was a Transactionalist in Worldwide Business Development at Pfizer where she was responsible for negotiating and transacting licenses, acquisitions, and partnerships across therapeutic areas. Rana joined Pfizer in 2015 as an Early Candidate Clinical Lead where she advised early clinical programs in CNS to ensure alignment with business strategies. Prior to joining Pfizer, she held roles at Allergan (formerly Actavis, formerly Forest Laboratories), first in Clinical Development Psychiatry as scientific and operational lead on Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies investigating novel treatments for Major Depressive Disorder and schizophrenia, and later in Business Development where she assessed and executed on a number of acquisitions and licenses across therapeutic areas. She began her training as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Rana graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Biology from Hamilton College and holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Georgetown University Medical Center.

Nessan Bermingham, Ph.D.
Executive Chairman

Nessan Bermingham is Executive Chairman of Triplet Therapeutics, Inc. He is a serial biotech entrepreneur and investor who has founded several companies including Triplet, Korro Bio and Intellia Therapeutics, “one of the top 10 biotech start-ups in 2014” and a “Fierce 15 biotech company,” taking the company from concept to IPO and large partnering deals with approximately 200 employees. He has nearly two decades of experience in Life Sciences startups and investments, including small molecules, biologics, medical devices, and diagnostics through venture, public, and secondary markets. As a venture partner at Atlas Venture and managing partner at Omega Funds, he successfully invested in and managed multiple investments across the United States and Europe. Currently he is also a venture partner at Atlas Venture and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of F-star and Akrevia Therapeutics. He served as Intellia’s President and CEO from inception until December 2017. Previously he was an independent advisory board member of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and MerckSerono KGaA. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Imperial College London and was a Howard Hughes Associate Fellow at Baylor College of Medicine. He is an avid mountain biker, snowboarder and trail runner.

Jean-François Formela, MD
Atlas Venture

Jean-François Formela is a partner and focuses on novel drug discovery approaches and therapeutics. He joined Atlas Venture in 1993 to build the U.S. life sciences franchise.

He is a director and co-founder of IFM Therapeutics, Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NTLA), Korro Bio, and Triplet Therapeutics. Jean-François also serves on the boards of Ikena Oncology (NASDAQ: IKNA) and Scorpion Therapeutics.

Some of his prior investments include Arteaus Therapeutics (acquired by Eli Lilly), CoStim Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Novartis), Exelixis (NASDAQ: EXEL) and Translate Bio (NASDAQ: TBIO, acquired by Sanofi).

Jean-François received his M.D. from Paris University School of Medicine and his M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Douglas Kerr MD/PhD/MBA
Independent Director

Doug is a neurologist and neuroscientist with over 120 publications in medical journals. He has led the development of several therapies for neurologic and rare genetic diseases while working in the biotechnology industry. He has participated on the boards and SABs of several non-profit organizations, including the Transverse Myelitis Association, CureSMA and the ALS Association as well as several biotechnology companies. Doug has been actively involved in gene and cell therapy programs and is on the Scientific Review Panel of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

Doug graduated from Princeton university with a degree in molecular biology where he worked with Paul Schedl and Nobel Laureate Christiane Nusslein-Volhard on developmental genes in drosophila. Doug then completed an MD/PhD program from Jefferson Medical College with his research dissertation in molecular neurovirology.

After completing a neurology residency at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore Maryland, Doug served on the faculty Johns Hopkins for 10 years. He had appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Doug ran a lab that investigated fundamental aspects of motor neuron/axon biology, provided direct patient care and ran clinical trials, mainly spinal cord and neuromuscular disorders.

Doug then joined Biogen to lead their efforts in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Doug was the global lead for a series of programs in Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Doug led the team that developed the drug Spinraza, now approved for SMA.

After Biogen, Doug ran the development activities of the rare neuroscience programs at Shire, including those in lysosomal storage disorders as well as a series of programs in neurodegenerative disorders and gene therapy candidates.

In 2017, Doug joined Generation Bio as the EVP, head of Research and Development/CSO. Generation Bio is a biotech company focused on non-viral gene therapy approaches to genetic diseases.

Elizabeth Stoner, M.D.
MPM Capital

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Stoner is the Senior Clinical Advisor of AlloVir (NASDAQ: ALVR), an ElevateBio company, and was most recently the company’s interim CMO. She also serves as Senior Clinical Advisor to Rhythm Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RYTM). Liz is a distinguished biopharma executive, who brings decades of international industry experience to her role guiding and growing MPM portfolio companies.

Liz has held several leadership roles at MPM portfolio companies including interim CEO of Semma Therapeutics; founder, CMO and Chief Development Officer (CDO) of Rhythm and the CDO of Vascular Pharmaceuticals. She also served in clinical and advisory roles at Clinical Ink, Potenza Therapeutics, Solasia and TriNetX. Liz is a member of the Cures Acceleration Network Review Board of the National Center for Advisory Translations Sciences of the NIH to represent viewpoints of drug development and venture capital professionals regarding the discovery and development of therapeutics, diagnostics and devices.

Prior to joining MPM, Liz was Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Development Operations at Merck Research Laboratories where she was responsible for its clinical development activities in more than 40 countries. While at Merck, she also oversaw the clinical development activities of its Japanese subsidiary and played a leading role in Merck/Schering Plough Joint Venture’s development of Vytorin and Zetia, blockbuster cholesterol lowering drugs. Previously, she led the 5-alpha reductase clinical development program, establishing Merck as a leader in the field of prostate disease. As Endocrine Therapeutic Head at Merck, her responsibilities included all steroid and lipid metabolism, as well as the bisphosphonate and growth hormone secretagogue clinical research programs. Prior to joining the biopharma industry, she was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Cornell University Medical College. Liz currently serves on the boards of Vascular Pharmaceuticals and Momenta Pharmaceuticals. She is also a member of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Board of Governors, and the Weill Cornell Medical College Clinical and Translational Science Center External Advisory Board.

Liz received her M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, her M.S. in Chemistry from SUNY at Stony Brook and her B.S. in Chemistry from Ottawa University, KS.

Stephen Webster
Independent Director

Mr. Webster served as the Chief Financial Officer of Spark Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company, since July 2014. He was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company, from July 2012 until its acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in October 2013. Prior to joining Optimer, Mr. Webster served as SVP and Chief Financial Officer of Adolor Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, from 2008 until its acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2011. From 2007 until joining Adolor Corporation in 2008, Mr. Webster served as Managing Director, Investment Banking Division, Health Care Group for Broadpoint Capital Inc. (formerly First Albany Capital). Mr. Webster served as co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer for Neuronyx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from 2000 to 2006. Mr. Webster previously served in positions of increased responsibility, including as Director, Investment Banking Division, Health Care Group for PaineWebber Incorporated. Mr. Webster has served as a director of Nabriva Therapeutics plc, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, since August 2016 and Viking Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, since May 2014. Mr. Webster received an A.B. in economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.