About Us | Board of Directors
James S. Manuso, Ph.D., MBA
Director
James S. Manuso, Ph.D., MBA is a biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry CEO and serial entrepreneur experienced in the foundation, management, financing, governance and sale of start-up, public, private, domestic and international companies with marketed and R&D-stage products. He has extensive investment banking, M&A, general management, and business, financial, corporate, and drug development expertise. Dr. Manuso has served as board chairman, and chairman of audit, governance and nominating, pricing and compensation committees of multiple companies’ boards. He has executed financings, M&A transactions and other deals for biotech and pharmaceutical companies in excess of $2 billion dollars and is considered a “financial expert” under Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.
Dr. Manuso is Chairman and CEO of two companies — Talfinium Investments, Inc., an investment entity, and Laurelside LLC, a family office. He serves on the board of Ocuphire, a Nasdaq-listed company (OCUP) developing Nyxol in advanced clinical trials for the treatment of multiple visual disorders. Dr. Manuso served as chairman and chief executive officer of Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTX), formerly SuperGen (NASDAQ: SUPG), from July 2011 until October, 2013, at which time he engineered a sale of the company to Otsuka Pharmaceuticals for $886MM. In 2011, Dr. Manuso spun out Astex technology that enabled the foundation and financing of Tolero Pharmaceuticals, sold to Sumitomo for up to $780MM in 2017. Previously, from January 2004 to July 2011, he served as chairman, president and CEO of SuperGen, a commercial-stage company, and as a director since February 2001. Dr. Manuso is co-founder and immediate past president and chief executive officer of Galenica Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He co-founded and served as Vice Chairman & EVP of Business Development for Symbiontics, Inc., (sold to BioMarin as ZyStor, Inc. for $110 Million). He co-founded and was general partner of PrimeTech Partners, a biotechnology venture management partnership, from 1998 to 2002, and Managing General Partner of The Channel Group LLC, an international life sciences corporate advisory firm which he co-founded.
James Bianco, M.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer
James Bianco, M.D. is a 30-year veteran of the biopharmaceutical industry. In 1991, Dr. Bianco founded CTI Biopharma, Inc. and from 1992 to 2016 was the Chief Executive Officer of CTI Biopharma. During his tenure at CTI Biopharma, Dr. Bianco was responsible for strategic portfolio development and identifying, acquiring, licensing, purchasing, or acquiring through international merger and acquisition, five drug candidates, four of which have since been approved by the FDA and with three receiving accelerated or conditional regulatory approval in the U.S. and/or E.U. Dr. Bianco was responsible for the purchase of pacritinib, a novel Jak2 inhibitor which was partnered with Baxalta for $60 million upfront and $120 million committed clinical trial reimbursement. Dr. Bianco designed and implemented the pacritinib PERSIST-2 phase 3 trial which was the basis for its accelerated approval and the subsequent acquisition of CTI Biopharma by SOBI for $1.75 billion.
Dr. Bianco earned his M.D. from the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine and completed his residency and chief residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He completed his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) where he was appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine, Assistant Member FHCRC and Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at a “Hutch” affiliate (SVAMC). He is the recipient of numerous awards including the National Organization of Rare Disease award for the development of Trisenox.
Alan F. List, M.D.
Director
Alan F. List, M.D., is an internationally recognized oncologist with more than 20 years of industry experience. For more than a decade, he worked at the Moffitt Cancer Center, where he was the president and chief executive officer at Moffitt Cancer Center for seven years. Dr. List is internationally recognized for his many contributions in the development of more effective treatment strategies for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). His pioneering work led to the development of lenalidomide (Revlimid®) from the laboratory to clinical trials, which went on to receive fast-track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and approval for the treatment of patients with MDS and multiple myeloma. This work transformed the natural history of MDS from a premalignant condition that progressed to cancer requiring aggressive treatment to a condition managed in the outpatient setting with medications.
Dr. List is the author of more than 425 peer-reviewed articles and books. He previously served as the President for the Society of Hematologic Oncology and a member of the MDS Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. List is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology and the American Association for Cancer Research. He is a Charter Fellow in the National Academy of Inventors, an inductee in the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, and holds 18 U.S. patents and >45 applications filed. Dr. List was 2016 recipient of the Celgene Career Achievement Award for Clinical Research in Hematology, and other recognitions including the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Merit Award, the J.P. McCarthy Foundation International Prize, the Emil J. Freireich Award, the Joshua Lederberg Society, and the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation Leadership in Science Award.
Dr. List currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Precision Biosciences: arguably the leading gene editing Company paving the way for the next frontier of therapeutic cell and gene editing therapies.
George Ng
Director
Mr. Ng, Co-Founder and Partner in PENG Life Ventures, is a seasoned life sciences industry executive. He has founded and/or led multiple companies, including Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he co-founded and led the company through development, clinical trials, NDA submission, FDA approval, a $140 million financing, commercial launch of the company’s first FDA-approved drug product, and company sale/merger. Mr. Ng has also held various other senior management positions, including Board Director, Managing Director, Chief Administrative Officer, Corporate Secretary, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, with publicly-traded and private, global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRNE), BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BDSI), Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPPI) and Alpharma, Inc. (now, a part of Pfizer Inc.). In these roles, Mr. Ng helped lead the development and commercialization efforts and launches of multiple pharmaceutical drug products. Previously, in private practice, Mr. Ng was a partner in two AMLAW 200 law firms, where he had leadership roles, including establishing the life sciences practice group for one firm and heading it as the national co-chair. Additionally, Mr. Ng is a current member of the Board of Directors for multiple companies, where he has led financings and transactions totaling more than $120 million in proceeds in the past year.
James S. Manuso, Ph.D., MBA
Director
James S. Manuso, Ph.D., MBA is a biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry CEO and serial entrepreneur experienced in the foundation, management, financing, governance and sale of start-up, public, private, domestic and international companies with marketed and R&D-stage products. He has extensive investment banking, M&A, general management, and business, financial, corporate, and drug development expertise. Dr. Manuso has served as board chairman, and chairman of audit, governance and nominating, pricing and compensation committees of multiple companies’ boards. He has executed financings, M&A transactions and other deals for biotech and pharmaceutical companies in excess of $2 billion dollars and is considered a “financial expert” under Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.
Dr. Manuso is Chairman and CEO of two companies — Talfinium Investments, Inc., an investment entity, and Laurelside LLC, a family office. He serves on the board of Ocuphire, a Nasdaq-listed company (OCUP) developing Nyxol in advanced clinical trials for the treatment of multiple visual disorders. Dr. Manuso served as chairman and chief executive officer of Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTX), formerly SuperGen (NASDAQ: SUPG), from July 2011 until October, 2013, at which time he engineered a sale of the company to Otsuka Pharmaceuticals for $886MM. In 2011, Dr. Manuso spun out Astex technology that enabled the foundation and financing of Tolero Pharmaceuticals, sold to Sumitomo for up to $780MM in 2017. Previously, from January 2004 to July 2011, he served as chairman, president and CEO of SuperGen, a commercial-stage company, and as a director since February 2001. Dr. Manuso is co-founder and immediate past president and chief executive officer of Galenica Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He co-founded and served as Vice Chairman & EVP of Business Development for Symbiontics, Inc., (sold to BioMarin as ZyStor, Inc. for $110 Million). He co-founded and was general partner of PrimeTech Partners, a biotechnology venture management partnership, from 1998 to 2002, and Managing General Partner of The Channel Group LLC, an international life sciences corporate advisory firm which he co-founded.
James Bianco, M.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer
James Bianco, M.D. is a 30-year veteran of the biopharmaceutical industry. In 1991, Dr. Bianco founded CTI Biopharma, Inc. and from 1992 to 2016 was the Chief Executive Officer of CTI Biopharma. During his tenure at CTI Biopharma, Dr. Bianco was responsible for strategic portfolio development and identifying, acquiring, licensing, purchasing, or acquiring through international merger and acquisition, five drug candidates, four of which have since been approved by the FDA and with three receiving accelerated or conditional regulatory approval in the U.S. and/or E.U. Dr. Bianco was responsible for the purchase of pacritinib, a novel Jak2 inhibitor which was partnered with Baxalta for $60 million upfront and $120 million committed clinical trial reimbursement. Dr. Bianco designed and implemented the pacritinib PERSIST-2 phase 3 trial which was the basis for its accelerated approval and the subsequent acquisition of CTI Biopharma by SOBI for $1.75 billion.
Dr. Bianco earned his M.D. from the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine and completed his residency and chief residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He completed his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) where he was appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine, Assistant Member FHCRC and Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at a “Hutch” affiliate (SVAMC). He is the recipient of numerous awards including the National Organization of Rare Disease award for the development of Trisenox.
Alan F. List, M.D.
Director
Alan F. List, M.D., is an internationally recognized oncologist with more than 20 years of industry experience. For more than a decade, he worked at the Moffitt Cancer Center, where he was the president and chief executive officer at Moffitt Cancer Center for seven years. Dr. List is internationally recognized for his many contributions in the development of more effective treatment strategies for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). His pioneering work led to the development of lenalidomide (Revlimid®) from the laboratory to clinical trials, which went on to receive fast-track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and approval for the treatment of patients with MDS and multiple myeloma. This work transformed the natural history of MDS from a premalignant condition that progressed to cancer requiring aggressive treatment to a condition managed in the outpatient setting with medications.
Dr. List is the author of more than 425 peer-reviewed articles and books. He previously served as the President for the Society of Hematologic Oncology and a member of the MDS Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. List is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology and the American Association for Cancer Research. He is a Charter Fellow in the National Academy of Inventors, an inductee in the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, and holds 18 U.S. patents and >45 applications filed. Dr. List was 2016 recipient of the Celgene Career Achievement Award for Clinical Research in Hematology, and other recognitions including the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Merit Award, the J.P. McCarthy Foundation International Prize, the Emil J. Freireich Award, the Joshua Lederberg Society, and the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation Leadership in Science Award.
Dr. List currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Precision Biosciences: arguably the leading gene editing Company paving the way for the next frontier of therapeutic cell and gene editing therapies.
George Ng
Director
Mr. Ng, Co-Founder and Partner in PENG Life Ventures, is a seasoned life sciences industry executive. He has founded and/or led multiple companies, including Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he co-founded and led the company through development, clinical trials, NDA submission, FDA approval, a $140 million financing, commercial launch of the company’s first FDA-approved drug product, and company sale/merger. Mr. Ng has also held various other senior management positions, including Board Director, Managing Director, Chief Administrative Officer, Corporate Secretary, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, with publicly-traded and private, global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRNE), BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BDSI), Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPPI) and Alpharma, Inc. (now, a part of Pfizer Inc.). In these roles, Mr. Ng helped lead the development and commercialization efforts and launches of multiple pharmaceutical drug products. Previously, in private practice, Mr. Ng was a partner in two AMLAW 200 law firms, where he had leadership roles, including establishing the life sciences practice group for one firm and heading it as the national co-chair. Additionally, Mr. Ng is a current member of the Board of Directors for multiple companies, where he has led financings and transactions totaling more than $120 million in proceeds in the past year.