Immunotherapy advancements: transforming cancer treatment

Steve Worland, PhD, President & Chief Executive Officer of eFFECTOR Therapeutics

Dr Steve Worland has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our board of directors since our inception in May 2012. Previously, Dr. Worland served as Chief Executive Officer of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from August 2007 until its acquisition by Roche Holding AG in 2011. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Worland served as its Chief Scientific Officer and President, Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Worland was Vice President and Head of Antiviral Research at Pfizer Inc. and Vice President at WarnerLambert Co., where he was responsible for worldwide anti-infectives strategy. Dr. Worland has served on the board of directors of Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, since February 2015. Dr. Worland was an NIH postdoctoral fellow in molecular biology at Harvard University and completed a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his B.S. with Highest Honors in Biological Chemistry from the University of Michigan.

Keir Loiacono, Esq., Chief Executive Officer of BlueSphere Bio

Mr Loiacono brings nearly 20 year of transactional experience from the biotech, pharmaceutical and medtech industries. A patent lawyer by training, Mr Loiacono represented companies of various sizes in all stages of transactions, including licensing and M & A. As a seasoned life sciences executive in the oncology sector, he has extensive experience raising capital in the public capital market space and closed numerous deals including licenses, clinical collaborations and strategic transactions with significant upfront payments. Prior to being appointed Chief Executive Officer, Mr Loiacono served as Chief Business Officer for BlueSphere.

Prior to joining BlueSphere, Mr Loiacono was the Vice President of Business Development and General Counsel of OncoSec Medical Inc., a public, clinical-stage oncology company. Earlier in his career, he worked as a senior director for Advaxis, Inc., a late stage, publicly traded, immuno-oncology company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing cancer vaccines, where he oversaw various legal, transaction and compliance functions. Before Advaxis, Mr Loiacono was an IP attorney with Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik, where he focused on transactions and building patent portfolios. For nearly a decade before this role, he held various commercial roles with OraPharma, a specialty pharmaceutical company that was purchased by Johnson & Johnson. He also serves on the Board of Directors for EpiAxis Therapuetics, an early-stage drug discovery company focusing on the LSD-1 pathway.