Neil Warma
Jaye Thompson, Ph.D.
Donna R. Rill
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Neil Warma
President and Chief Executive Officer Neil Warma has more than 15 years of executive-level experience in the life sciences industry in the U.S., Europe and Canada. Prior to joining Opexa in June 2008, Mr. Warma served as president and chief executive officer of Viron Therapeutics Inc. (2004-2007), a privately-held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of protein therapeutics. While at Viron, Mr. Warma positioned the company as a leader in the treatment of serious inflammatory disorders. From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Warma was co-founder and president of MedExact USA, Inc., an Internet company providing clinical information and services to physicians and pharmaceutical companies, which was ultimately sold to a large public European firm. Prior to MedExact, Mr. Warma held senior positions of increasing responsibility at Novartis Pharmaceuticals (previously Ciba-Geigy Ltd.) at its corporate headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. While at Novartis he was appointed head of international pharmaceutical policy and advocacy, a role in which he worked closely with all Novartis affiliates on numerous issues related to drug development. In addition, Mr. Warma took on a senior management role within global marketing at Novartis where he worked on the international launch of a potential blockbuster gastrointestinal product. Mr. Warma obtained an honors degree specializing in neuroscience from the University of Toronto and an International M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Management at York University in Toronto. Top Jaye Thompson, Ph.D. Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs Jaye Thompson has more than 20 years of experience in the clinical research industry. Prior to joining Opexa, she was the Senior Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and Emerging Biotechnologies at inVentiv Clinical Solutions, LLC , a full-serve contract research organization. She assisted companies in product development by providing guidance in the areas of clinical and regulatory affairs. In addition, she was the senior executive in the office located in The Woodlands, Texas. Prior to its acquisition by inVentiv in 2006, Dr. Thompson was President and Founder of SYNERGOS, Inc, a leading contract research organization based in The Woodlands, Texas. Under her leadership, SYNERGOS (founded in 1991) grew and gained a reputation as one of the foremost clinical research organizations in the region. She started her career as a Biostatistician and Project Leader for Applied Logic Associates. Through her contract research experience, Dr. Thompson has advised a number of life science companies on strategic planning, clinical product development and regulatory affairs. She has directed and managed statistical analysis, data management, report writing, and conduct of clinical trials for a wide variety of indications. In addition, she has been actively involved in over 200 clinical trials for drugs, biologics, and devices. She has directed and managed the data management, statistical analysis and report writing for multiple FDA submissions, including 6 NDAs and 3 PMAs. Moreover, she has frequently represented Sponsor companies at FDA meetings and advisory committee meetings and teleconferences. Dr. Thompson holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics from Texas A&M University and an MS and a PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She serves on the Board of Directors for Repros Therapeutics Inc, Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization Executive Board, the MD Anderson Technology Review Committee and the BioHouston Associate Advisory Board. Top Donna R. Rill Senior Vice President of Operations Donna Rill has nearly 30 years of extensive clinical and research laboratory experience in cell and gene therapy research and clinical application, immunological techniques and assessment, microbiology, diagnostic virology, experimental design and method development and implementation. She brings her expertise in the areas of laboratory development and operations, FDA cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) and regulatory compliance, quality control/assurance system development and clinical Standards of Practice. She has worked to design, and qualify cGMP Cell & Gene Therapy Laboratories, cGMP Vector Production facilities, and Translational Research Labs at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Texas Children¹s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Ms. Rill has held the positions of laboratory director of cell and gene therapy, Translational Research Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine; associate scientist/lab manager of the Bone Marrow Transplant Research Laboratory, and the GMP Cell & Gene Therapy Laboratories, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; education coordinator and clinical instructor, department of clinical laboratory, LeBonheur Children's Medical Center and University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences. Most recently, she was the director of quality systems and process development at Opexa Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Rill received her B.S. in medical technology from the University of Tennessee, Memphis. |