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This is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and a central factor in the body’s method of controlling inflammation.
Nicotine binds α7nAChR and is a known immune suppressive. A subgroup of patients who cease smoking go on to acquire ulcerative colitis.
180 Life Sciences believes that α7nAChR agonist treatment provides a solution: without the addictive qualities of smoking, an α7-based drug will reduce ulcerative colitis in ex-smokers.
Led by Professor Lawrence Steinman and Dr Jonathan Rothbard, who have been working on this project for more than a decade, 180 Life Sciences is developing a treatment for ulcerative colitis in ex-smokers.
Rothbard JB, Rothbard JJ, Soares L, Fathman CG, and Steinman L. (2018)
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 115:7081-7086.
Lawrence Steinman and Jonathan Rothbard in the Steinman Laboratory of Stanford University
α7nAChR holds advantages over existing treatments:
α7nAChR agonists were touted by Big Pharma as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. However, despite success in the safety trials, these drugs failed to meet their clinical endpoints in later trials
Decade of research on immune suppression in multiple sclerosis led to realization of the importance of the a7 subunit of nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (nAChR)
Co-Founder
Professor Lawrence Steinman is currently is the George A. Zimmermann Endowed Chair in the Neurology Department at Stanford University
His specialities lie in autoimmune diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica
In the Steinman Laboratory of Stanford, which is his foundation, he has developed new therapies for autoimmune diseases, some of which are in advanced clinical trials
Professor Steinman has overseen success in the pharmaceuticals industry; he was on the board of Centocor, sold to Johnson and Johnson in 1998 for $4.9 billion, and was a founder of Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ:NBIX) which went public in 1997
Professor Steinman was instrumental in discovering the application of natalizumab (Tysabri) in treating multiple sclerosis. The drug was sold to Royalty Pharma in 2017 for $2.85 billion
Recognition for his work includes the Friedrich Sasse Award in 1994, the John Dystel Prize in 2004, the Charcot Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Multiple Sclerosis Research in 2011, and the Anthony Cerami Award in Translational Medicine in 2015
He has twice been awarded the Senator Jacob Javits Award by the US Congress, in 1988 and 2002
Professor Steinman is a member of both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences
Co-Chairman
Professor Sir Marc Feldmann, AC FAA FRS FRCP FRCPath FMedSci is a pre-eminent immunologist, and an Emeritus professor at the University of Oxford.
At the Kennedy Institute in London in the 1980s, he identified TNF as a target in the treatment of arthritis. With his research partner, Prof Sir Ravinder Maini, they led clinical trials of monoclonal antiTNF antibody in treatment resistant rheumatoid arthritis, which Centocor had generated, and now called Infliximab, which J&J now sells as Remicade.
This work was highly recognized, leading to many prestigious awards including the Crafoord prize of the Royal Swedish Academy, the Albert Lasker award for clinical medical research, the Canada Gairdner award, the Paul Janssen award and the European Inventor of the year award, and most recently (2020) the Tang Prize.
Remicade was the main driver of the $4.9 billion USD acquisition of Centocor by Johnson and Johnson in 1998. Since its approval Remicade has sold over $50 billion USD worldwide, and remains J&J’s biggest selling drug. Feldmann and Maini are credited for the generation of anti-TNFs as the world’s biggest drug class since 2013, with global sales of $36 to 40 Bn in recent years. This major impact on medical therapy led to his receiving a knighthood and also the Australian equivalent, Companion of the Order of Australia ( AC ).
Sir Marc Feldmann is a fellow of the Royal Society, Australian Academy of Science and a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Co-Chairman
Professor Lawrence Steinman is currently is the George A. Zimmermann Endowed Chair in the Neurology Department at Stanford University
His specialities lie in autoimmune diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica
In the Steinman Laboratory of Stanford, which is his foundation, he has developed new therapies for autoimmune diseases, some of which are in advanced clinical trials
Professor Steinman has overseen success in the pharmaceuticals industry; he was on the board of Centocor, sold to Johnson and Johnson in 1998 for $4.9 billion, and was a founder of Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ:NBIX) which went public in 1997
Professor Steinman was instrumental in discovering the application of natalizumab (Tysabri) in treating multiple sclerosis. The drug was sold to Royalty Pharma in 2017 for $2.85 billion
Recognition for his work includes the Friedrich Sasse Award in 1994, the John Dystel Prize in 2004, the Charcot Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Multiple Sclerosis Research in 2011, and the Anthony Cerami Award in Translational Medicine in 2015
He has twice been awarded the Senator Jacob Javits Award by the US Congress, in 1988 and 2002
Professor Steinman is a member of both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr Jonathan Rothbard works in the neurology department at Stanford University
Dr Rothbard headed the Molecular Immunology Laboratory at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London in 1990, where he first worked with Professor Sir Marc Feldmann
He has collaborated with Professor Lawrence Steinman since 1986, when they published the first of their 26 manuscripts together
Dr Rothbard has been involved at a high level with start-up pharmaceuticals discovery; in 1987 he founded Amylin in San Diego and has also founded start-ups CellGate and ImmuLogic
Amylin was focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs treating diseases including diabetes and obesity
The company was sold in 2012 to Bristol-Myers Squibb for $5.4 billion
In addition to neurology, Dr Rothbard has also worked in the departments of chemistry and rheumatology at Stanford University
Dr Rothbard holds a BA from Hamilton College and a PhD from Columbia University, which he followed with a fellowship at The Rockefeller University
Chairman of Clinical Advisory Board
Professor Nanchahal is a surgeon scientist at the University of Oxford, focused on defining the molecular mechanisms of common diseases such as fibrosis and translating his findings through to early phase clinical trials
His surgical background has allowed him to bring a unique insight to common, yet relatively neglected diseases
Many of his findings stem from investigations in primary human tissues, rather than relying on animal models that often fail to recreate human clinical conditions
He has pioneered the treatment of fibrosis of the hand (Dupuytren’s disease), which unlike fibrosis in major human tissues can be diagnosed early and samples easily obtained to discover new pathways of importance
In 2013 his group identified TNF⍺ as a target for Dupuytren’s disease, leading to a phase 2a clinical trial to determine the effective dose and preparation of anti-TNF
He is now leading the Phase 2b/3 trial funded by the Wellcome Trust and UK Department of Health
Professor Nanchahal is a member of the Royal College of Plastic Surgeons
Scientific Director
Fiona McCann PhD is an immunologist and has held the role of Scientific Director at 180 Life Sciences in UK since September 2018.
Fiona has obtained her PhD from studies at Pfizer and University of Kent, UK in 2000.
Since then she has carried out translational research at Imperial College London, and Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (KIR), and has published several high impact studies with pharmaceutical companies (including Bayer Schering, Celgene, GSK) which unravel novel mechanisms of immune regulation, harnessing potential for therapeutic discovery.
From 2011-2018, she was group leader for therapeutic target discovery in autoimmune disease and fibrosis at University of Oxford, firstly working with NovoNordisk, and secondly with a multi-national consortium of academics and pharma at KIR/SGC Oxford (EU/IMI funded).
She holds a mini-MBA from SAID Business School, University of Oxford, a certificate in Entrepreneurs in Clinical Academia (ECA/FOCIS) from INSEAD business school, Fontainebleau, France and is currently studying towards a certificate in Project Management in Biotech at University of Washington and UCSD, due to complete June 2021.
Chief Financial Officer
Ozan has played a key role in the formation of 180 Life Sciences as the CFO of two of the subsidiaries since late 2018 and oversaw the merger of 180 Therapeutics, Katexco and Cannbiorex, which now form 180 Life Sciences. He was instrumental in completing the company’s NASDAQ listing and managed majority of the funding rounds for the company.
Throughout his career, Ozan has specialized in helping companies in defining their corporate strategy, and executing corporate transactions such as M&As and IPOs. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the 180 Life Sciences team as a former investment banker with in-depth capital markets expertise. Ozan was previously VP of Investment Banking at a leading Canadian independent investment bank, where he co-founded the origination department which focused on small and mid-cap financing and advisory mandates. In this role he advised private and public companies on M&A deals and was the lead banker on more than 30 financings, raising approximately $400 million.
After his investment banking career, Ozan became a venture capitalist with a hands on approach, where he gained valuable experience as CFO and/or board member to early stage biotech companies. Ozan was the CFO of Enosi Life Sciences and the CFO and a board member of Unify Pharmaceuticals, both pre-clinical companies focused on autoimmune diseases.
Ozan holds an Economics and Finance degree from McGill University and is a CFA Charterholder.
Co-Founder
Professor Sir Marc Feldmann, AC FAA FRS FRCP FRCPath FMedSci is a pre-eminent immunologist, and an Emeritus professor at the University of Oxford.
At the Kennedy Institute in London in the 1980s, he identified TNF as a target in the treatment of arthritis. With his research partner, Prof Sir Ravinder Maini, they led clinical trials of monoclonal antiTNF antibody in treatment resistant rheumatoid arthritis, which Centocor had generated, and now called Infliximab, which J&J now sells as Remicade.
This work was highly recognized, leading to many prestigious awards including the Crafoord prize of the Royal Swedish Academy, the Albert Lasker award for clinical medical research, the Canada Gairdner award, the Paul Janssen award and the European Inventor of the year award, and most recently (2020) the Tang Prize.
Remicade was the main driver of the $4.9 billion USD acquisition of Centocor by Johnson and Johnson in 1998. Since its approval Remicade has sold over $50 billion USD worldwide, and remains J&J’s biggest selling drug. Feldmann and Maini are credited for the generation of anti-TNFs as the world’s biggest drug class since 2013, with global sales of $36 to 40 Bn in recent years. This major impact on medical therapy led to his receiving a knighthood and also the Australian equivalent, Companion of the Order of Australia ( AC ).
Sir Marc Feldmann is a fellow of the Royal Society, Australian Academy of Science and a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Co-Founder
Father of cannabis research, having worked on the chemistry, pharmacology and clinical effects of natural products, including cannabis for over 50 years. He isolated numerous cannabinoids, including the active constituent of cannabis, delta9-THC, and elucidated its structure. This also paved the way to his discovery of 2AG and anandamide, both endogenous cannabinoids in late 1990s. He has published over 400 papers in esteemed scientific journals and be awarded several notable prizes including the Israeli Prize in Exact Sciences in 2000, NIDA discovery award in 2011, 2012 Rothschild Prize in Chemical Sciences and Physical Sciences, and Lifetime achievement award at CannaMed in 2016. Currently his work focusses on generating novel cannabinoids and anandamide-like compounds which are being developed as drugs.
Director
Dr. Gold is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Board, and former CEO of SomaLogic. Prior to SomaLogic, he also founded and was the Chairman of NeXagen, Inc., which later became NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In 1999, NeXstar merged with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to form a global organization committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel products that treat infectious diseases. During his nearly 10 years at NeXstar, Dr. Gold held numerous executive positions including Chairman of the Board, Executive Vice President of R&D, and Chief Science Officer. Before forming NeXagen, he also co-founded and served as Co-Director of Research at Synergen, Inc., a biotechnology company later acquired by Amgen, Inc. Dr. Gold recently became the Chairman of Lab79, a new biotech company in Boulder, Colorado. Since 1970, Dr. Gold has been a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. While at the University, he served as the Chairman of the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department from 1988 to 1992. Between 1995 and 2013, Dr. Gold received the CU Distinguished Lectureship Award, the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, the Career Development Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Biosciences Association, and the Chiron Prize for Biotechnology. Dr. Gold was also awarded the 8th International Steven Hoogendijk Prize by the Dutch Batavian Society of Experimental Philosophy in 2018. In addition, Dr. Gold has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1993 and the National Academy of Sciences since 1995. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Gold also serves on the Board of Directors for CompleGen, Lab79, CNS Biosciences, Keck Graduate Institute, and the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Dr. Gold established the Gold Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder in 1971. Starting with basic research on bacteria and bacteriophage, the lab shifted its focus to human disease following the invention of the SELEX process in 1989. The Gold Lab today focuses on the utilization of biological and information technology to improve healthcare. Dr. Gold also began holding the GoldLab Symposia in 2010, an annual event that tackles big questions in healthcare. He is determined to change healthcare for the better through teaching, research, and debate among scientists and citizens throughout the world. Dr. Gold received a BA in 1963 in Biochemistry from Yale University, a Ph.D. in 1967 in Biochemistry from the University of Connecticut, and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow until 1969 at Rockefeller University.
Director
Mr. Ray was a Senior Advisor to HLM Venture Partners, a healthcare venture capital firm, from February 2017 to December 2017 and from January 2014 to December 2015. From January 2016 to February 2017, Mr. Ray was a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Healthcare Investment Banking at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, an investment banking firm, with a focus on health care investments. From September 2003 to September 2015, Mr. Ray served as a Partner and Senior Advisor with HLM Venture Partners, a Health Care focused Venture Capital Firm that invests in health care services, health care information technology and medical technology companies. Prior to his work with HLM, he served as Managing Director and President (and was also the founder) of Chesapeake Strategic Advisors (2002 to 2003), which invested in health care services, health care information technology and medical technology companies. Mr. Ray was formerly Managing Director and Co-Head of Global Health Care at Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation (1999 to 2002) where he led a 50-person team with offices in Baltimore, Chicago, London, New York and San Francisco focused on providing corporate finance and M&A advisory services to private and public companies in the biotechnology, health care services and health care information technology sectors. From 1987 to 1999, Mr. Ray was a Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at Deutsche Bank and its predecessor entities, BT Alex. Brown and Alex. Brown & Sons. Mr. Ray served on the board of directors of Allergan, Inc. from 2003 to 2015. Mr. Ray also serves as Chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:MACK) (which position he has held since January 2015), which specializes in developing drugs for the treatment of cancer.
Mr. Ray is a former Captain in the United States Army and recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, two Air Medals and two Army Commendation Medals for Meritorious Service. He obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Washington, a Master of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania in both Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and received a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Director
Dr. DeLuca is a physician executive and psychiatrist in New York, New York, resuming her own practice, since January 2020. Dr. DeLuca previously served as a Managing Director at Columbia University’s NY Life Science Venture Fund from January 2018 to December 2019. Her responsibilities as Managing Director included leading a consortium of 12 private/public institutions (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Columbia, CUNY, Einstein, Hospital for Special Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mount Sinai, NYU, Rockefeller University, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Stony Brook, Weil Cornell), and providing due diligence support for potential investments, partnerships, acquisitions, commercialization, licensing, and IPOs. Before that she served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City from August 2014 to December 2017 and as the Chief Medical Officer of Magellan Pharmacy Solutions at Magellan Health from December 2012 to July 2014. Prior to that, she served as SVP of Pharmacy Health Solutions at Humana, VP of Clinical Sales Solutions & National Medical Director at Walgreen Co., and VP of Personalized Medicine as well as VP of Medical Policy & Clinical Quality at Medco. Prior to taking on these executive leadership roles, Dr. DeLuca was a Senior Medical Scientist at GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. DeLuca served as a director at North Bud Farms, Inc., a pharmaceutical company from May 2018 to February 2020 (CSE:NBUD) and has served as a director of Surgery Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGRY), a leading operator of surgical facilities and ancillary services, since September 2016, and also currently serves on the Audit Committee and Chair Compliance and Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors of Surgery Partners, Inc.
Dr. DeLuca received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester / LIU. Dr. DeLuca received her M.B.A. from Drexel University and her M.D. from St. Georges University School of Medicine in Grenada, before undertaking her residency at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School. A strong advocate for good board governance, in 2016, Dr. DeLuca earned the Carnegie Mellon Cybersecurity certificate and continues to maintain good standing with the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as a Board Leadership Fellow (Masters Level), and in 2020 Dr. DeLuca passed the NACD’s “Directorship Certified” examination (NACD.DC). Dr. DeLuca was also named “2020 Director to Watch” in the Directors & Board Annual Report.
Director
Donald A. McGovern, Jr is the former Vice Chairman, Global Assurance, of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). Through decades of leadership at PwC and board experience, Don brings wide-ranging operational, financial, accounting and audit and public company experience. He currently serves on the board of Cars.com. Don joined the board of Cars.com in May 2017 upon the spinout of Cars.com from Tegna creating a new public company listed on the NYSE. Don is chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee at Cars.com, and a designated financial expert under SEC regulations. His past public board experience has been with CRH, plc. Don served two three-year terms (2013-2019) on the Board of CRH. During his tenure, he was Senior Independent Director, chair of the Remuneration Committee, a member of the Nomination Committee and of the Audit Committee and a designated financial expert under US SEC and UK FRC regulations.
Director
Frank Knuettel II comes to 180 Life Sciences with over 25 years of management experience in venture and PE-backed and public companies and with extensive experience in growing businesses, debt and equity financings, offerings and restructurings, M&A and leadership in and management of highly dynamic, swiftly growing companies. Mr. Knuettel is currently the CEO and serves on the board of directors of Terra Tech Corp. (OTCQX:TRTC) and serves on the board of directors of two private companies, one developing an anti-viral platform and the other focused on smart intubation devices. Mr. Knuettel was formerly Director of Capital and Advisory at Viridian Capital Advisors. He joined Viridian from One Cannabis Group (“OCG”), a leading cannabis dispensary franchisor. At OCG, Mr. Knuettel was the Chief Financial Officer where he was responsible for all finance and accounting management and integral to the successful sale of the company to Item 9 Labs Corp.
Prior to OCG, Mr. Knuettel was CFO at MJardin, a Denver-based cannabis cultivation and dispensary management company, where he led the company’s IPO on the Canadian Securities Exchange. Following the IPO, Mr. Knuettel managed the merger with GrowForce, a Toronto-based cannabis cultivator, after which he moved over to the Chief Strategy Role (CSO). In his role as CSO, he managed the acquisition of several private companies before recommending and executing the consolidation of management and other operations to Toronto and the closure of the executive office in Denver.
Prior to MJardin, Mr. Knuettel held numerous CFO and CEO positions at early-stage companies where he had significant experience both building and restructuring businesses. Mr. Knuettel graduated cum laude from Tufts University with a B.A. degree in Economics and from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management.
Director
Pam Marrone brings to 180 Life Sciences over 30 years’ experience innovating, commercializing and building organizations. She is an experienced chief executive and corporate officer having started and run companies with the most recent, until August 2020, a fast-growing agbiotech company and since then, as Executive Chair of a pair of firms assisting agbio innovators with their go to market strategy and taking selected products to market. Dr. Marrone has traveled extensively globally, launching products and setting up distribution deals in more than 40 countries.
From founding in 2006 to August 2020, Dr. Marrone was CEO and board member of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBII) and remains a board member and advisor. Marrone Bio has reported a 5-year revenue compound annual growth rate of ~30% (well above industry averages) and increased gross margins from zero to close to 55% in that same time. She led teams that broke new ground on regulatory approvals to build a line of award winning, patented products that are growing quickly across the globe and acquired a Finnish company in 2019.
Dr. Marrone previously started and led AgraQuest, leaving in 2006 to start Marrone Bio. In 2012, AgraQuest was acquired by Bayer for almost $500 million. Under her leadership, the company discovered and commercialized products in 38 countries (the first of its kind in Europe and Brazil). In 2000, she formed a trade group (BPIA.org, now with more than 150 members) to streamline the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration process and bring quality and credibility to the biopesticide category.
Dr. Marrone is an industry thought leader, appearing in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and many local media outlets and industry trade publications. She is in high demand as a public speaker, doing many keynote speeches, podcasts and videos for the industry and entrepreneurial venues. She has received numerous awards including Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.’s Growing Green Award, EcoFarm’s Sustie Award, California Governor’s Economic & Environmental Leadership Award, American Chemical Society Innovation Award and Sacramento Business Journal Most Admired CEO. She received her PhD from North Carolina State University. She served four years as an alumni-elected trustee of Cornell University, her undergraduate alma mater.
Chief Executive Officer
James N. Woody, M.D., Ph.D has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical research and management expertise.
He has served as our Chief Executive Officer and as a director since the closing of the business combination in November 2020. Dr. Woody has served as the CEO of 180 since July 2020, and as a director of 180 Life Sciences since September 2020.
Dr. Woody was a founder and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Viracta Pharmaceuticals, a lymphoma therapeutic company (2014 to 2020). With the company undergoing a reverse merger into a public company, he resigned his Board member position and continues as a Board observer.
He has served in a variety of health and management roles including as President of Roche Bioscience, and CSO and Senior Vice President of R&D for Centocor.
At Centocor, Jim was part of the team that discovered Remicade, used to treat arthritis and which is now one of the best-selling drugs in the world.
He served as Commanding Officer and Director at the US Naval Medical Research and Development Command in Bethesda, Maryland.
In this role he was responsible for the surveillance, detection and therapy for all biologic warfare agents and infectious diseases in the First Gulf War; he was awarded the US Navy Legion of Merit for his service.
He holds an MD from Loma Linda University, and trained in pediatric immunology at Duke University and Boston Children’s Hospital (Harvard).
He further holds a PhD in Immunology from the University of London and has co-authored more than 140 publications.
