OUR LEADERSHIP
steers us towards breakthrough therapies
OUR Management Team
Adam Rosenthal, PhD
CEO and Founder
Sandip Panicker, PhD
CSO
Gary Patou, MD
CMO
Scott Robertson, MBA
CBO and CFO
Michelle Carpenter, JD, RAC
EVP, Head of Regulatory
and Project Management
Jacob Lai, PhD
VP, Head of Commercial
Emi Zee
Head of Human Resources
Adam Rosenthal PhD
CEO and Founder
Adam founded Star Therapeutics in 2018 and has served as Chief Executive Officer since its inception. He brings previous operating experience across multiple biotech companies focused on rare diseases, and broad expertise in company building, fundraising, business development, and strategic planning.
Previously, Adam served as Chief Business Officer at True North Therapeutics, where he raised more than $140M in private financings and contributed to the company’s acquisition by Bioverativ for $825M. His experience also includes serving as Vice President, Head of Corporate Development at iPierian, which was acquired by BMS for $725M, and being a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group.
Adam earned BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Science, and an MEng degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, all at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.
“While our science is incredibly exciting, as we get to explore novel areas of biology and develop first-in-class therapies, it is the world-class team of drug hunters and drug developers that makes Star truly special. Over the years we have built an environment of excellence, diversity, creativity, and passion that supports our team and mission to develop life-changing therapies for patients with rare diseases.”
Sandip Panicker PhD
CSO
Sandip is the Chief Scientific Officer of Star Therapeutics. He started his drug-hunting experience as a scientist at Roche in biochemical pharmacology, and then as a member of the inflammation/
Sandip is focused on identifying common physiological processes in different diseases to recognize pathways that can be targeted in drug development. He partners with the team of scientists at Star, as well as academic and clinical collaborators, to explore and develop novel ideas and bring them to fruition.
Sandip earned his BA at the University of California, Berkeley, and his PhD at the University of California, San Diego.
“Developing therapies for rare diseases is an opportunity to provide patients with few or no treatment options a chance for a better life. At Star, I’m privileged to work with a team of exceptional scientists and seasoned drug developers who harbor a like-minded pursuit to bring transformative therapies to those most in need.”
Gary Patou MD
CMO
Gary is the Chief Medical Officer of Star Therapeutics. He brings extensive expertise in designing innovative clinical development pathways for novel therapies and translational science—the art of turning laboratory, clinic, and community observations into interventions that improve the health of patients.
Previously, Gary has served as Chief Medical Officer for numerous companies, including True North Therapeutics, Pacira, Chiasma, and Peplin. He has led over ten successful phase 3 clinical trials leading to the approval of five new drug applications since 2020. Prior to his tenure in biotech, he was Senior Vice President for Drug Development at GSK.
Gary earned his BS, MBBS, and MD at the University of London.
“Every day, I’m exhilarated and challenged by Star’s culture of relentless data-driven scientific inquiry in the pursuit of novel drug targets and application of innovative drug development solutions.”
Michelle Carpenter JD, RAC
EVP, Head of Regulatory
and Project Management
Michelle serves as Executive Vice President and oversees Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance and Project Management at Star Therapeutics. In this capacity, she is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s regulatory and development strategies.
Michelle brings extensive experience and passion for developing novel therapies for rare and life-threatening diseases. Prior to joining Star, she served as Vice President of Regulatory/Quality for True North Therapeutics, where she led the advancement of the complement portfolio, including achieving FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for ENJAYMO and its subsequent global filings for the first approved therapy in cold agglutinin disease. In addition, Michelle has assumed leadership roles at Afferent Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Merck), Acucela, Santen, and Dey Laboratories, as well as operated her own independent consultancy focused on the development of therapies for rare diseases.
Michelle earned her BA at the University of California, Santa Barbara and JD at Golden Gate University, with a focus on health law and ethics.
“It is my honor to work alongside such an experienced team with a proven track record and passion for bringing innovative therapies to patients.”
Jacob Lai PHD
VP, Head of Commercial
Jacob is the VP, Head of Commercial at Star Therapeutics. He brings both strategic and operations experience across multiple biotech and pharma companies in commercial build, portfolio planning, and product launch.
Prior to joining Star, Jacob was VP of Business Strategy and Operations at Oncopeptides, launching Pepaxto to treat multiple myeloma patients. Previously, he helped launch Esbriet in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis at InterMune before directing integration activities when it was acquired by Roche for $8.3B. He also launched Imbruvica in CLL and MCL at Pharmacyclics before its acquisition by AbbVie for $21B. He held various commercial and portfolio planning roles at Genentech, supporting leadership brands of Rituxan and Avastin. Prior to his commercial career, Jacob worked as a consultant for McKinsey, led research teams at ALZA corporation, acquired by Johnson & Johnson, and held medical affairs roles at Searle, acquired by Pharmacia/Pfizer.
Jacob earned BA degrees in Chemistry and Integrated Sciences from Northwestern University, and a PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University.
Scott Robertson MBA
CBO and CFO
Scott is the Chief Business and Financial Officer at Star Therapeutics. He brings twenty years of operating, investing, and investment banking experiences to the role.
Prior to joining Star, Scott served as Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer of DICE Therapeutics, where he contributed to corporate strategy, raised more than $700 million in private and public financings, and led the business development interactions that resulted in the acquisition of the company by Eli Lilly for $2.4 billion. Previously, at DuPont, he served as Business Development Director for DuPont Pioneer, with responsibility for mergers and acquisitions and strategic partnerships, and Portfolio Manager for DuPont Ventures. Prior to joining DuPont, Scott was an investment professional at MPM Capital, a life sciences-dedicated venture capital fund, and earlier in his career, he was a member of the healthcare investment banking teams at Merrill Lynch & Co. and Thomas Weisel Partners.
Scott holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Emi Zee
Head of Human Resources
Emi is the Senior Director, Head of Human Resources, at Star Therapeutics. She oversees all aspects of HR strategy and operations, including organizational and employee development, benefits, compensation, systems, talent management, and company culture initiatives.
Emi brings with her two decades of experience in human resources management across various industries, including biotechnology, technology, consulting, and retail. Prior to joining Star, Emi was the Head of Human Resources at Catalyst Biosciences, where she advanced the company’s systems and procedures by developing and executing an HR strategy to streamline all aspects of human resources operations. Further, Emi partnered closely with the Executive Team to advise on critical human resources strategies and initiatives. Emi also served as Director of HR Technology and Operations at Sequoia Consulting Group, where she designed and launched programs that enabled clients to seamlessly integrate their HR systems with the company’s offerings and services.
Emi earned her BA in Communications from the University of California, Davis.
OUR BOARD
of Directors
Nancy Stagliano, PhD
Executive Chair
Adam Rosenthal, PhD
CEO and Founder
Beth Seidenberg, MD
Carl Gordon, PhD, CFA
Director
Amrit Nagpal
Director
Maha Katabi, PHD, CFA
Director
Matthew Fust, MBA
Director
Vijay Lathi
Board Observer
Matthew Hammond, PHD, MBA
Board Observer
NANCY STAGLIANO PHD
Executive Chair
Nancy is CEO and Chair of the Board of Neuron23, Inc., a South San Francisco–based precision neurology and immunology therapeutics company. An experienced CEO, Nancy has led True North Therapeutics (acquired by Bioverativ in 2017), iPierian (acquired by BMS in 2014), and CytomX Therapeutics (CTMX). With more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, Nancy’s career path has always stayed close to the science, beginning with 7+ years at Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA, in the discovery organization.
Nancy is Chair of the Board of Latigo Bio, a Thousand Oaks–based biotech focused on nonopioid pain medicines. Nancy also serves as a director of the not-for-profit board of PanCAN, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. In the past, Nancy has also advised venture capital firms Westlake Village BioPartners and New Leaf Ventures.
Nancy has a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Miami School of Medicine, an MS in Biomedical Engineering, and a BS in Electrical Engineering, both from Drexel University.
BETH SEIDENBERG MD
Director
Beth is a longtime life sciences investor, applying her broad medical expertise to the venture capital world, where she assists entrepreneurs in translating their scientific breakthroughs into new medicines to help patients.
As a founding managing director of Westlake Village BioPartners, general partner at Kleiner Perkins, and numerous other endeavors, Seidenberg has incubated and invested in more than 40 biotech ventures since 2005. Among many others, they include ARMO Biosciences, Arresto Biosciences, Arsenal Biosciences, Atara Biotherapeutics, Cell Design Labs, Epizyme, Flexus Biosciences, iPierian, Kyverna Therapeutics, Livongo Health, Neuron23, Progyny, RAPT Therapeutics, Tesaro, Tmunity Therapeutics, and True North Therapeutics.
Beth’s impact has been recognized across the industry. She was awarded the 2022 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association “Woman of the Year” Award and was recently named by Barron’s as one of the 100 most influential women in US finance. She was also recognized in the 2020 Forbes Midas List as a top tech investor.
In addition to her time in life science investing, Beth has significant senior-level industry experience, with leadership roles at Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Merck Research Laboratories.
Beth holds an MD from the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and a BS from Barnard College. She conducted her postgraduate training at The National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Adam Rosenthal PHD
CEO and Founder
Adam founded Star Therapeutics in 2018 and has served as Chief Executive Officer since its inception. He brings previous operating experience across multiple biotech companies focused on rare diseases, and broad expertise in company building, fundraising, business development, and strategic planning.
Previously, Adam served as Chief Business Officer at True North Therapeutics, where he raised more than $140M in private financings and contributed to the company’s acquisition by Bioverativ for $825M. His experience also includes serving as Vice President, Head of Corporate Development at iPierian, which was acquired by BMS for $725M, and being a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group.
Adam earned BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Science, and an MEng degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, all at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.
CARL GORDON PHD, CFA
Director
Carl is a founding member, Managing Partner, and Co-Head of Global Private Equity at OrbiMed Advisors LLC, an investment firm. He currently serves on the boards of directors of several public and private companies.
Carl received a BA in Chemistry from Harvard College and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he was a Fellow at The Rockefeller University.
Vijay Lathi
Board Observer
Vijay is a Founder and Managing Director of New Leaf Venture Partners, a leading healthcare-focused venture capital firm that over the past 15 years has invested over a billion dollars across 126 companies, developing drugs and technologies to revolutionize the diagnosis, treatment, and delivery of care. Vijay’s investment activity has spanned all areas of healthcare technology, including the development and execution of the firm’s strategy around convergent information technologies. Example investments include ePocrates (sold to Athena Health), LabCyte (sold to Thermo Fischer), CareDx (CDNA), iRhythm (IRTC), Oxford Immunotec (sold to Perkin Elmer), Ilypsa (sold to Amgen), and Relypsa (sold to Gallenica).
Vijay graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, where he received his BS and MS in Chemical Engineering.
AMRIT NAGPAL
Director
Amrit is a Partner and Managing Director at Redmile Group, LLC, a healthcare-focused investment firm based in San Francisco and New York. Prior to Redmile Group, he worked as an analyst and portfolio manager at Weintraub Capital Management, and before that at Robertson Stephens, a San Francisco–based investment bank.
Amrit holds a BA in Economics from Columbia University and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Maha Katabi PHD, CFA
Director
Maha is a General Partner at Sofinnova Investments, which she joined in 2019. Her experience spans two decades of managing public equities portfolios and private biotech companies through bull and bear markets. She currently serves on the board of directors of Aerovate (AVTE), Quanta, RayzeBio, and Vera (VERA), and was recently a board member of Gyroscope (acquired by Novartis) and Amplyx (acquired by Pfizer). Prior to joining Sofinnova, Maha was a Managing Partner of Oxalis Capital and Partner at Sectoral Asset Management. She started her career in venture as a principal investor with associate and principal roles at T2C2/Bio and Ventures West.
Maha received a PhD in Pharmacology and a BSc in Biology at McGill University, and is a CFA charter holder.
Matthew Hammond PHD, MBA
Board Observer
Matthew is a Principal on the Investment Team at RA Capital Management. He works on both public and private investments and serves as a Board Director for Cerebral Therapeutics, Emergence Therapeutics, Forge Biologics, and Jnana Therapeutics. He previously served as a Director for DTx Pharma prior to its acquisition by Novartis and as the CFO of Research Alliance Corp I before its merger with Point Biopharma.
Matthew holds a BS in Environmental Health Science from the University of Georgia and both a PhD in Biomedical Science and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of Connecticut. His graduate research investigated innate immune responses after intracerebral hemorrhage.
Matthew Fust, MBA
Director
Matthew is a board member and advisor to life sciences companies. He serves on the boards of Nasdaq-listed Atara Biotherapeutics, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Neumora Therapeutics, and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, and on the boards of several venture-backed companies. He also consults with life sciences companies on corporate finance and strategy topics.
Previously, Matthew served as a Chief Financial Officer for biopharmaceutical companies including Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and ALZA Corporation, and was a consultant in Andersen Consulting’s healthcare strategy practice.
Matthew holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
OUR
Investors
