We have a proven track record of success in drug discovery, drug development, FDA approval and commercialization.
Michela Gallagher, PhD
Founder and CEO
Michela Gallagher, PhD founded AgeneBio in 2008 and currently serves as CEO. Her research led to the discovery of neural overactvity in neurocognitive aging localized to specific circuits in the hippocampus. She led the Phase 2 trial of AGB101 and initiation of AgeneBio’s drug discovery program to develop selective GABA alpha 5 positive allosteric modulators.
Michela Gallagher, PhD is the Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Psychological and Brain Science, heads the Neurogenetics and Behavior Center at Johns Hopkins University and has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers in the field of cognitive neuroscience. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society. She is the 2018 recipient of the Melvin R. Goodes Prize for a lifelong commitment to Alzheimer’s drug discovery and development. She was the 2014 recipient of the Society for Neuroscience, Mika Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award. Her work has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, D.O. Hebb Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award in 2010, a Freedom to Discover Award from the Bristol-Myers Foundation (2003-2008), and Senior Scientist Award from the Ellison Medical Foundation (2008-2012). She has served the on Boards of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Stanley Center at the Broad Institute and the Advisory Board of DZNE, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins in 1997, Dr. Gallagher rose through the faculty ranks at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was the Kenan Professor of Psychology. She earned her PhD in Physiological Psychology from University of Vermont and in 1968 earned her undergraduate degree from Colgate University as one of two women in the university’s first female graduating class.
Dr. Fernando Sallés, PhD
President
Dr. Fernando (“Fern”) Sallés current serves as President of AgeneBio. Dr. Sallés is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with more than 25 years of experience in strategic business development, licensing, and corporate strategy, and the founder of biotech and pharmaceutical consulting company Pteropsida Ventures where he supports a broad range of activities including business development strategy, out-licensing, in-licensing, partnership formation, and fundraising.
Dr. Sallés previously served as Chief Business Officer at Kallyope, where he led the acquisition of a Phase 2b-ready clinical asset from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma. Prior to that, as Senior Vice President and Head of U.S./EU Business Development at I-Mab Biopharma, he co-led negotiations with AbbVie for the ex-Greater China partnership of I-Mab’s innovative CD47 antibody program. The transaction received the 2020 BioCentury/BayHelix Healthcare Deal of the Year Award and contributed to I-Mab’s growth from approximately $900 million to more than $5 billion in market capitalization. Throughout his career, Dr. Sallés has held senior leadership positions across business development and corporate strategy at Teva Pharmaceuticals, Merck (MSD, Merck & Co.), Schering-Plough, Organon, Purdue Pharma, and Cogent Neuroscience. He is recognized for his expertise in identifying and executing transformative partnerships, licensing transactions, and growth strategies across the biopharmaceutical industry.[/read]
Richard Mohs, PhD
Vice President of Clinical Development
Richard Mohs, PhD, has served as our Vice President of Clinical Development since December 2015. Dr. Mohs offers more than 30 years of experience in neuroscience clinical development and led Eli Lilly’s Phase 3 development team for Alzheimer’s disease drug candidates solanezumab and semagacestat.
Dr. Mohs now leads the AgeneBio clinical trial on the efficacy of AGB101 in patients with MCI due to AD. He is also P.I. on a NIIH award supporting the Phase 2b trial to include biomarker development using [18F]MK-6420 for tau PET imaging. Dr. Mohs served as Eli Lilly’s Vice President for Neuroscience Early Clinical Development and Distinguished Research Fellow within Lilly Research Laboratories, where he led a clinical development team targeting Alzheimer’s disease or other neurodegenerative diseases, pain, depression or schizophrenia. Previously, he was Professor in the Department of Psychiatry with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center. During this time, he was instrumental in designing clinical trials that led to the approval in the US and other countries of cholinergic drug treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. He has served as an advisor to many neuroscience research programs at universities in the United States and to several foundations supporting neuroscience research including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Charles A. Dana Foundation and has recently been appointed to the Board of Governors for the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. Dr. Mohs received his PhD in psychology from Stanford University and completed postdoctoral training in pharmacology at the Stanford University Medical School.
Sarita Foster
Director of Business Operations
Sarita Foster has served as our Director of Business Operations since June 2014. Sarita offers more than 25 years of experience in accounting and finance.
Prior to joining AgeneBio, she served in senior finance positions for more than 10 years at Johns Hopkins University, most recently as Assistant Dean, Financial Operations at the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Previously, she served as Controller for Martin Marietta Laboratories. She earned an MBA from Loyola University and a BS from the University of Virginia and is licensed as a non-practicing CPA.
Kenneth G. Payie, Ph. D., RAC-
Director of CM&C
Dr. Ken Payie has nearly two decades in the Biotech and Pharma industry in a variety of research and development positions. He has worked on the CM&C activities with AgeneBio since 2013. With a background in large and small molecule Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls (CM&C) development, virtual drug development experience, and Six Sigma Black Belt training and execution, Ken has developed a number of large and small molecule CM&C programs in the Candidate Identification to Phase III space for both large pharma and small drug discovery companies.
He has designed and directed drug development programs through outsourcing to Asia, Europe and North American vendors, and significantly reduced costs to develop assets without compromising Quality. In 2011, Ken founded KGP-Biotech Consulting LLC to bring his CM&C expertise to the scientific and drug development communities. In addition to KGP-Biotech Consulting, Ken has held positions of increasing responsibility at Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Eli Lilly, and the Eli Lilly joint venture company -Vanthys Pharmaceutical based in India.
Michela Gallagher, PhD
Dr. Fernando Sallés, PhD
Richard Mohs, PhD
Sarita Foster
Kenneth G. Payie, Ph. D., RAC-