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Management Team
Our passion for science and commitment to collaboration are the foundation for making a difference for patients in their fight against cancer.
close x Susan M. Molineaux, Ph.D.
Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Molineaux has served as our President, Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of our board of directors since she co-founded Calithera in 2010. Prior to that, Dr. Molineaux co-founded Proteolix, a biopharmaceutical oncology company, where she served in various roles, including Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer until Proteolix’s acquisition by Onyx Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Proteolix, Dr. Molineaux served as Vice President of Biology at Rigel Pharmaceuticals and she began her biotech career at Praecis Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Molineaux began her career in drug discovery and development in the Immunology group at Merck. Dr. Molineaux currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Geron Corporation, Theravance Biopharma, Cyteir Therapeutics and Smith College. Dr. Molineaux holds a B.S. in Biology from Smith College and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University, and she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University.
close x Emil T. Kuriakose, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Kuriakose was promoted to Chief Medical Officer from Vice President and Head of Clinical Development in November 2021. Prior to joining Calithera in 2017, Dr. Kuriakose was at Novartis Oncology where he led the US Clinical Development and Medical Affairs Group for Farydak (panobinostat), supporting the NDA filing and launch in multiple myeloma. He subsequently led early phase development of several drugs in solid and hematologic malignancies as Global Clinical Program Lead at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research (NIBR). Dr. Kuriakose completed his clinical training in hematology/oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College, including a research fellowship in myeloproliferative neoplasms at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Dr. Kuriakose received his MD from Stony Brook University School of Medicine and his Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from New York University.
close x Stephanie Wong
Chief Financial Officer & Secretary
Ms. Wong is Chief Financial Officer and Secretary. Prior to joining Calithera in 2014, she served as Vice President, Finance and Controller at SciClone Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded, commercial-stage pharmaceutical company. Prior to SciClone, Ms. Wong was Senior Director, Finance at AcelRx Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Wong also held various positions at Kosan Biosciences, a publicly traded biotechnology company until its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb. Ms. Wong has worked as an audit manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Wong received a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the State of California.
close x Christopher J. Molineaux, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Development
Dr. Molineaux has served as our Senior Vice President of Development since April 2013. Prior to joining Calithera, Dr. Molineaux served as President of INDStrat LLC, a consulting firm. Prior to INDStrat, Dr. Molineaux was Vice President of Development at Proteolix, where he led the team that developed Kyprolis through the completion of phase 2 clinical trials for accelerated approval in the United States for the treatment of refractory multiple myeloma. Previously, Dr. Molineaux led the oral anemia project team at FibroGen, and prior to that, led the team at Praecis that discovered and developed Plenaxis, which was approved for the treatment of prostate cancer. Dr. Molineaux received a B.S. in Zoology from University of Maryland, College Park, a Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Johns Hopkins University, and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
close x Frank Parlati, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Research
Dr. Parlati joined Calithera in 2012 and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Research. Prior to joining Calithera, Dr. Parlati was Founder and Senior Director of Biology at Cleave Biosciences, a biotechnology company developing novel protein degradation inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Prior to Cleave Biosciences, Dr. Parlati was a visiting scientist at the California Institute of Technology. Previously, Dr. Parlati held various scientific roles at Proteolix, including Director of Biology. Prior to Proteolix, Dr. Parlati was a member of the scientific team at Rigel Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Parlati received a B.S. in Chemistry from Concordia University, a Ph.D. in Biology from McGill University, and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.
close x Sumita Ray, J.D.
Chief Legal & Administrative Officer
Ms. Ray joined Calithera in 2017, and serves as Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, overseeing the Legal, Compliance, Human Resources, IT and Facilities functions. With more than 20 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience, Ms. Ray brings a breadth of knowledge in FDA regulatory law, global health care law and compliance, brand support, product launches, collaborations and alliances. Prior to joining Calithera, Ms. Ray served on the Executive Management Team of Pharmacyclics, as Chief Compliance Officer and Associate General Counsel, Head of Healthcare and Regulatory Law, until its acquisition by Abbvie. Prior to Pharmacyclics, she served in leadership roles as in-house counsel for Elan Pharmaceuticals, Genentech and AstraZeneca. Ms. Ray started her career as a pharmaceutical and products liability litigator at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads LLP. Ms. Ray currently serves as a member of the board of directors for Biomea Fusion, and serves on the Advisory Board of BioTrillion. Ms. Ray holds a J.D. from Temple University School of Law and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Arizona.
close x Eric B. Sjogren, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery
Dr. Sjogren has served as our Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery since June 2010. Dr. Sjogren has over 25 years of experience in small molecule drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Calithera, Dr. Sjogren was Vice President and Head of Medicinal Chemistry at Roche Palo Alto, where he directed a small molecule drug discovery team in the areas of inflammation, virology, and central nervous systems disorders. Dr. Sjogren received a B.A. degree in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Harvard University.
close x Susan B. Demo, Ph.D.
Vice President of R&D Operations
Dr. Demo is Vice President of R&D Operations. She joined Calithera in 2010 as Director of Cell Biology and has also served as Senior Director of Translational Research and Vice President of Medical Affairs. From 2004-2009, Dr. Demo was at Proteolix, Inc, most recently as Director of Medical Affairs, where she managed investigator sponsored clinical studies, developed a publication plan for carfilzomib, worked as a liaison to the commercial organization, and participated in patient advocacy. Dr. Demo previously was an Associate Director at Rigel Pharmaceuticals and served as a Scientist at Neurex. Dr. Demo received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Simmons College, a M.S. in Chemistry from Syracuse University, a Ph.D. degree in Neurosciences from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.
close x Allison Dillon, Ph.D.
Vice President of Commercial & Portfolio Strategy
Dr. Dillon is currently Vice President of Commercial and Portfolio Strategy. Prior to joining Calithera in 2017, Dr. Dillon was at Genentech, where she gained extensive oncology experience in pre- and post-launch commercialization strategy and execution. Most recently, Dr. Dillon led the marketing team for Tecentriq in GU cancers, overseeing the US promotional launch planning and execution, and the global branding. She supported life cycle management, pipeline strategy and development in global business teams. She has served in marketing and sales roles for Avastin, Tarceva, Zelboraf, and Tecentriq with increasing responsibility across numerous indications. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Dillon was a Senior Consultant at Campbell Alliance where she worked across multiple disease areas with clients on commercial strategy projects. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco studying genetic pathways in medulloblastoma. Dr. Dillon holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Richmond.
close x Matthew Gross
Head of Business Development
Mr. Gross is the Head of Business Development at Calithera. He joined Calithera in 2010, originally serving as the Director of Pharmacology, transitioning to Business Development in 2016. Mr. Gross has over 20 years of experience in the industry with a diverse scientific background in pharmacology, toxicology and translational medicine. Prior to Calithera, he most recently served as Scientist II at Adamas Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Gross has held scientific positions with increasing responsibility at Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Avigen Inc., Xoma Corporation and GeneSoft Inc. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from University of California, Santa Barbara.
Onco-Metabolism Platform
Our understanding of tumor metabolism and
tumor immunology drives our drug development.
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