Leadership
Executive Team
Gordon C. McCauley
President & Chief Executive Officer
Gordon McCauley was appointed President of Allon in 2004. Mr. McCauley is a co-founder, and the former President and COO of Neuro Discovery Inc., now NDI Capital. Prior to co-founding NDI, he led the successful growth and development of two Canadian healthcare companies. Outside of the healthcare industry, Mr. McCauley has been a senior sales and public affairs executive for a Canadian multinational energy company and served in a staff capacity to two Prime Ministers and former Ontario Premier David Peterson. Mr. McCauley serves on the Board of Hallmark Insurance, ACETECH, BIOTECanada, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Washington, D.C., and LifeSciences British Columbia.
Matthew J. Carlyle, CFA
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Carlyle is the former Director of Finance at Neuro Discovery Inc., which he helped to found in 2001. Previously, Mr. Carlyle has served in Corporate Finance and Development roles for a number of public and private early-stage life-science and technology companies and has been involved in a number of successful financings. Mr. Carlyle holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the Association for Investment Management and Research, and the Vancouver Society of Financial Analysts.
Illana Gozes, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Gozes is a founder of Allon Therapeutics and Professor of Clinical Biochemistry, the Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth factors at Tel Aviv University (TAU), where she directs the Adams Super Center for Brain Studies, the Edersheim Levie-Gitter Institute for Functional Brain Imaging. At the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Professor Gozes heads the Dr. Diana and Zelman Elton (Elbaum) Laboratory for Molecular Neuroendocrinology. Professor Gozes serves or has served as a member (or chair) of several faculty/university/national and international committees and is currently the Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Molecular Neuroscience.
Dr. Anthony W. Fox
Advisor, Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs
Dr. Fox is trained in cardiovascular medicine with extensive experience in the management of drug development programs through clinical evaluation and regulatory review. From 1994 to 1997, Dr. Fox was Vice-President for Drug Development and Regulatory Affairs at Cypros Pharmaceuticals in Carlsbad, California, where he led two drugs from IND to Phase III. He was also Director of Cardiovascular and Anaesthesia clinical research at Glaxo, where he led the US sumatriptan group and chaired the international remifentanil project. Prior to that appointment, he was Group Leader with Procter and Gamble, leading Phase I and II clinical trials and medical affairs. Dr. Fox obtained three degrees from the University of London: BSc major in pharmacology (first class honors), his medical degree and a doctorate in pharmacology. He is a Fellow of the Faculty and holds a Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine (Royal Colleges of Physicians, UK).
Bruce H. Morimoto, Ph.D.
VP, Drug Development
Dr. Morimoto formerly managed and directed the small molecule program for chronic pain at NeuroMed Technologies as their Director of Drug Development where he established a "virtual" drug development team and took two discovery "hits" through IND-enabling studies with one compound entering clinical trials. Dr. Morimoto has also held positions as the Director of Business Development for Phoenix International Life Sciences, and as Director of Research & Development, Director of Drug Discovery at AMUR Pharmaceuticals, and Program Director at MDS Pharma Services. He has over 15 years of experience in the areas of chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, and molecular biology, and has authored over 75 scientific papers and abstracts. He was on the faculty at Purdue University in the Department of Chemistry and was selected as the Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation and received the Sigma Kappa Foundation Alzheimer's Research Award for his research in molecular neurobiology. Dr. Morimoto holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Alistair Stewart, Ph.D.
VP, Commercial Research
Alistair Stewart, VP, Commercial Research previously, Dr.
Stewart held successful positions at a number of companies where his
activities were focused on lead optimization and early development
at Xenova Ltd. (UK), QLT Inc. (Canada) and Engene Inc. (Canada).
Having trained in biochemistry at the University of Glasgow he
completed his doctoral research in mechanisms of cancer cell
proliferation at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Board of Directors
James J. Miller, Ph.D.
Chairman and Director
Dr. Miller is the Managing Partner of NDI Capital Inc., which manages the Neuro Discovery Limited Partnership, an institutional-backed venture capital fund and the Pender NDI Life Sciences Fund. Originally a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Miller was the founding President and CEO of QLT Inc. (1981 to 1991) and Inex Pharmaceuticals (1992 to 1999).
Dr. Miller is a director of a number of other private and public biotechnology companies including Inex Pharmaceuticals Corp., NeuroMed Pharmaceuticals, Gateway Income Trust, Medical Ventures and Protox Therapeutics.
Illana Gozes, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer and Director
Dr. Gozes is a co-founder Allon Therapeutics and a Professor of Clinical Biochemistry, the Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth factors at Tel Aviv University (TAU) Sackler Faculty of Medicine, where she heads a research lab, and serves or has served as chair of a number of departments and committees.
Dr. Gozes has received a number of scientific awards and prizes for her work, and has published extensively in the fields of molecular neuroscience, neuropeptides and neuroprotection. She is co-inventor of more than 15 patents and patent applications, including the composition of matter patent on AL-108, Allon's lead compound.
Professor Gozes received a Ph. D. from The Weizmann Institute of Science, and a postdoctoral fellow from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a research associate and visiting scientist at the Salk Institute and the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.
Gordon C. McCauley
President & Chief Executive Officer
Gordon McCauley was appointed President of Allon in 2004. Mr. McCauley is a co-founder, and the former President and COO of Neuro Discovery Inc., now NDI Capital. Prior to co-founding NDI, he led the successful growth and development of two Canadian healthcare companies. Outside of the healthcare industry, Mr. McCauley has been a senior sales and public affairs executive for a Canadian multinational energy company and served in a staff capacity to two Prime Ministers and former Ontario Premier David Peterson. Mr. McCauley serves on the Board of Hallmark Insurance, BioTalent Canada and the Business Advisory Board of the Institute for the Study of Aging.
Anthony G. Phillips, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Phillips is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of NDI Capital and is widely recognized as one of Canada's pre-eminent neuroscientists in the area of mental health and addictions research. A psychopharmacologist by training, Dr. Phillips holds an appointment in the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He is Chairman of the Board of the CIHR Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addictions. In addition to a lifelong interest in brain research, Dr. Phillips has had a longstanding association with the development of biotechnology in North America. He is a Founder and former Director and Secretary/Treasurer of QLT Inc. from 1982-92 and was the Founding Chairman of the Board of Stressgen Biotechnologies Corp. Presently he serves on the Board of the NeuroScience Canada Partnership and Director of the UBC Institute of Mental Health.
C. Michael O'Brian
Director
From 1992 to 2000, Mr. O'Brian was a director of C.M. Oliver Inc. (now Datawest Solutions Inc.) where he held various positions including President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. He has been a biotech investor for many years. Mr. O'Brian is a director of several public traded companies, an advisor to a number of investment funds, and is actively involved in community affairs. He is a Trustee of the Vancouver Art Gallery and also President of the Michael O'Brian Foundation, a foundation that is active in community events and primarily focused on the arts and children's issues.
Frank A. Holler
Director
Frank Holler served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Xenon Genetics from 1999 to 2003 and as the Company's Chief Executive Officer until 2003. Prior to joining Xenon, Mr. Holler was President & Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of ID Biomedical Corporation as well as founding director of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Holler is also Chairman of BIRC Corporation, a Vancouver-based government funded venture capital company, a Director of analytical services company CanTest, and a Director of Cromedica Prime, a Phase I clinical trials company located in British Columbia, and Chairman of Protox Therapeutics. Prior to working in biotechnology and healthcare, Mr. Holler was an investment banker with Merrill Lynch Canada and CIBC World Markets. He holds degrees in Economics (BA) and Business Administration (MBA) from the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Martin Barkin, MD, BSc, MA, FRCSC
Director
Dr. Barkin is the former President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of DRAXIS Health Inc., a public pharmaceutical company based in Mississauga, Ontario. He is a former director of Viventia Biotech Inc., Bone Care International Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Sunnybrook & Women’s College Health Sciences Centre. Prior to joining DRAXIS in 1992, Dr. Barkin was the Head of Health Care Consulting for KPMG Canada. In the 1980’s, Dr. Barkin was President and CEO of The Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of Canada’s largest healthcare facilities, Chairman of the Ontario Council of Teaching Hospitals, and Vice-Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association. From 1987-1991, the Premier of Ontario appointed him Deputy Minister of Health for Ontario. Dr. Barkin is a surgical specialist in Urology, a former Research Scientist at University of Toronto and Division Chief at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Scientific Advisory Board.
Illana Gozes, Ph.D.
Chair
Dr. Gozes is a co-founder Allon Therapeutics and a Professor of Clinical Biochemistry, the Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth factors at Tel Aviv University (TAU) Sackler Faculty of Medicine, where she heads a research lab, and serves or has served as chair of a number of departments and committees.
Dr. Gozes has received a number of scientific awards and prizes for her work, and has published extensively in the fields of molecular neuroscience, neuropeptides and neuroprotection. She is co-inventor of more than 15 patents and patent applications, including the composition of matter patent on AL-108, Allon's lead compound.
Professor Gozes received a Ph. D. from The Weizmann Institute of Science, and a postdoctoral fellow from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a research associate and visiting scientist at the Salk Institute and the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.
Dr. Howard Fillit
Founding Executive Director, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, Clinical Professor, geriatrics, medicine and neurobiology, The Mount Sinai-NYU Medical Center in New York. Dr. Fillit has received numerous awards and honors, including the Rita Hayworth Award for achievement in research and practice in Alzheimer's Disease from the Alzheimer's Association in 1999. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific and clinical articles, bstracts, and books, including Drug Discovery and Development for Alzheimer's Disease (2000).
Anthony G. Phillips, Ph.D.
Dr. Phillips is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of NDI Capital and is widely recognized as one of Canada's pre-eminent neuroscientists in the area of mental health and addictions research. A psychopharmacologist by training, Dr. Phillips holds an appointment in the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He is Chairman of the Board of the CIHR Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addictions. In addition to a lifelong interest in brain research, Dr. Phillips has had a longstanding association with the development of biotechnology in North America. He is a Founder and former Director and Secretary/Treasurer of QLT Inc. from 1982-92 and was the Founding Chairman of the Board of Stressgen Biotechnologies Corp. Presently he serves on the Board of the NeuroScience Canada Partnership.
Dr. Keith L. Black
Dr. Black is Professor and Chair in the Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California; a Director at the Irvine Medical Center, and Director at the Cedars-Sinai Neurological Institute. He is internationally renowned for his research on ways to cross the blood-brain barrier and the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs directly into tumours.
Dr. Michael E. Charness
Dr. Charness is Chief of Staff and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Associate Dean at Harvard Medical School. He is a world leader in alcohol intoxication research.
Mati Fridkin, Ph.D.
Dr. Fridkin is the Lester B. Pearson Professorial Chair of Protein Research, Department of Organic Chemistry at The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Professor Fridkin is a leading figure in peptide synthesis and has been collaborating with Professor Gozes on synthetic peptides structure and function and development of peptide-related drugs for over 20 years leading to more than 50 publications and several patents.
Dr. Michael A. Moskowitz
Dr. Moskowitz is the Professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School and Associate Editor of Stroke. He is an expert in stroke and migraine headaches with numerous publications in both areas.
Remi Quirion, Ph.D.
Dr. Quirion is Professor and Scientific Director of Douglas Hospital Research Centre in Montreal, Quebec and Head of the Quebec Provincial Network on mental health. Dr. Quirion is a strong promoter of the development of clinical research in Neurology and Psychiatry with specific interests in understanding the relationships between key phenotypes of the Alzheimer's brain and molecular and pharmacological features of neuropeptide receptors. He has published five books and more than 500 scientific papers and articles.
Esther Shohami, Ph.D.
Dr. Shohami is Professor of Pharmacology at the School of Pharmacy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Shohami is an internationally renowned expert in head trauma. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Neurotrauma, an elected member of the executive committee of the International Society for Neurotrauma, and a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of Drug Discovery Today: Therapeutic Strategies.
Trevor Robbins, Ph.D.
Dr. Robbins is the Director of the Cambridge MRC Centre in Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience focused on such conditions as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, frontal lobe injury, schizophrenia, depression and other developmental syndromes such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Dr. Robbins currently holds the Chair of Experimental Psychology and where his main work concentrates on the functions of the frontal lobes of the brain and their connections with other regions that are relevant to neurological disorders and psychiatric conditions.
