EPIX Pharmaceuticals is headed by a strong management team with extensive experience in drug discovery, medical imaging and diagnostics.
Michael G. Kauffman, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Kauffman received his M.D. and Ph.D. (molecular biology and biochemistry) at Johns Hopkins and his postdoctoral training at Harvard University. He is board certified in internal medicine, and brings more than 10 years of extensive experience in drug discovery and development to his role as CEO of EPIX, which he assumed in August 2006 after Epix Pharmaceuticals and Predix Pharmaceuticals merged to form the new company, EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
From September 2002 until August 2006, Dr. Kauffman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Predix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Predix Pharmaceuticals Inc. was founded in September 2002 as the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Predix Pharmaceuticals Ltd., an Israeli biopharmaceutical company specializing in G-protein coupled receptor modeling and small molecule drug development. Dr. Kauffman joined Predix after serving as the Vice President, Medicine, and Proteasome Inhibitor (VELCADE®) Program Leader at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to that, Dr. Kauffman held senior positions at Millennium Predictive Medicine, Inc., as cofounder and Vice President of Medicine, and at Biogen Corporation. He currently serves on the board of directors of Proteolix, Inc., as Chairman, CombinatoRx, Inc. and EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Kauffman is also a scientific advisor to Bessemer Partners.
Kim C. Drapkin, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Drapkin brings more than 15 years of diversified and integrated corporate accounting and pharmaceutical management experience. Prior to joining EPIX, Ms. Drapkin served as Chief Financial Officer of Predix Pharmaceuticals and spent 10 years at Millennium Pharmaceuticals in senior positions of increasing responsibility within the finance organization. Ms. Drapkin has extensive experience in financial management, technical accounting, SEC reporting and Sarbanes Oxley compliance. Prior to joining Millennium, Ms. Drapkin served as an auditor in the technology and life sciences audit practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Boston. Ms. Drapkin is a graduate of Babson College, holding a B.S. in accounting (Summa Cum Laude) and she is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Simon S. Jones, Ph.D.
Vice President of Biology & ADMET
Joining EPIX in May 2005, Dr. Jones has been responsible for leading the internal therapeutics effort and for providing support to Vasovist®, EP-2104R and other research programs. Prior to EPIX, Dr. Jones was the Head of Preclinical Development at ArQule, where he led teams in oncology and inflammation, and prior to ArQule he was the Senior Director of Molecular Therapeutics and Cellular Biology at Creative Biomolecules. Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry under Prof. C.B. Reese from Kings College, University of London and was a postdoctoral fellow in the group of Nobel Laureate H. Gobind Khorana, in the department of Chemistry at MIT. Dr. Jones is the author on more than 30 peer-reviewed manuscripts and an inventor on ten U.S. patents.
Chen Schor, CPA
Chief Business Officer
Mr. Schor has more than 10 years of experience in biotechnology, business development and private equity. Mr. Schor leads corporate and business development initiatives including oversight and establishment of strategic collaborations for EPIX programs and assets and strategic planning activities. Mr. Schor has led the formation and negotiations of EPIX’s collaborations with Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics. Prior to joining EPIX, Mr. Schor served as Partner, Life Sciences at Yozma Venture Capital, managing the fund’s healthcare practice. Mr. Schor was one of the lead investors in Predix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. when the company incorporated in 2000 and subsequently contributed to the merger between EPIX and Predix. Mr. Schor previously held positions at Arthur Anderson and BDO consultants and holds an MBA, B.A. in biology, B.A. in economics and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Sharon Shacham, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Drug Development
Dr. Shacham received a B.Sc. in Chemisty (Magna Cum Laude), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics, and an MBA, from Tel Aviv University. Dr. Shacham joined the Company with the founders and was the lead scientist in GPCR modeling; it is her Ph.D. thesis that provided the basis for much of the original and current computational technology, including in silico screening protocols and early hit identification. As one of the original employees of the Company, Dr. Shacham has played a key role in the discovery and development of EPIX's clinical and pre-clinical drug candidates. Dr. Shacham has published numerous scientific papers.
Sheila DeWitt, Ph.D.
Vice President of Discovery
Dr. DeWitt brings more than 20 years of life sciences experience to her role as Vice President of Discovery. Most recently, Dr. Dewitt served as Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning at EPIX, where she played an integral role in the merger with Predix Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Dewitt has served in a variety of other R&D and business development roles including, Vice President Portfolio Development and Business Unit head for Strategic Alliances and Discovery at ArQule, Business Unit Head for Chip-Based Discovery at Orchid Biosciences, founder and Vice President for Diversomer Technologies, and numerous scientific positions at Parke-Davis (now Pfizer). She has successfully led teams that evaluated and integrated acquisitions, managed R&D pipelines, led strategic alliances, and earned recognition for contributions to combinatorial chemistry. Dr. DeWitt holds a B.A. in chemistry from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Duke University. She has edited one book, is the inventor on 22 issued patents and is the author on more than 50 manuscripts and abstracts.
Yael Marantz, Ph.D.
Vice President of Computational Drug Discovery
Dr. Marantz obtained a B.S. in Chemistry, followed by an M.S. in Biochemistry, from Tel Aviv University. She returned to Tel Aviv University to complete a Ph.D., where she focused on the fields of proton transfer dynamics and computational biology. In 2000, Dr. Marantz joined the founders of Predix Pharmaceuticals as a key scientist and began leading the computational screening department in 2002. In her current role, she leads EPIX's computational drug discovery team, which is responsible for the identification of all of early discovery product candidates. During her time at EPIX, Dr. Marantz has co- authored 6 peer-reviewed publications, 2 issued U.S. patents and an additional 15 pending-patent applications in the US.
Brenda Sousa
Vice President of Human Resources
Ms. Sousa joined the company in June 1998. She came to EPIX from RKS Health Ventures and the Spence Center for Women's Health where she was the Director of Human Resources from June 1995 to May 1998. Prior to 1998, Ms. Sousa spent ten years in the hospitality industry with Hilton, Stouffers and Sonesta Hotels in a variety of sales and marketing positions. She is a member of the Board of Directors for a nonprofit organization, Career Collaborative, and is the Chair of their Employer Advisory Committee.
