Dr Mark Heffernan (CEO)
Dr Heffernan is a co-founder of Opsona (together with the three academic founders) and was responsible in forming and coordinating the initial capital raising and business development activities for Opsona. He received his PhD in Biochemistry at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He has senior management experience overseeing internal and external R&D and business development activities in two leading Australian biotechnology start-up companies under the Circadian Group. Since moving to Ireland, where he co-founded Opsona in 2004, he has driven the growth of the company to over 20 people and has negotiates a number of licensing, collaboration and research agreements with global companies and institutes.
Dr. Cormac Kilty (Non-Executive Chairman)
Dr. Cormac G. Kilty is the founding Chairman of Opsona Therapeutics Ltd. He is also the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Biotrin Holdings Ltd., an Irish biotech company which develops novel diagnostic kits. For the past two years, he has been the Chariman of the Irish BioIndustry Association. Dr. Cormac Kilty received his Ph.D. in Zoology and Biochemistry from University College Dublin, Ireland. He carried out post-doctoral research in protein chemistry and immunology at the University of Texas at Austin and at University College Dublin. He joined the Diagnostics Division of Baxter Healthcare in 1986 and from 1987-1990, he was Head of their European Research and Development group in Switzerland. He returned to Ireland and in 1992 founded Biotrin International. More on Biotrin
Mr. Seamus O’Hara (Non-Executive Director)
Mr. Seamus O’Hara is the Co-founder and Director of Seroba BioVentures Ltd., and the manager of the Irish BioScience Venture Capital Fund – a €25m life science venture capital fund launched in early 2002, which invests in start-up and early stage companies in Ireland. Mr. O’Hara graduated with BSc (1986) and MSc (1988) degrees in biotechnology from Dublin City University. In 1988, Mr. O’Hara took up a research position with ICI Pharmaceuticals (now Astra Zeneca) before moving to Glaxochem Ltd. (now GlaxoSmithKline) in 1990. In 1992, Mr. O’Hara joined BioResearch Ireland (BRI) and held a number of positions over a 10 year period dealing with the commercialization of IP developed at Irish universities - including Commercial Manager of the BRI Centre at Trinity College and ultimately Business Development Manger of BRI. Seroba has completed seven investments to date, and Seamus serves on the board of three of these companies. More on Seroba
Professor Kingston Mills (Non Executive Director and Founder)
Prof. Mills is an internationally renowned scientist, a Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator and a Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin. Prof. Mills’ leads a large research group whose expertise is in regulatory T-cells and adaptive immunity. He has had major collaborations with many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and also has significant experience with regulatory agencies through his involvement as a scientist in the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in South Mimms (UK). He is a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, and was awarded the prestigious Royal Irish Academy Medal for Biochemistry in 2004. He publishes frequently in leading peer-reviewed publications on all aspects of immunology. More on Kingston Mills
John Obijeski, Ph.D.
John Obijeski, Ph.D. was most recently a consultant to Genentech’s Business Development department, assisting in the identification and development of key early stage development products and technologies, many of which were licensed into the Genentech development program. Prior to this, he spent 16 years associated with Genentech, serving first as a Director of Vaccine Development and later as Senior Director of Product Development. Prior to joining Genentech, Dr. Obijeski spent 12 years at the Centers of Disease Control as Director of Molecular Virology. With more than a 30-year career in Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Jack Obijeski was formally Chairman, Product Assessment at Collabra Pharma providing the Collabra Management Team with a wealth of scientific and product development experience. Dr. Obijeski has also served as Vice President, Business Development and Scientific Affairs at Genitope Corporation and Senior Scientific Advisor for Novocea Inc., both publicly traded companies. Dr. Obijeski is a member of several biological organizations, and he has served as an advisory member to the WHO, National Institute of Medicine, and the National Institute for Biological Standardization and Control (NIBSC, England). In addition, Dr. Obijeski advised several BioVenture Funds in the Bay area and in Europe.
Dr. Robert Schier
Dr. Schier is Investment Director and Partner at Inventages Venture Capital. He is a member of Inventages´ Investment Committee and currently serves on the Board of Directors of seven portfolio companies in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to joining Inventages in 2002, Dr. Schier was Investment Director Life Sciences at VCH Equity Group AG in Germany and he held position in research, product development and management at European Biotech Companies Xerion Pharmaceuticals AG and MorphoSys AG. Dr. Schier did his postgraduate research at the University of California San Francisco and received an M.S. in pharmacy and a Ph.D. in applied microbiology and cell genetics from University of Vienna, and an M.B.A. from the European University. More on Inventages
