Close
Open Nav
Search Menu
Overview>Table>Fireside Chats
Fireside Chats


Rachel Haurwitz, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Caribou Biosciences, Inc.

October 19, 2016
12:30 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.

Rachel is a co-founder of Caribou Biosciences and has been President and CEO since its inception. She has a research background in CRISPR-Cas biology, and in 2014, she was named by Forbes Magazine to the "30 Under 30" list in Science and Healthcare. She is also a co-founder of Intellia Therapeutics where she is a member of the board of directors. Rachel is an inventor on several patents and patent applications covering multiple CRISPR-derived technologies, and she has co-authored scientific papers in high impact journals characterizing CRISPR-Cas systems. Rachel earned an A.B. in Biological Sciences from Harvard College, and received a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

Liam Ratcliffe, MD, PhD, Managing Director, New Leaf Venture Partners

October 19, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 10:55 a.m.

Liam Ratcliffe is a Managing Director at New Leaf Venture Partners, and concentrates on biopharmaceutical investing. Liam joined New Leaf in September 2008. Liam previously served as Senior Vice President and Development Head for Pfizer Neuroscience, as well as Worldwide Head of Clinical Research and Development. Additional positions during his 12 years at Pfizer included Vice President of Exploratory Development for the Mid West region (based in Ann Arbor, MI), and Head of Experimental Medicine at Pfizer’s Sandwich, UK Laboratories. As Head of Neurosciences, Liam was responsible for the development of several successful late-stage projects and marketed products, including Lyrica, Chantix and Geodon. In previous roles, he gained extensive experience in early drug development and translational research across multiple therapeutic areas, including inflammation, pain, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and genito-urinary medicine.

Liam began his career in the pharmaceutical industry in a medical marketing role at Roche in South Africa. He received his M.D. degree and Ph.D. degree in immunology from the University of Cape Town and his M.B.A. degree from the University of Michigan. Liam completed his internal medicine training and fellowship in Immunology at Groote Schuur Hospital and associated teaching hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa.

Liam also serves on various industry panels, including the Leadership Counsel of the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute, the Advisory Council of the Keck Graduate Institute, the Life Sciences Advisory Panel of Frankel Consulting and the Pfizer External Advisory Panel for Ophthalmology, the AstraZeneca External Advisory Panel for Research & Development Strategy and Anti-Infectives.

Board Seats:

  • Afferent Pharmaceuticals
  • Aptinyx Inc.
  • Arvinas, Inc.
  • Calchan Holdings Limited
  • Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, LLC
  • Edge Therapeutics, Inc.
  • Karus Therapeutics
  • Unum Therapeutics Inc.

Notable Alumni Investments:

  • Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACAD)
  • Array BioPharma (NASDAQ: ARRY)
  • Convergence Pharmaceuticals (Acquired by Biogen Idec)
  • MEI Pharma (NASDAQ: MEIP)

 

Ryan Watts, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Denali Therapeutics Inc.

October 18, 2016
12:30 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.

Ryan Watts is one of the co-founders of Denali Therapeutics and a member of the Board of Directors. He serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Ryan previously served as Director of the Department of Neuroscience at Genentech, where he was employed for 11 years. During his tenure there, he led the company’s entry into neuroscience, building a department and advancing multiple programs for neurological disease from discovery to clinical testing. Ryan’s own laboratory focused on drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease and on understanding mechanisms of neurodegeneration guided by human genetics. Ryan is also a leader in the development of improved methods for delivering therapeutic antibodies across the blood-brain barrier. He obtained his B.S. from the University of Utah and his Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University.