Ascenta has assembled an experienced and accomplished team of professionals with decades of collective experience in academia, biotech and big pharma, predominantly in cancer research and oncology clinical development and commercialization.
Mel Sorensen, MD, is a medical oncologist who has dedicated his career to clinical cancer research since completing his oncology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in 1988. He joined Ascenta in August 2004 as President and Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, Ascenta secured $82M in two rounds of financing and advanced its lead program from preclinical development into multiple randomized trials.
Dr. Sorensen spent eight years in big pharma, in leadership roles in oncology clinical development, at Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline. He has experience with a broad spectrum of anti-cancer agents (cytotoxics, biologics, supportives, kinase inhibitors and other targeted agents) and all phases of clinical development (phase I-IV), regulatory approval and medical affairs. In 1996, he joined Bayer to build its first clinical oncology department, in West Haven, CT. In early 2001, he moved to GSK in the Greater Philadelphia area, where he was Vice-President, Global Leader and North American Head of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs for Oncology.
Prior to Bayer, Dr Sorensen spent seven years at the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), where he managed a portfolio of over 40 compounds with diverse tumor targets and mechanisms of action, collaborating with companies who were frequently the source of the compounds and with academic sites and clinics who performed the cancer clinical trials. Dr. Sorensen attended at a clinic for gastrointestinal tumors while at the NCI, organized and chaired the bi-annual Phase I meetings, and in later years led the NCI's Phase II grant program.
For several years, Dr. Sorensen has been active in fostering public-private collaborations for clinical cancer research, with the NCI, with C-Change, with Friends of Cancer Research (FOCR) and other organizations. He is a frequent speaker on cancer clinical research, including presentations on "Confronting Cancer Now" at the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2003; on "Ethical Issues in Large Clinical Trials" at the 2004 Symposium on Bioethical Considerations in Human Subject Research; at the 2005 Tokyo Pharma Partnering Conference; at Shanghai's 2005 Municipality Bio-Forum conference; and on "Biopharmaceuticals: The Innovation Pipeline Race" at the 2005 Milken Institute's Global Conference.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)Joel Sussman assumed the responsibilities of Chief Financial Officer for Ascenta in December 2007. Mr. Sussman is a financial management consultant who serves in the capacity of CFO for early-stage companies. His present and former clients include numerous venture capital-backed life sciences companies as well as companies in the fields of information technologies and services. Before beginning his consulting practice in 1995, he had fifteen years experience as Chief Financial Officer and/or Treasurer of public and private technology and healthcare companies. In 1997, he joined a client, CDNow, Inc., as CFO and took it public, resuming his consulting practice in 2001 after its sale to Bertelsmann AG. Mr. Sussman began his career as a banker and has an undergraduate degree from Yale University, an MBA degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania.
As Director of Corporate Development, Mr. Wood oversees in-licensing and out-licensing activities and is responsible for the management of the company’s intellectual property. Prior to joining Ascenta, Mr. Wood served for 9 years in clinical development roles at GlaxoSmithKline and Wyeth in which he was involved in the development, support and reporting of global clinical trials. During this time, Mr. Wood contributed to development programs leading to the registration of lapatinib (Tykerb®), temsirolimus (Torisel®), and etanercept (Enbrel®). Mr. Wood has a BS in biology from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and completed a one year internship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland before joining industry.
Jeffrey Brill joined Ascenta Therapeutics in 2005, and serves as Director of Clinical Operations. Mr. Brill has 11 years of oncology drug development experience, and oversees operations for Ascenta’s clinical programs. Prior to Ascenta, Mr. Brill held positions at Gemin X where he was involved in Gemin X’s lead, first-in-class, program, and Covance, where he was fully allocated to oncology studies. Mr. Brill has a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from the University of Delaware.
