Company

Dr. Prasad Sunkara is an accomplished scientist and serial entrepreneur specializing in the life science sector. He combines over 30 years of management, financing, and R&D experience in therapeutic areas including cancer, cancer supportive care, cardiovascular, metabolic and CNS diseases indications. He is an expert in identifying and licensing compelling technologies, accelerating their preclinical and clinical development in US and India. As a co-founder and CEO of four start-up companies, Dr. Sunkara has a compelling track-record in business development, financing, mergers and acquisitions.  In each of these companies (referenced below) he led operational growth and generated financial returns for shareholders which exceeded investor expectations.  Dr. Sunkara has also served as a senior executive or board member to seven other companies in the United States and India.  His scientific and business-building accomplishments include:

• Ph.D. in microbiology and bio-chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India (1975), Postdoctoral fellowship in Cell and Tumor Biology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston
• Published more than 90 peer review publications and holds 35 patents
• He is currently CEO of Ann Arbor, Michigan headquartered, Everist Genomics, Inc. and Chairman of Angiologix, Inc.
• Founding chairman and CEO of Ann Arbor Michigan headquartered, Molecular Therapeutics, Inc. and Molecular Imaging Research, Inc. ($12.4 million sale of Molecular  Imaging Research to Charles River Laboratories in 2008)
• Advisor to Lugano, Switzerland headquartered, Helsinn Healthcare for:
• The €140 million in-license of ZP 1846, a novel GLP-2 agonist from Zealand Pharma in 2008
• The $130 million acquisition of Sapphire Therapeutics, the Princeton, New Jersey based developer of targeted cancer supportive therapy in 2009
• Founding Chief Executive Officer of Cascade Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cascade Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Co-Founder, Board Member, Translational Medicine, Bangalore, India (a rapidly growing CRO)
• CEO, Innova Therapeutics, Inc.
• Vice President of Drug Development for Cytokine Networks, Inc. ($42 million acquisition of  Cytokine Networks, Inc. by Cytokine Pharmasciences, Inc.
• Executive Vice President of Research and Development of Cytovia, Inc. ($70 million acquisition by Maxim Pharmaceuticals)
• Managed development at the multi-national pharmaceutical company, Marion Merrell Dow (now Sanofi Aventis)

Mr. Worzel is co-founder and former CEO of Everist Genomics. In this capacity, he has participated in raising capital, directing R&D activities and building a team of experts to develop, commercialize and market new technologies. In 2010, Mr. Worzel negotiated the purchase of a controlling stake in Angiologix Inc, a company that has developed a novel test for measuring endothelial dysfunction, an early precursor to cardiovascular disease. Under his guidance Everist Genomics has also established ongoing partnerships with several academic institutions both within and outside of Michigan as well as establishing a growing collaboration with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, part of the Military Health System. Mr. Worzel has an M.Sc. from the University of Cambridge in computer science and is one of the leading experts in genetics programming. Prior to founding Everist Genomics, Mr. Worzel was the Chief Science Officer at Widevine Technologies, an Internet company based in Seattle, WA.  This company has recently been purchased by Google.

Dr. Peter Lenehan brings to Everist Genomics a combined 25 years of basic cancer research, internal medicine, clinical hematology/oncology, and pharmaceutical industry experience. Dr. Lenehan’s wide depth and breadth of biomedical expertise provides him a unique perspective on the most significant unmet needs in medicine.  This experience enables him to provide critical clinical input to optimally identify, develop and commercialize all of the company’s products. As the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lenehan has been instrumental in drafting the studies needed to generate and validate the company’s genomic prognostic signatures for cancer. He has successfully established long-term working relationships with numerous tissue biobanks and fostered collaborations with major academic institutions in the US, Canada, and India, where clinical cardiovascular device studies are either being conducted or planned. After completing his doctoral studies at the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York City, Dr. Lenehan received his MD and a PhD in Cell Biology from the State University of New York. He subsequently completed an Internal Medicine residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the University of Maryland Cancer Center in Baltimore.

Mr. Urban has 7 years of experience in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry as well as 7 years of experience in business development. Former employers include Pfizer, the University of Michigan, MIR Preclinical Services and Charles River Laboratories.  Mr. Urban received his B.A. in Biology, General Science and Physical Science from Concordia College. He also has a M.S. in Molecular Biology, and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University.

Anthony Kuhn co-founded Kelmenson, Davis & Associates, a successful consultancy focused on advising the Private Equity industry. Kuhn has an exceptional reputation as a marketing-oriented business and global brand leader, with significant expertise in all channels of marketing.  He has helped some of the world’s largest global marketers find the path to success through the ever-changing communication landscape. Having a multi-lingual and multi-cultural background has allowed Kuhn to effectively lead accounts all over the world and provide a global perspective and insights that are hard to find.  He has a proven track record for generating innovative solutions that build brands, sell products and improves the bottom line. 

Prior to KD&A, Kuhn served as EVP, Managing Director, TBWA/Chiat/Day, LA and Lowe & Partners NY, where he successfully directed several of their largest global accounts on all key strategic planning and marketing communication.  He reengineered the marketing development process at TBWA to establish brand-driven integrated marketing communications.   At Lowe & Partners, he authored a ‘Big Event Marketing’ strategy leading the development of significant client partnership that still exists today. His achievements also include directing Chrysler’s largest international market expansion and winning numerous advertising/marketing awards, such as the EFFIE, Clio, Mobius, The One Show, Eurobest and the prestigious Grand Prix Lion in Cannes.

A corporate leader with strong entrepreneurial experience, Kuhn led numerous international advertising agency start-ups and guided several agency networks through merger of international operations throughout Asia, Latin America and Europe.

Kuhn received a BBA in Management and Marketing with an associate degree in advertising from Northwood University.