Together with our global partners, our core team is highly experienced, and has specific expertise in a diverse range of pharmaceutical development areas, from biochemistry and drug development to life-cycle management and pharmaceutical business strategy.
Dr. Keizo Koya is a dynamic leader, senior executive, and entrepreneur with three decades of experience in global pharmaceutical R&D and business strategy. In 2012, he formed Strategia Therapeutics, Inc. to implement his visionary new model for collaborative drug development, and established global pharmaceutical R&D alliances with partners such as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Fujifilm, Eisai, Nippon Shinyaku, and Insymbiosis. Prior to founding Strategia Therapeutics, Dr. Koya worked for Synta Pharmaceuticals (SNTA) for 10 years as Senior Vice President of Drug Development, where he helped discover and develop novel pharmaceutical drugs like “Apilomod” (a first-in-class oral active IL12/23 inhibitor for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases), “Ganetespib”, (a powerful Hsp90 inhibitor), and “Elesclomol”, a cancer metabolism inhibitor for oncology. Prior to joining Synta, Dr. Koya led R&D for numerous investigational cancer and autoimmune drugs at Shionogi BioResearch Corp, Fuji ImmunoPharmaceuticals Corporation, and FujiFilm USA. He also led the anti-cancer drug project at Harvard Medical School’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute, developing innovative cancer mitochondria-targeted therapies (such as MKT-077), later licensed to Sandoz (Novartis). Before moving to the U.S. in 1990, Dr. Koya worked as a chief scientist for various projects at FujiFilm Japan’s main research institute. He holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, and has 45 issued and pending U.S. patents.
Dr. Linda Paradiso has more than 32 years of oncology drug development experience in pharmaceutical and emerging biotechnology research. She has dozens of investigational new drugs (INDs) to her credit, and has contributed directly to the worldwide development, approval and lifecycle management of 11 marketed anti-infective and oncology therapeutics (Viracept®, Penetrex®, Omnicef®, Doxil®, DepoCyt®, Treanda® Kepivance®, Neulasta®, Aranesp®, Vectibix® and NPlate®). She has served at an executive management level in multiple clinical and regulatory executive management positions at companies, including Tanox (now Genentech), Amgen, Pfizer, Agouron (now Pfizer) and Salmedix (now Cephalon/TEVA).
Dr. Paradiso is a former Officer of several publicly traded biotechnology companies, and is a former Director of Amgen. She has served on the Commercialization and Scientific Review Board of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, and the Associate Advisory Board of BioHouston. Over the course of her career, she has helped procure more than $30 million dollars in venture and corporate capital funds for emerging biotechnology, and has participated in numerous licensing deals between large pharmaceutical firms and budding biotech companies. Dr. Paradiso received her DVM from Michigan State University, and earned an MBA with emphasis in Health Care Management from University of California, Irvine. She received her undergraduate BS degrees from the University of Michigan.
Thomas J. Myers is a board certified hematologist and oncologist with 38 years of clinical and pharmaceutical experience. His career has included 23 years on the faculty at the Brown University Affiliated Hospitals and 15 years in oncology medical affairs and clinical drug development at four pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Myers has extensive clinical drug development experience consisting of more than 250 U.S. and global investigator-sponsored and company-sponsored trials, 40 U.S. and E.U. cooperative group trials, four cooperative research and development agreements with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), seven expanded access programs, one global registry, and the development and supervision of investigator-sponsored and cooperative group trial programs at three companies. He has been involved in the launch of six hematology and oncology agents. Dr. Myers has served in multiple prior pharmaceutical positions: Assistant Medical Director, Oncology at Ortho Biotech (Johnson & Johnson); Medical Director, Oncology, Global Medical Affairs at Millennium Pharmaceuticals; Sr. Medical Director and Acting VP, Oncology, Global Medical Affairs at Genzyme Pharmaceuticals; and VP Oncology, US Development and Medical, EMD Serono (a subsidiary of Merck Serono). He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis and Hemostasis, and the recipient of the Brown University 20-year outstanding teacher award.
Donald P. Andrade assists companies develop and implement their growth strategies, focusing on financial matters. He has over 30 years of experience providing advice to a broad spectrum of companies, from early-stage to mature global entities. Prior to forming his advisory firm, Mr. Andrade was a partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP where his tenure spanned 28 years. He has authored publications on the topics of raising capital and global growth strategies.
Mr. Andrade is a frequent speaker on various topics including raising capital, financial reporting (U.S. GAAP, IFRS) and regulatory developments, and is an adjunct faculty member at Boston University, Suffolk University and the University of Alabama Law School. He earned a BS in BA from Bryant University, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Certified Public Accountant.