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Minds Behind
Minds Behind
the Mission
The remarkable scientists, clinicians, and leaders helping shape the future of oncology and human health — in their own words.
10+
Advisors
100+
Combined Years
$35M+
Grant Funding
14+
Advisor-Credited FDA Approvals
Board of Advisors and Key Opinion Leaders
Shaping the Science & Strategy
Influential scientists, clinicians, and leaders who have guided our research, advanced our platform, and championed the science of RLIP76.
⭐ Co-Founder
Sanjay Awasthi, M.D.
Chief R&D Officer & Co-Founder
Avesta Bio - Houston, TX
Oncologist & Scientist
"My mission in life has been to learn all I could about the causes of human disease and apply what I learned to alleviate human suffering"
What drew you to Avesta, and why do you believe in this mission?
Avesta is comprised of and supported by people with kind hearts and the unshakeable belief that alleviating human suffering is a calling that deserves our relentless efforts
What aspect of AV108's science excites you most?
The potential to alleviate suffering caused by the most common diseases that afflict us and the potential for a simpler solution
What is the achievement in your career you are most proud of?
I am most proud of my persistence, faith, and unshakeable belief that knowledge is truth and that working for a cause is its own reward
What is one thing you wish more people understood about your field?
Fundamentals of math, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine and the joy in understanding their union
What advice would you give to the next generation entering your field?
Pursue your dreams relentlessly, without the expectation of reward, because the pursuit itself is the joy that makes life worthwhile
What does 'Hope Without Harm' mean to you personally?
The Hippocratic oath is taken by physicians to remember that relieving suffering is their prime directive, and doing so without harm is the surest way of providing the hope that is essential for surviving adversity
Wayne Klohs, Ph.D.
Director, Oncology Drug Development
Avesta Bio - Grand Rapids, MI
Oncology Drug Developer
"Great teams solve problems!"
What drew you to Avesta, and why do you believe in this mission?
The tumor target as well as the incredible talent, expertise and wisdom of the current Board members. Avesta will run into development issues, but talented teams such as the Avesta team will be able to resolve those issues into positive outcomes.
What aspect of AV108's science excites you most?
Unique target whose inhibition results in impressive antitumor activity in murine tumor models. Rarely does one observe such robust antitumor activity in a variety of murine tumor models, particularly where that activity manifests itself as tumor regression, not just tumor stasis
What is the achievement in your career you are most proud of?
“Founding” Oncology at Astellas where I was the Global Head of Oncology. I was able to build the oncology organization from zero people and zero revenue to ~500 plus people and approximately 4 billion plus dollars in the five years that I worked at Astellas”
What is one thing you wish more people understood about your field?
Oncology is life and death. One in three people in the United States will develop cancer sometime in their lifetime. The discovery and development of anticancer drugs is a noble cause and we have made huge strides in cancer treatment, but we have a long way to go so that people with cancer have both effective and safe anticancer agents to treat their disease.
What advice would you give to the next generation entering your field?
Almost the same statement as above; that is, cancer drug discovery and development is a noble cause and dedicating one's career to the pursuit of new and better therapies for cancer patients is indeed, a noble cause.
What does 'Hope Without Harm' mean to you personally?
Hope without Harm means discovering new targets and new drugs to treat cancers without the harmful side effects of many present-day chemotherapies, and it should be a goal of all cancer drug discoverers and cancer drug developers
William James Boyle, Ph.D.
Board Member
Avesta Bio - Malibu, CA
Antibody Therapeutics Discoverer
"The purpose in life and our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors. - Jonas Salk"
What drew you to Avesta, and why do you believe in this mission?
Dedicated team of scientists and business minds brought together to target RLIP76 in solid cancers and develop a new class of oncology drugs for patients
What aspect of AV108's science excites you most?
AV108 is directed toward a novel target that is operating in many tumor types that are resistance to current therapies and for which there are no available treatment options. In preclinical studies, AV108 has not shown the toxicities normally associated with cancer therapies, suggesting the potential to provide both efficacy and safety for patients.
What is the achievement in your career you are most proud of?
The discovery of the mechanisms of osteoclast activation and bone resorption in normal bone and in bone diseases, leading to the discovery of RANKL. Using new approaches to generating therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to generate Denosumab for treatment of osteoporosis and bone loss in cancer
What is one thing you wish more people understood about your field?
The difficulty in mastering both the new technologies used to impact biological pathways in disease, and the insights needed on the cell biological and molecular mechanisms that lead to diseases like cancer.
What advice would you give to the next generation entering your field?
Learn how to assemble and analyze large sets of biological data in a computationally smart, computer assisted world. As information sets grow, the ability to ask important questions and parse existing data to answer them will be paramount
What does 'Hope Without Harm' mean to you personally?
To me it means a chance for health and recovery without suffering the consequences of the toxicities associated with so many medicines. Richard Pazdor, Former Head of the FDA Oncology Center for Excellence, says he wants "better efficacy and better safety" in new oncology treatments. We all want what Richard wants.
Advancing the Science of Hope Without Harm
Our advisors bring experience from the laboratory bench through to the boardroom. If you believe in science-driven, patient-centered medicine, we'd love to connect.