Meet our team

K. Leonard Judson is the President and Managing Director of Cycad Group. Prior to co-founding Cycad Group in 2000, he practiced law for 14 years and was a partner in two law firms including May, Potenza, Judson and Baran, P.C. where he served as its CEO until his departure to the Cycad Group. Throughout his legal career a substantial portion of his practice was devoted to representing both entrepreneurs and investors in various aspects corporate law, finance, mergers and acquisitions. Leveraging upon his experience interning for the SEC and his subsequent securities law practice, Leonard was as a member of the NASD Board of Arbitrators from 1989 to 2002 and chaired numerous securities industry related arbitrations. Among his responsibilities at Cycad Group, Leonard currently serves as a Director or observer to the board of directors of several of Cycad Group’s portfolio companies including, ImaginAb, Nanosteel Corporation, Sofie Biosciences, and Lixivia. Leonard is also a Director and the Executive Vice President of the Glenn Foundation For Medical Research, Inc., a non-profit foundation supporting basic research to understand the biology of aging with the objective of developing interventions to extend the healthy years of human life. Leonard holds a J.D. with Honors, from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a B.S. degree, Cum Laude, from Northern Arizona University.

Mr. Ian Wilson has over 30 years of experience in development of in vivo medical diagnostics and imaging medical devices, he is a highly established and influential member of the industry and has built an enviable skill-set over the years through a number of significant healthcare roles.

It’s this diverse portfolio of skills, along with his aspirational vision of growing ImaginAb to transform the healthcare and biotechnology industry that has led Mr. Wilson to accelerate ImaginAb’s business presence and performance for the last 6 years

Priort to imaginAb, he was the CEO and CTO of Edinburgh Molecular Imaging Ltd, leading the development of novel optical imaging agents to improve cancer detection, surgery and lung disease.

Prior to that, he held several roles at GE Healthcare between 1996 and 2013, including Portfolio and Strategy Manager and Head of Biology, with responsibility for management of GE Healthcare’s Molecular Imaging Agent Portfolio, in Cardiovascular, Oncology and Neurology, and strategic and tactical oversight.

He had responsibility for supporting efficacy and regulatory studies required for the approval of new imaging agents. At Xstrahl Ltd, as CTO &COO, he was responsible for the oversight of the Radiotherapy commercial operation and manufacture oversight, including new product development.

David Fractor is the Chief Financial Officer at ImaginAb, Inc. David is responsible for the Company’s internal and external financial reporting as well as working with other members of senior management to raise capital for the company. Additionally, David takes the lead in maintaining the Company’s corporate governance. Prior to joining ImaginAb, David was the Chief Financial Officer at ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. an NYSE listed company, where he oversaw the company's SEC reporting and was extensively involved in raising capital. Additionally, David has served in similar positions with various companies, public and private and had his own consulting practice where he advised companies in complex financial and accounting matters. Prior to working in industry, David was an Audit Manager at Deloitte. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chapter of CalCPA. David is licensed CPA and graduated from USC.

William Le is the Vice President of Global Operations at ImaginAb overseeing the Company's operational functions including Project Management, CMC, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Pharmacovigilance and Medical/Clinical Affairs. William has over 19 years of experience in drug development in the CRO, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Prior to joining ImaginAb, William held cross-functional leadership role at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Gradalis Inc. and other top 10 CROs in this space. At Spectrum, William managed two major oncology programs and successfully completed two New Drug Application (NDA) filings, with one received FDA marketing approval for the treatment of a rare cancer. Mr. Le obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Oklahoma State University and Master’s degree in Biotechnology Management from the University of Maryland University College. William enjoys spending time with his family on road trips, camping and testing new recipes.

William Le is the Vice President of Global Operations at ImaginAb overseeing the Company's operational functions including Project Management, CMC, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Pharmacovigilance and Medical/Clinical Affairs. William has over 19 years of experience in drug development in the CRO, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Prior to joining ImaginAb, William held cross-functional leadership role at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Gradalis Inc. and other top 10 CROs in this space. At Spectrum, William managed two major oncology programs and successfully completed two New Drug Application (NDA) filings, with one received FDA marketing approval for the treatment of a rare cancer. Mr. Le obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Oklahoma State University and Master’s degree in Biotechnology Management from the University of Maryland University College. William enjoys spending time with his family on road trips, camping and testing new recipes.

Anna M. Wu, Ph.D, is professor and chair of the Department of Immunology and Theranostics, co-director, Center for Theranostics Studies and professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope in Duarte, California.

Anna also holds the title of research professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, where she previously served as professor and vice chair. While at UCLA, she also held positions as director, Cancer Molecular Imaging Program, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and co-associate director, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging. She is a past chair of the California Breast Cancer Research Council, and fellow and past president of the World Molecular Imaging Society.

Dr. Wu is the co-founder and chief scientific advisor to ImaginAb Inc., an LA-based startup company which develops and commercializes engineered antibodies for clinical imaging in cancer and other diseases. Dr. Wu began her independent research career as an assistant research scientist at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope and advanced to the position of professor of molecular biology in 2002. Dr. Wu received her A.B. degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Yale University in molecular biophysics and biochemistry (MB&B). Postdoctoral studies were conducted at Yale University (MB&B) and at University of California San Francisco in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Dr. James Allison is the Chair of the Department of Immunology, the Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology, Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and the Executive Director of the Immunotherapy Platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has spent a distinguished career studying the regulation of T cell responses and developing strategies for cancer immunotherapy. Among his most notable discoveries are the determination of the T cell receptor structure and that CD28 is the major costimulatory molecule that allows full activation of naïve T cells and prevents anergy in T cell clones. His lab resolved a major controversy by demonstrating that CTLA-4 inhibits T-cell activation by opposing CD28-mediated costimulation and that blockade of CTLA-4 could enhance T cell responses, leading to tumor rejection in animal models. This finding paved the wave for the emerging field of immune checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer. Work in his lab led to the development of ipilimumab, an antibody to human CTLA-4 and the first immune checkpoint blockade therapy approved by the FDA. Among many honors, he is a member of the National Academies of Science and Medicine and received the Lasker-Debakey Clinical Medical Research award in 2015. His current work seeks to improve immune checkpoint blockade therapies currently used by our clinicians and identify new targets to unleash the immune system in order to eradicate cancer.

Friedhelm Blobel, Ph.D., currently serves as board member of private Life Science companies (ImaginAb, ENTvantage, and SciClone Pharmaceuticals International Ltd). From June 2006 until its acquisition by a Chinese consortium in October 2017 he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director for SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Throughout these years SciClone was a NASDAQ listed company, based in the San Francisco Bay Area with a specialty pharmaceuticals business focused in China, managing its own sales force and recent annual revenues of approximately $150 million. From July 2000 to 2006 Dr. Blobel was President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Gryphon Therapeutics, Inc., a private South San Francisco-based biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Gryphon Dr. Blobel spent more than two decades as an executive with the Hoechst Group and the Boehringer Mannheim Group, including responsibilities in the areas of diabetes and in vitro diagnostics. For these companies, he lived and worked eight years in Europe and Japan before moving to the USA. Dr. Blobel holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Microbiology from the University of Hohenheim, Germany.

Dr. Evelhoch retired from Merck Research Laboratories in 2000, where he was responsible for the development and qualification of novel biomarkers, use of biomarkers to inform pipeline decisions and the development and deployment of companion diagnostics at Merck. He joined Merck Research Laboratories in 2008 as Vice President and Head of Imaging and was named Vice President and Head of Translational Biomarkers in 2015. He joined Merck after four years at Amgen as Executive Director and Head of Imaging Sciences, which followed 2 years at Pfizer Global Research & Development and Pharmacia as Director of Structural Imaging. Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Evelhoch was on the faculty of Wayne State University School of Medicine for 18 years, where he was a Professor of Internal Medicine, Cancer Biology and Radiology. Dr. Evelhoch has a B.S. in Chemistry from West Chester University, received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of California at Riverside and was a postdoctoral fellow at Washington University in St. Louis. He is now a consultant providing expertise in biomarkers and diagnostics.

Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., F.A.C.P., is currently Physician in Chief, Distinguished Professor Translational Research at TGen (Translational Genomics Research Institute) in Phoenix, Arizona. He is also Senior Consultant, Clinical Investigations for the City of Hope; Chief Scientific Officer for HonorHealth Research Institute; Medical Director of Research, Chief Scientific Officer, US Oncology, and Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Von Hoff’s major interest is in the development of new anticancer agents, both in the clinic and in the laboratory. He and his colleagues were involved in the beginning of the development of many of the agents we now use routinely, including: mitoxantrone, fludarabine, paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, irinotecan, nelarabine, capecitabine, lapatinib, vismodegibm, nab-paclitaxel, nal-IRI, and others. At present, he and his colleagues are concentrating on the development of molecularly targeted therapies for patients with pancreatic and other advanced cancers.

Dr. Von Hoff has published more than 690 papers, 140 book chapters and over 1400 abstracts. Dr. Von Hoff received the 2010 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology for his outstanding contributions to cancer research leading to significant improvement in patient care.

Dr. Von Hoff was appointed to President Bush’s National Cancer Advisory Board in 2004-2010. Dr. Von Hoff is the past President of the American Association for Cancer Research (the world’s largest cancer research organization), a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member and past board member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He is a founder of ILEX Oncology, Inc. (acquired by Genzyme after ILEX had two agents, alemtuzumab and clofarabine, approved by the FDA for patients with leukemia). Dr. Von Hoff is founder and the Editor Emeritus of Investigational New Drugs – The Journal of New Anticancer Agents; and, past Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. He is a co-founder of the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop. He is also proud to have been a mentor and teacher for multiple medical students, medical oncology fellows, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows.

Mr. Haimovitz is currently President of Haimovitz Consulting, Inc. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of Ariad Pharmaceuticals, where he was also a member of the audit committee; Dial Global, Inc., where he was also a member of the audit committee; and Imclone Pharmaceuticals, where he served as chairperson of the audit committee.

Mr. Haimovitz has also served as Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer of the follow companies: Spelling Entertainment, Inc., King World Productions and VJN, Inc. Mr. Haimovitz holds a B.S. and M.A. degree in Mathematics from Brooklyn College.

Mr. Haimovitz has demonstrated leadership in his field, his knowledge of financial and financing matters and his prior board service contributed to our conclusion that he should serve as a director.

Dr. David Mankoff is Gerd Muehllehner Professor of Radiology, Vice-Chair for Research in Radiology, and Director of the PET Center at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Mankoff is board-certified in Nuclear Medicine and holds a PhD in Bioengineering focusing on PET instrumentation. He practices Nuclear Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with a special interest in oncologic applications of molecular imaging and radionuclide treatment of endocrine tumors and other cancers. Dr. Mankoff’s research focuses on molecular imaging of cancer, primarily on breast cancer, and emphasizes therapeutic monitoring, identifying factors mediating therapeutic resistance, and the translation of new methods to clinical trials. He also focuses on imaging methodology and quantitative imaging methods related to molecular cancer imaging. Dr. Mankoff is a Komen Scholar for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. He also Chairs the Experimental Imaging Sciences Committee and serves as Co-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee of ECOG-ACRIN. Dr. Mankoff is a past member and President of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Mankoff is on the editorial boards of Nuclear Medicine and Biology, Breast Cancer Research, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, The Breast Journal, and Clinical Cancer Research and serves as an Associate Editor for Breast Cancer Research and the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine, Professor of Surgery, and Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC), Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) Center at UCLA, and Chair of the Melanoma Committee at SWOG. Dr Ribas is a physician-scientist who conducts laboratory and clinical research in malignant melanoma, focusing on gene engineered T cells, PD-1 blockade and BRAF targeted therapies. His National Cancer Institute (NCI), State of California and private foundation-supported research laboratory develops models of disease to test new therapeutic options, studies mechanism of action of treatments in patients and the molecular mechanisms of therapy resistance. Dr. Ribas is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), has a Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Buenos Aires, the recipient of the 2014 AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award, the 2018 AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology and a NCI Outstanding Investigator Award.

Dr. Padmanee Sharma is a trained medical oncologist and immunologist whose research work is focused on investigating mechanisms and pathways within the immune system that are responsible for tumor rejection and clinical benefit. She is the Principal Investigator of multiple immunotherapy clinical trials and conducts translational laboratory studies related to these trials. Her studies enable development of novel immunotherapy strategies for the treatment of cancer patients. She is a Professor in the departments of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology, and the Scientific Director for the Immunotherapy Platform at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. She is also the Co-Director of Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She received the Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research in 2016 and was inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) in 2018.

Meet Kathleen Brady, our Associate Director, Quality Assurance.

Kathleen is a natural match for ImaginAb, thriving on challenges and is passionate about making a difference to people’s lives.

Her role at ImaginAb includes:

- Assuring finished products conform to government and company standards and satisfy GMP regulations
- Monitoring validation activities and assessing quality risks
- Maintaining a functional and effective QMS to support the company’s internal and external operations in compliance with national and local Health Authorities regulations
- Support regulatory inspections, internal audits, and external audits from partners
- Auditing and monitoring vendors
- Supporting the CMC team in ensuring all manufacturing are compliant with regulations
- Training and providing guidance to staff

Prior to joining the ImaginAb team, Kathleen was a Senior Regulatory Affairs Associate, handling more than 10 product lines from R&D to Commercial phase at Amerigen Pharmaceuticals.

She also held several QA and QC roles at Actavis/TEVA Pharma with the last role as Principle QA Engineer – the highest position in the technical ladder.

Kathleen is a well-established member in the pharmaceutical industry, and has hosted lectures and seminars on Stability Testing and Quality Compliance. She was also awarded the ‘Spirit of Voluntarism’ in recognition of her impressive contribution to the US Pharmacopeia. She currently holds a Quality Auditor Certification from American Society for Quality.

Outside of work, Kathleen enjoys a wide range of fantasy and science fiction movies.

Meet Clinique Burrell, our Corporate Communications & Administrative Manager.

Clinique is a highly organised and key member of the team and enjoys supporting the growth and development of the company through improving operational efficiencies and processes.

Her role at ImaginAb includes:

• Overseeing company marketing activities and support sales marketing initiatives and campaigns
• Managing daily operations for on-site and remote working environments
• Administration, project management and meeting facilitation
• Collaboration with Finance, IT and HR to give the team the tools they need to be successful

Prior to joining the ImaginAb team, Clinique worked in program development with a focus on training and client relationship management, in the organ donation and transplantation industry.

Outside of work, she serves her local ministry and community and also enjoys travelling, beach walks and spa days.

Meet Jenny Crager, our Project Manager.

With a wide range of educational and business experience having worked in Japan for many years before moving to the U.S, Jenny brings a wealth of global knowledge to the team.

Her role at ImaginAb includes:

- Managing dose logistics for all US studies including setting up new site studies as well as managing ImaginAb’s cloud-based Product Ordering Platform.
- Project liaison between the ImaginAb project team and internal/external stakeholders
- Coordinating activities and providing communication between ImaginAb and contracted vendors, clinical sites and pharma partners

Prior to joining the ImaginAb team, Jenny received a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. She also graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Chemistry. Her academic skillset and time working in Japan makes her an ideal fit to challenge, create and transform with the company, while adapting to new markets.

Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, gardening and exploring new countries, foods and cultures.

Meet Jill Durkin, our VP, Financial Strategy and Planning.

Jill is an integral part of the company, running the numbers and solving complex financial obstacles. She helps to challenge, create and transform by understanding how we can capitalise on past performances to develop future growth.

Her role at ImaginAb includes:

- Managing finance, HR and IT processes
- Overseeing administrative/corporate functions

Prior to joining the ImaginAb team, Jill spent 10 years building a solid amount of experience in accounting and business management. She is an established team player, having been a consultative accountant for a wide range of clients and industries. Plus, she has worked for both publicly traded and private companies, with experience in SEC reporting, audit and internal controls.

Outside of work, Jill enjoys traveling, camping and walking on the beach with her dog.

Meet Tiffany Kersting, our Clinical Trial Manager

Tiffany is passionate about the world of clinical research because it allows her to be an integral part of the future of healthcare. She enjoys making a difference in people's lives. Her role as a clinical research professional impacts the development of future treatments of anyone in need across the globe.

Her role at ImaginAb includes:

• Overseeing CRO & CRA management of clinical site and monitoring activities.
• Managing and tracking key study metrics to ensure adherence to project milestones and proactively identifying and resolving clinical project issues and participating in process improvement initiatives.
• Collaborating with investigators and internal/external stakeholders on the progress of ImaginAb’s sponsored clinical trials.

Tiffany has over 16 years of experience with clinical trials. Prior to joining ImaginAb, she was previously a Site Operations Manager for a decentralized CRO/SaaS company and prior that she has also worked in the fields of Ophthalmology and Neurology.

Outside of work, Tiffany enjoys baking, traveling to new places and spending time with her family.

Kristin completed her residency and board certification in Nuclear Medicine in Germany. She has held a number of roles in molecular imaging throughout her career. She worked at Siemens Molecular Imaging in Germany for five years as a medical expert in medical device development, software solutions and PET tracer strategy.

Kristin spent 2 1/2 years at Varian where she worked on improving integration of imaging, specifically molecular imaging into radiation treatment planning and treatment response assessment. For over 10 years, Kristin was a medical consultant for the medical device and biotech industry, including consulting Chief Medical Officer for a UK based imaging startup, Adaptix. She also worked as a Senior Director of Clinical Development at Xoft where she expanded the use of electronic intraoperative radiation therapy.

As VP, Medical Affairs at ImaginAb, Kristin's main roles and responsibilities include medical and scientific oversight of planning, execution and management of clinical trials, managing investigator-initiated research, advise on the strategic management plan for ImaginAb's RPT portfolio, facilitate and deliver scientific medical exchanges of information or clinical research findings through symposia, lectures, publications, including chairing and organizing ImaginAb Scientific and Medical Advisory Boards.
Kristin will also maintain positive professional relationships with the medical community, especially in the company’s specific discipline/product line, to identify current and future business opportunities and emerging medical and health care practices

Kristin enjoys the versatility of Nuclear Medicine as it can impact patient management decisions in oncology, cardiology, neurology, and infectious and inflammatory disorders. Nuclear Medicine also provides an increasing number of therapeutic applications. She is honored to actively participate in research and clinical activities that have the potential to detect disease earlier but also better tailor treatment options to each individual patient

Outside of work, Kristin enjoys spending time with family (two sons), music, hiking, reading and traveling.

Kristin completed her residency and board certification in Nuclear Medicine in Germany. She has held a number of roles in molecular imaging throughout her career. She worked at Siemens Molecular Imaging in Germany for five years as a medical expert in medical device development, software solutions and PET tracer strategy.

Kristin spent 2 1/2 years at Varian where she worked on improving integration of imaging, specifically molecular imaging into radiation treatment planning and treatment response assessment. For over 10 years, Kristin was a medical consultant for the medical device and biotech industry, including consulting Chief Medical Officer for a UK based imaging startup, Adaptix. She also worked as a Senior Director of Clinical Development at Xoft where she expanded the use of electronic intraoperative radiation therapy.

As VP, Medical Affairs at ImaginAb, Kristin's main roles and responsibilities include medical and scientific oversight of planning, execution and management of clinical trials, managing investigator-initiated research, advise on the strategic management plan for ImaginAb's RPT portfolio, facilitate and deliver scientific medical exchanges of information or clinical research findings through symposia, lectures, publications, including chairing and organizing ImaginAb Scientific and Medical Advisory Boards.
Kristin will also maintain positive professional relationships with the medical community, especially in the company’s specific discipline/product line, to identify current and future business opportunities and emerging medical and health care practices

Kristin enjoys the versatility of Nuclear Medicine as it can impact patient management decisions in oncology, cardiology, neurology, and infectious and inflammatory disorders. Nuclear Medicine also provides an increasing number of therapeutic applications. She is honored to actively participate in research and clinical activities that have the potential to detect disease earlier but also better tailor treatment options to each individual patient

Outside of work, Kristin enjoys spending time with family (two sons), music, hiking, reading and traveling.